Paper short abstract:

The paper examines the dynamics of locals’ attitudes towards natural sites and resources in times of uncertainty caused by political, economic and social changes over time. Searching for lifestyle sustainability, people transform various cultural and economic practices related to these sites.

Paper long abstract:

The establishment of institutional control (i.g. conservational) over a given landscape is always accompanied by changes in land use rights and resource use patterns. This leads to important transformations in everyday economic and cultural practices of the local population, and therefore causes uncertainty. Inevitably, however, humans impact the landscape through their activities and practices of using (and protecting) natural resources. At the same time, the environment sets certain conditions which shape the possible ways locals can secure their livelihoods. People’s attitudes towards natural resources, however, change over time, including under the influence of global environmental concepts and movements. Therefore, local practices in search of lifestyle sustainability also transform.

The proposed paper addresses these issues through the case of the village of Ezerets, Bulgaria, at 3 km from the Shabla lake and 2 km from the Black sea coast. The focus is on the role of these two natural sites in locals’ cultural and economic practices. In the last eight decades, their meaning has been (trans)forming by diverse factors: political (the change of regimes; the acceptance of Bulgaria in the EU), conservational (the inclusion of the lake and coast within protected areas), socio-ecological (undeveloped coastline; well preserved environment), etc.

The research was conducted within the scope of the project “Life in Protected Zones and Areas: Challenges, Conflicts, Benefits” (Contract No. КП-06-Н40/12), supported by the National Science Fund of Bulgaria.