59 research outputs found
Old and New. Delving into the Origins of Collectivization
No full textSoviet experiences played an important part in the broader international debate on rural planning throughout
the early decades of the twentieth century. In this respect, the competition for the Green City of Moscow and the
project for new forms of human habitat in the Urals by M. Ginzburg and the OSA group (Sverdlovsk, Magnitogorsk and Chelyabinsk, 1926-32) –much too often labelled as “utopian” by architectural historians– deserve due reconsideration (Meriggi, 2009).
Based on research begun with MA (Kravchenko, 2019; Meriggi, 2019) and PhD students (Batunova, 2017), this paper
focuses on Verblyud, Gigant and other collective villages of the Salsk steppes, taking us to the origins of collectivization and epitomizing the 1920s and 1930s Soviet planning theory and practice.
Underpinning aspects include, firstly, the land: its population and settlement patterns before and during the modernization process. Secondly, the actual extensions of each production unit and the ratio between the number
of farmers and arable land. Finally, we cannot but venture a tentative understanding of the hierarchy of new rural settlements – some acting as sovkhoz headquarters, others as smaller kolkhozy and communes.
What follows is an attempt to piece together a heterogeneous set of information with the help of historical maps, building on a methodology in use by the author since 2000 for studying Soviet avantgarde projects performed by iteratively cross-checking bibliographic sources, visual documentation, cartographic selection, interpretation, and elaboration. Historical maps became a tool to contextualize the projects’ actual impact on the places concerned.
In the case of the Salsk steppes, the key research output is a map showing the evolution of the main settlements from the early1920s until the late 1930s. Two sources have guided our work: the economic geographer Nikolay Baranskij (1956a), and Eisenstein’s documentary film Staroe i novoe (Old and New), depicting the situation ex ante, the political terms of collectivization and its protagonists. In addition, this contribution is mainly based on Russian sources, maps, journals, books and reports dating back to the 1920s and 1930s, as well as recent scholarly works.
This contribution expands the research carried out at Politecnico di Milano on sovkhoz-heritage sites near Zernograd
(lit. “city of grain”), the former Verblyud (lit. “camel”), whose populations, like that of many other medium size towns in the Rostov Region have both been shrinking (Meriggi, 2019).
This paper examines four rural areas and settlements along the Rostov-Salsk railway line: the Tselinskij rayon (Tselina District, former Zapadno-Konnozavodcheskiy rayon), 1922–6; the Stalin kolkhoz (originally the Sejatel’ Commune), 1930s to 1950s; the Gigant zernosovkhoz no.1 (Gigant State Grain Farm), 1928¦; and the Uchebno-opytnnyj zernosovkhoz no.2 (Educational-Experimental State Grain Farm, originally named Verblyud), 1929. It argues that, from the early 1920s to the late 1950s, the Salsk District became a testing ground for early Soviet rural planning and
architecture
Factors affecting habitat occupancy and densities of the Red-legged partridge in introduction areas of north-western Italy
No full textIntroduction. The Italian range of the red-legged partridge changed markedly in the time together with
population abundance because of habitat changes, overhunting, and releases of hand-reared birds. Currently
self-sustaining populations are recorded in plain areas outside the historical range that possibly originated by
natural colonization and/or introductions carried out with partridges from game farms. . Historic range of red
legged partridge in Italy extended mainly along the northern Apennine chain from the Southern Alps to the
west, to the province of Modena in Emilia-Romagna region to the east, both on the south and north slopes. In
central Italy the presence of the species was recorded in Tuscany, Umbria and Marche regions, approximately
down to the Mount Vettore (29 provinces and 8 regions). In the years between 1980 and 1990 the red legged
partridge was present in 18 provinces and 5 regions. The populations in central Italy disappeared with the
exception of the Elba Island, and a strong decline and local extinctions were recorded for the population in
northern Apennines. On the contrary massive releases of hand-reared partridges from the game farm of the
region Emilia-Romagna caused an increase of the eastern part of the range that reached the provinces of
Bologna, Ravenna, and Forlì-Cesena [1]. At the end of the past century, the hunting districts established by the
National Law 157/92 and private estates carried out releases of red legged partridges from game farms outside
the historical range causing an important range expansion, in particular in the Po plain and in central Italy (39
provinces and 9 regions).
