‘Sense of place’ and conservation: Toponym diversity helps to maintain vegetation naturalness

Place names are an important but vanishing part of cultural diversity, and their relevance for environmental sciences is increasingly acknowledged. Still little known about whether the diversity toponyms affects human–nature relationships decisions humans on how to use certain parts landscape. To investigate this question, we combined approaches from social ecology in a comprehensive multidisciplinary survey 1521 landscape features Hungary. The studied were ancient millennia-old burial earthen mounds built by nomadic steppic tribes, that often hold last remnants grassland vegetation provide safe havens specialist plant animal species intensively used agricultural landscapes Eurasia. In our research, (i) compiled database 5150 km2-sized study region, (ii) collected all recorded since 18th century, (iii) derived height distance settlements each mound (iv) visited field survey, evaluated naturalness. We found despite intensive transformation independently topographical factors, higher number was associated with degree naturalness features. Independently protective effect against ploughing, reflects decreasing land intensity, more had Synthesis applications. Cultural recognition these places has eroded considerably past centuries, its still noticeable, suggesting extinction delay culture-driven biodiversity patterns. Our results suggest reestablishment lost connections between people nature can contribute reversing deterioration. Read free Plain Language Summary article Journal blog.