Historical Biodiversity in the Alps at Mesto knjige festival

On Friday, 4 September 2026, the monograph Historical Biodiversity in the Alps: Grassland Agroecosystems in the Last Millennium was presented at the Mesto knjige festival at the Maks Bookstore Café in Nova Gorica. The conversation with historian and geographer Žiga Zwitter was moderated by Špela Ledinek Lozej. Co-authored by Zwitter and botanist Leonid Rasran, the nearly thousand-page volume brings together historical, geographical, botanical, ecological, and ethnographic approaches. The discussion focused on the importance of biodiversity, the wide range of historical sources used in the research, and the effects of intensive and extensive grassland management on plant and animal species, fodder quality, and the Alpine landscape. Particular attention was paid to the gathering of plants for food, medicine, decoration, and sale, as well as to the cross-border trade in valerian, gentian, and edelweiss. The speakers also discussed plants that spread to the Alpine region with military fodder during the fighting on the Isonzo Front and proposed featuring the large yellow oxeye (Telekia speciosa) along the Walk of Peace as part of the heritage of the First World War.