Valorisation of the dry stone wall heritage of the Cres-Lošinj archipelago

The aim of this thesis was to capture the extensiveness and values of an important component of the Croatian Adriatic landscapes – namely, the heritage of the dry stone structures. Current scientific considerations still fail to capture their prevalence and significance despite their increasing relevance in the discourse of scientific research, spatial planning and cultural protection. In this thesis, valorisation comprised a multi-aspect approach, with the Cres-Lošinj archipelago used as a case study area. By combining a GIS-based cartographic production and processing, along with the in-situ recording of the dry stone artefacts accompanied by ethnographic notations, the objective was to lay a foundation and understanding of their distribution and characteristics. This task was followed by a correlation of the dry stone wall landscape-scale patterns to local historical socioeconomic circumstances to address the queries of time-depth data of their structures. Finally, the benefits arising from the dry stone walls were reviewed, especially those appurtenant to the ecosystem services framework, to assist future monetary valuation approaches. The research results include the full quantification and establishment of a GIS database of the dry stone walls of the Cres-Lošinj archipelago, a review and assessment of the heritage diversity and use and its distinctiveness in the context of the Croatian Adriatic and within. Dry stone wall patterns demonstrated their scientific value as indicators of historical events. With the example of the Cres olive grove, another lens of valorisation was discussed – namely, recognition under the cultural landscape category. Finally, initial steps for the conceptualisation of a valuation model were provided.