Man and environment. The protection afforded in the late Middle Ages for mountain and hill areas in the Apennines of the Marche region. Part One: the municipal statutes of Sefro and Fiastra

Abstract

This study focuses on the statutes of the municipalities of Sefro and Fiastra, which at the end of the Mediaeval period was part of the Duchy of Camerino. It begins with an outline of the environment, from a geological, hydrogeological and morphological as well as an edaphic and vegetational point of view. The study then illustrates the results of an analysis of the statutes dating from the 15th century: these are rules established for cultivating fields and forests, breeding livestock, hunting and fishing, managing springs, streams and ponds, and ensuring compliance with these rules. The rules succeeded in providing adequate protection for the natural resources, from which the inhabitants of Sefro and Fiastra gained their sustenance, safeguarding the techniques used to enhance them. The study concludes with some reflections on the protection of the forests and on soil conservation, from the end of the Middle Ages to the present.