Methods. To collect information on the factors affecting the current distribution and abundance of red-legged
partridge in new-colonized areas we carried out call spring counts in two (2015) and three (2016) protected
areas located in the dry crop Po plain in the Piacenza province. The three study areas covered 9.2 (Borgonovo
study area), 41.1 (Trebbia s. a.), and 35.6 km2 (Nure s. a.). They were mainly cultivated; the main crops were
winter cereals (18.9%), maize (11.9%), vegetables (7.6%), alfalfa (7.0%) and hay fields (5.0%). Settlements
occupied 10.7% of the study areas. Two main streams cross Trebbia and Nure study areas with pebbly shores
occupying in total 20.0% of the surface. We carried out call counts with tape recorded call from random
listening points (34 points in 2015 and 92 in 2016) in April and May from the sunrise until 9.30 a.m., recording
the calling males of partridges and pheasants [2]. The densities were calculated using a 300 m fixed radius
from the points. Moreover in each buffer of 300 m we calculated the percentages of the main land use classes
and the main landscape metrics. We analyzed habitat selection by red-legged partridges by means of
Resource Selection Probability Functions (RSPF) formulated by Binary Logistic Regression Analyses (BLRA) of
presence points vs. an equal number of random points in which we calculated the same habitat variables (use
vs. availability approach, [3]). Moreover we examined the effect of habitat variables on the partridge density by
Multiple Regression Analyses (MRA) carried out considering only the presence points. For both analyses we
selected the best models by the correct Akaike Information Criterion (AICc) [4]; the performance of logistic
model was tested by ROC analysis and that of multiple regression model by the correlation between the
predicted and observed values. We verified the multicollinearity of predictor variables by the Variance Inflation
Factor (VIF), the normality of residual distribution by the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, and the residual
autocorrelation by Durbin-Watson test [5].
Results. The average density varied from 2.1 (SE=0.42) to 3.2 (SE=0.39) in 2015 and from 2.9 (SE=0.63) to
3.7 (SE=0.88) in 2016 without significant differences between years and study areas. For 15 habitat variables
we found significant differences between presence and control points (Mann-Whitney U test, P<0.05); in
particular winter cereals, pebbly shores, hedgerow density, Shannon diversity index, the patch number, edge
density, and mean perimeter area ratio had greater values in presence points. Three habitat variables (winter
cereals, pebbly shores and habitat diversity) entered the best logistic model with a positive effect on the
presence probability of red-legged partridge. The model explained 37.0% of the variance and correctly
classified 71.2% of the original cases (presence: 77.8%; controls: 64.9%); ROC analysis showed a good
performance of the model (AUC=0.82, SE=0.048, P<0.0001) (Table 1). We found significant positive
correlations between the partridge density and percentage of unpaved roads (study areas pooled r= 0.442,
n=39, P=0.005), hedgerows (Trebbia study area r=0.661, n=16, P=0.005), hay fields (Trebbia s. a. r=0.601,
268
n=16, P=0.013), and patch size SD (Nure s. a. r=0.648, n=13, P=0.017).Considering the study areas pooled
the best regression model explained 31.8% of the density variance by the inclusion of four habitat variables of
which the percentage of unpaved roads, and the edge density with significant positive effects, and the patch
number with negative ones (Table 2); predicted and observed density values were highly correlated (r=0,624;
n=39; P<0.0001).
