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The Duero River borderland between Spain and Portugal is a region marked by historic geographic isolation and more recently by economic marginalization. Acknowledged for not only its biodiversity, the cultural landscape is also distinguished by its archaeological, historic, and ethnographic heritage. Due to massive socioeconomic outmigration and a prevalent cultural disdain for the countryside, there is a developing disconnection of the collective memory among village residents with the cultural landscape and its agropastoral past. In this study, the principles of the Historic Landscape Characterization methodology and the ideals established by the European Landscape Convention of 2000 are implemented due to their goals of community engagement and awareness raising of the value of cultural landscapes. A strong ethnographic component has been applied to this research whereby residents in interviews characterize the landscape through the recollection of its toponyms and past agropastoral land use. The data acquired from the interviews are input into a GIS as ethnographic layers to complement the empirical landscape analyses. This aggregation of information is placed into a final series of maps for residents and regional authorities to access, use, and learn from the unique landscape history of the region. The value of the analysis is twofold: (1) it contributes to the interpretation of the historical development of the Duero River transborder landscape; and (2) it demonstrates the role of incorporating an ethnographic approach into an archaeological landscape analysis. • Underscores the value of using local spatial knowledge in landscape research. • Demonstrates the use of Geographic Information Systems to preserve landscape memory. • Emphasizes the importance of research in undervalued rural landscapes and peoples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long-strip and terraced fields systems form significant elements of the current cultural landscape. When evaluating their significance, it is necessary to determine their origins and to further specify their development. However, archeological researchers have encountered problems in dating field systems that were exposed to intensive agriculture in the 20th century AD. In this study, we describe a combination of approaches used to confirm the current landscape's High Medieval origin of the long-strip terrace-like field system of the former village of Malonín, which is located in the Bohemian Forest Mts., Czech Republic. The methods employed are radionuclide dating, geographic information system (GIS)-based reconstruction using old maps, historical documents, and archeological and palaeobotanical records. Our study evaluated the historical significance of field boundaries in the form of hedgerows, which have stabilized the pattern of the agricultural landscape since medieval times. The results of this study provide a basis for further land use planning and for conserving the cultural landscape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Local place names in the landscape represent an important part of the spiritual component of the landscape memory and form an essential part of the intangible traditional folk culture on the local scale. This paper presents the research results regarding the level of knowledge of the landscape place names in the Haná region (Czech Republic) in children belonging to the age group of primary school pupils. It was revealed by the method of questionnaire survey that the majority of pupils in rural schools in Haná do not currently know the specific local names in the landscape. In the investigated sample of respondents, we found a statistically significant correlation between the knowledge of local names and active use of the Haná dialect. At present, a large share in maintaining the knowledge of landscape local names can be attributed to local and regional social activities aimed at conservation of the traditions of folk culture and at maintaining the relationship of the young generation to the landscape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To quantify sediment flux in river systems requires not only measurements (or estimates) of how much sediment moves through channel cross-sections or reaches over a given time period, but also consideration of how representative those measurements are and how long those rates of sediment movement will be sustained. Geomorphic analysis must accompany application of engineering principles to develop this understanding, explaining controls on sediment availability for a particular system. Geomorphic controls on sediment flux are discussed here in terms of four principles: landscape setting, landscape connectivity, reach sensitivity and sediment organization. These principles are applied in the Tongariro catchment. The landscape setting of this catchment is fashioned primarily by the volcanic history of the area, with abundant sediment supply. Landscape connectivity is limited, with many sediment stores in upland areas disconnected from the lower course of the river. Reach sensitivity downstream of the gorge is limited by the area of active channel inset within terraces. Significant channel adjustments have occurred in the braided reach beyond the terrace-confined reaches. This reach has acted as an efficient trap for gravel-sized materials, such that further downstream, the meandering and multi-channeled delta reaches comprise sand-sized materials. These latter reaches have shown negligible channel adjustments over the last 80 years. Collectively, these inter-related controls determine variability in sediment availability in the Tongariro catchment over time, thereby exerting a dominant influence upon sediment flux. Human disturbance is concluded to have had a negligible impact on sediment flux in this resilient system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]