Collective Management of Environmental Resources: Historical-Anthropological Insights from the Slovenian Karst, 19th Century to Post-Socialism

This paper presents the first results of a two-year interdisciplinary research project on the collective management of environmental resources in the Slovenian Karst region from the 19th century through the post-socialist era. Utilizing both anthropological fieldwork and historical archival research, the study explores the historical continuity and discontinuity of local agrarian communities’ practices in managing forests, land and pastures. The research emphasizes the socio-legal capacity of these communities to produce, claim, and negotiate rights amidst varying administrative and political regimes, from the Habsburg Empire to independent Slovenia. The study also compares similar cases in other Eastern European post-socialist countries, highlighting the complex dynamics of re-socialization and ownership morphologies. The findings suggest that a nuanced understanding of the historical and social contexts is crucial for interpreting the collective management of natural resources, with implications for current and future resource accessibility and sustainability.