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Integrity
The continuous inhabitation of Epirus since prehistoric times made both the cultural heritage and landscape an integral part of the natural environment and vise versa. For this reason nature and human are interactive forces, where one affects the integrity of the other (Table 4).
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Table 4 Natural HeritageThe inaccessible areas of its mountainous geomorphology along with the ecological consciousness of the Mastorochoria communities encouraged the preservation of forested areas as undamaged and virgin places. Logging activity is now practiced in only a few villages (Langada, Kefalochori). The depopulation of the villages benefits the protection, preservation, even the expanding of some animal species. Regeneration of vegetation in anthropogenic environments related to animal husbandry and domestic animals breeding poison the protected and endangered species of bear. Illegal hunting and fishing have increasingly become an acute threat for the majority of wild fauna in Mastorochoria. Cultural Heritage The desolation of the Mastorochoria villages and the abandonment of traditional economic activities resulted in the ‘decomposition’ of the cultural heritage. The forest regeneration covers and deteriorates significant structural elements of Mastorochoria craftsmanship. Even the old structures, which are usable, bearing signs of dereliction. The elements of the cultural heritage that are located in the villages are better preserved. The sacred natural sites are affected by new diseases, which jeopardize several species of holy trees and by lack of ecological awareness and vandalism. |