Paper short abstract:

The aim of the research outlined in the poster presentation is to trace the physical as well as symbolical flows of waters in the specific socio-ecological context of a Dalmatian island - Dugi otok.

Paper long abstract:

Close attention paid to the relationship between man and his environment on island Dugi otok results in a fact that the Island's distinctive ecological feature of scarce water resources bares various social implications in the life of the islanders. The water in this respect is not only seen as a subject per se (as natural resource) but as a socio-cultural artefact and a symbolic means, interrelating environment, people, their ideas and practices. Therefore, the purpose in the research is to trace the physical as well as symbolical flows of the waters inscribed into the particular landscapes of the Island. The applied approach crosses the boundaries of the main discipline of anthropology and it pursues the principles of ethnoecology, the socio-natural junction of two sciences (and their respective fields): comparative sociology and ecology. The prospective findings would enrich the anthropological knowledge about the everyday life practices and symbolic imagery regarding water in the Adriatic region. At the same time they would be (hopefully) accepted as applicable knowledge that might contribute to the higher efficiency of the developmental projects of sustainable use and management of natural resources (water resources in particular) in the region.