The wild nature and ancestral rural landscapes became viral again in the foreign media. The Guardian illustrates the biodiversity of small ecosystems in Romania, which we often pass by without giving them importance. The distinctive haystacks are a reminder of a way of life that is on the verge of extinction in Romania.
“Golden haystacks shaped like teardrops have been a symbol of rural life in Romania for hundreds of years. The 3-metre-high (10ft) stacks are the culmination of days of hard work by families, from children up to grandparents, in the height of summer.
Together they cut waist-high grass, leave it to dry in the hot sun and stack it up to be stored over the winter, combing the hay downwards to protect it from harsh winds, heavy rain and snow,” the British renowned publication begins its story.
The Guardian explains that Romanian farmers take the bundles from from haystacks to feed the livestock during the winter, in an elaborate labor-intensive and collective process.
“It is human activity that makes these habitats so rich for wildlife: hundreds of species of plant, bird and insect have adapted alongside centuries of cultivating and harvesting meadows, their life cycles becoming intertwined with farming.”
The Guardian reminds that Romania is home to some of the largest grasslands in Europe still managed by traditional methods. “But as modern agriculture creeps in, the haystacks are becoming a symbol of a vanishing way of life. Studies have found that Romania’s traditional hay meadows can be richer in wildlife than meadows managed as nature reserves. From May to July, before the hay is cut, they are awash with wildflowers and insects,” the UK newspaper reports.
They talked to farmers from Ghimeş-Făget, a small mountain village in the eastern Carpathians, a place where villagers base their life completely on farming, namely on animal husbandry, but also a spot rich in meadow plant species. “Many villagers can name more than 120 plant species, ethnoecologists have found.”