Long-term dynamics of grasslands and livestock in Norwegian cultural landscapes: implications for a sustainable transition of rural livelihoods

Abstract Context Abandonment of cultural landscape practices has had a notable impact on grasslands and domestic livestock that depend on them. This affects the prerequisites for sustainable transitions of cultural landscapes, which combine traditional livelihoods and novel ones like tourism. Objectives The aims of this study were to explore (1) the long-term temporal dynamics of grassland and livestock in a regional gradient from coastal to inland landscapes in Norway and (2) the temporal development of tourism types among regions. Methods Using three regions as case studies, with 62 municipalities, we analyzed (1) the temporal dynamics of grassland and livestock using agricultural census data from 1918 to 1999 and (2) two tourism types. Kruskal–Wallis and ANOVA were used to examine whether the relative changes in grassland areas and livestock units, respectively, differed significantly among regions. A PCA was conducted to explore relationships between grassland and livestock types. The proportions of tourist categories were compared. Results The grassland area and thematic resolution of census data declined over time. Grassland areas correlated with domestic livestock units. Multivariate analysis explained 68% of the variation in grassland and livestock types among municipalities. There was a notable increase in the number of tourists, with summer tourism dominating where the cultural landscape was well conserved. Conclusions Our study underscores the importance of integrating regional historical trajectories for the conservation and use of valuable cultural landscapes, thereby providing sustainable transitions that combine traditional livelihoods and new types as tourism. Additional in-depth studies are needed to understand the detailed drivers of these changes.