Economic Sustainability vs. Environmental Sustainability: An Animal Crisis in the Middle Ages

Since the 1990s, the concept of sustainability has gained increasing attention in historical studies. Research has focused on the sustainable exploitation of environmental resources for economic purposes. This economic emphasis has often obscured ecological consequences, particularly on ecosystem balance and animal populations. This article describes the enduring forms of environmental management and commodification that developed in 1250–1500 in the Central Alps. Contrary to notions of sustainability as rooted in longstanding practices, evidence suggests that these practices were not traditional in character but emerged as a response to strong economic growth beginning around 1300 and resulting environmental pressure. The process of selecting resources useful to the economy, such as forests and pastures, had a considerable impact on the ecosystem. Most notably, the new forms of sustainability developed and adopted by Alpine societies were able to safeguard and optimize the use of natural resources, but they had significant consequences for the animal world, ranging from the development of genetic selection practices for cattle to the elimination of large carnivores.