Pastoralism in the East Tatras national parks. Cultural and ecological context in present

Shepherd's expansion into the Eastern Tatras valleys started latest in the 14th century. The peak of the pastoralism was Walachian colonization in the 16th century. Shephards usually used to drive out their herd (to pasture) to an altitude over 2000 meters above the sea level. The damage caused by grazing has grown to such proportions that pasturage was prohibited in some areas. After the establishment of the Tatra National Park the pastoralism in the High Tatras and Belianske Tatras in Slovakia was completely banned. In Poland shepherding was recovered in the form of cultural pasture, which is being regulated under strict conditions to prevent damage to the environment, after about 30 years long pause in the territory of Tatrzański Park Narodowy. The main objective of my thesis is to find out whether it would be possible to bring back the grazing to the territory of the Tatra National Park. If yes, then under what specific conditions, with what advantages or disadvantages, in its comprehensive perspective, not only natural but also socio-cultural. I took inspiration from the cultural pasture in Poland, and I was interested in the negatives of regulated grazing as well. I made my research in the form of semi-structured interviews with experts and with general public. The results of the empirical..