Discussion. The expansion and shift of the species range occurred mainly because of releases carried out in
recent times by hunting districts leading to the occupancy of unsuitable areas (irrigated plain) by unstable or
low density populations. Low density populations can survive in dry crop plain and low hills characterized by
high crop diversity and by the traditional rotation farming. Favourable characteristics are: prevalence of winter
cereals (rotational crops), medium presence of hedgerows and tree rows, presence of river with large pebbly
shores, unpaved road network, high habitat diversity, small field size, high landscape patchiness and
complexity, and low pheasant density. Based on these characteristics it would be possible to identify suitable
areas outside the original range to plan species introductions with partridges from game farms free from
hybridization with Alectoris chukar. This can lead to the recovery of the species by putting it safe from the
habitat losses in the historical range that can be considered the main threat for red-legged partridge
conservation
Habitat selection, survival and dispersal of Female Pheasants (Phasianus colchicus) on organic and intensive farms in Central Italy
No full textEffects of population density and habitat on survival and dispersal of Brown Hares (Lepus europaeus, Pallas, 1778) on intensive farmland in Northern Italy
No full textKommentar
No full textTirol und Trentino im Vormaerz: Verwaltung, Verfassung, buergerliche Gesellschaf
Habitat use by Brown Hares (Lepus europaeus, Pallas, 1778) on intensive farmland in Northern Italy
No full text
Habitat changes and dynamics of brown hare populations in western Po Plain (northern Italy)
No full textThe decline of brown hare populations recorded in European Countries since the half of the past Century has been observed also in Italy where the main causes are identified in agricultural intensification and changes and overhunting. Other supposed factors of the decline included
habitat losses due to the increasing urbanized areas and road networks, and predation impact. From autumn 2005 to autumn 2012 we monitored nine hare populations living in protected areas of the Province of Milan (northwestern Italy) which is characterized by a very high urban
density and where arable land is dramatically decreasing because of the expanding urbanization. The aims of this research were : i) to define population trend, ii) to evaluate the effect of habitat losses on hare populations, and iii) to find the main demographic parameters affecting hare population dynamics. We carried out nocturnal counts in March and November of each year and we estimated the densities by Distance Sampling method; using pre and post-breeding densities
we estimated the spring to autumn increases and winter losses. For each protected area we measured the percentage of land use classes at the beginning and at the end of the study from two different editions of land use digital map of Lombardy Region (DUSAF, Regione Lombardia).
We carried out curve-fit analyses on spring and autumn densities over the time in order to assess population trend and correlation and regression analyses between the percentage change of densities and spring to autumn increases, winter losses, and changes of habitat variables to individuate the main factor affecting population decline. Total spring density was 18.1 (SE=8.43) hares per km2 in 2006 and 17.8 (SE=6.91) in 2012; the difference between the initial and final
densities was not significant (t=0.03; P=0.976). No significant trend resulted for spring density (R2=0.001; F=0.003; P=0.956) but we recorded marked fluctuations in the study period (min=11.0; max=24.1). Total autumn density was 33.3 (SE=4.24) hares per km2 in 2005 and 14.6 (SE=6.52) in 2012; the difference was significant (t=2.40; P=0.016). We recorded a significant and decreasing trend in the study period (R2=0.739; F=7.07; P=0.035). Only three out of nine hare populations showed increasing or stable trends and generally the decline of post-breeding populations was more marked than that of the pre-breeding ones. Declining populations were characterized by anomalous dynamics with negative spring to autumn increases and increases
from autumn to the next spring. Percent change of post-breeding populations was negatively related to the percent change of urbanized areas (R2=0.921; F=25.10; P=0.002). It seems that hare populations in northwestern Po Plain are mainly affected by a very low recruitment probably due to habitat losses, increasing urbanization and related disturbance
"Spirito italiano, spirito lombardo, spirito veneziano"
No full textGli esordi del regno Lombardo-Veneto attraverso i carteggi dell' Haus-Hof und Staatsarchiv di Vienn
Sopravvivenza e dispersione della Lepre comune (Lepus europaeus Pallas, 1778) in relazione alla densità di popolazione e alle caratteristiche ambientali
No full text- …
