Bulgaria is experiencing a mass abandonment of villages due to people moving to cities in search of work. This has led to an estimated 400m hectares of abandoned land worldwide, prompting ecologist Gergana Daskalova to study the impact on the environment and its consequences for thousands of species.
The Great Abandonment: A New Phase of Planetary History?
In Bulgaria, thousands of villages are scattered across the country, with almost 300 completely abandoned and more than 1,000 with populations below 30. This is due to people flocking to cities in search of work after the fall of communism, leading to a population decline from close to 9 million in 1989 to fewer than 6.5 million today.
The Forces Reshaping Bulgaria
As populations move and shrink, people are leaving long-occupied places behind, often without a clear return date, resulting in an estimated 400m hectares of abandoned land across the world. Ecologist Gergana Daskalova is studying 30 villages across Bulgaria to understand how nature responds when humans leave.
The Impact of Human Departure on the Environment
Daskalova’s work aims to understand the impact of human departure on the environment and its consequences for thousands of species. Her research project involves gathering data on the return of forests, plant growth, and bird density using drones, botany surveys, and audio recorders.
The Legacy of Abandonment
In Bulgaria, an abandoned house lies in Kreslyuvtsi village. The idea that nature can recover from human disturbance is still widely held, but scientists have found that forests do not recover as much or as rapidly as people think they do. The legacy of abandonment is a complex and uncertain one, with both positive and negative outcomes.
The Need for Human Intention
To harness the full environmental possibilities offered by the great abandonment will require changing our conception of humanity’s relationship to nature and understanding how our species can benefit ecosystems as well as harm them. It will also require human intention: neglect alone is not enough. Around Slavcho’s herds, the backdrop of Tyurkmen was transforming. Patches of forest thrust outward, vines demolished villas, chemical-smelling invasive thickets occupied meadows.
The Future of Abandonment
- theguardian.com | The great abandonment: what happens to the natural world when ...
