Traditional Management of Forest Resources in Mountain Sites of the Dinaric Transhumance in Montenegro

The paper provides valuable insight into the traditional approach to the management and use of forest resources, related to seasonal summer settlements—katuns in the mountains in the Dinaric Karst areas of Montenegro from the nineteenth until the mid-twentieth century. It lays the focus on the experiences of the population living within the case study of the Žijevo mountain massif, situated in the southeastern part of Montenegro. This region was chosen as its characteristics encompass all the main features of a high-mountain area within the Dinaric Karst and has a developed transhumance tradition. The results of other research activities, conducted on Sinjajevina, Prokletije, and Durmitor mountains, have also contributed to the picture presented in this paper. The results originate from a series of research activities carried out within the framework of several projects funded by the Montenegrin Ministry of Science from 2015 until 2019. The paper presents the main categories of katun dwellers’ perception of forests based on relevant historical sources, literature, and findings of intensive fieldwork and communication with the local population. These categories include the relationship between the position of katuns in relation to the forests; forests as a source of construction wood and firewood along with the traditional use of herbs and forest fruits in nutrition; forests as a domain of protection or danger; and traditional forest management procedures and modalities. Particular attention is paid to protection against wolves, one of the most widespread dangers commonly assumed to have lurked from the nearby forests, threatening the sheep and cattle on the mountain pastures. Such data are generally missing from the existing literature on Montenegrin mountain settlements and the exploitation of forest resources.