Abstract
Land abandonment is pervasive in mountainous Europe. In the present situation of price-cost squeeze on pastoral households and general shift in the role of farming, the development of farming abandonment risk regions is generally associated with adoption of new multifunctional rural development strategies, such as farm tourism, which in the end entail less time being devoted to farming practices. We explored the effects of such developmental scheme on the preservation of semi-natural grasslands, in particular, and on the sustainability of mountain pastoralism, in general. While the effects on the preservation of semi-natural grasslands of full abandonment have been extensively explored, this is not the case of partial abandonment. Results showed that the adoption of simplified and low-cost management regimes, associated with partial abandonment and the increased adoption of part-time farming, immerses semi-natural grasslands in processes of secondary succession that undermine both their conservation and pastoral functions. This points the need for caution when endorsing multifunctional developmental schemes in farming abandonment risk regions, particularly when those imply less labor being devoted to pastoral practices. In conclusion, we stress that in farming abandonment risk regions it is possible to guarantee both viable pastoralism and diversified rural economy. However, it is necessary to implement developmental strategies that are centered on stimulating synergies between pastoralism and other economic activities, rather than promoting activities that depend on additional farmers’ polyvalence.
Highlights
Mountain pastoralism is a livelihood strategy designed to exploit the altitudinal zonation of its environment, fundamentally through the practice of different kinds of livestock mobility
The following species were found with the highest average plant cover in the plots, as estimated through the Line-Intercept Method: Dactylis glomerata (12%), Poa pratensis (9%), Trisetum flavescens (7%), Taraxacum officinale (6%), Plantago lanceolata (6%), Festuca pratensis (6%), Lathyrus pratensis (4%), Arrhenatherum elatius (4%), Lotus corniculatus (4%) and Bromus erectus (3%)
Poa pratensis, Lotus corniculatus, Plantago lanceolata, Taraxacum officinale and Trisetum flavescens were present in almost all plots sampled
Summary
Mountain pastoralism is a livelihood strategy designed to exploit the altitudinal zonation of its environment, fundamentally through the practice of different kinds of livestock mobility. In the Pyrenees, this is the case of transhumance, which entails the exploitation of semi-natural grasslands at mediumaltitude lands for hay forage production for winter feeding, and the use of communal alpine pastures in summer months. Since semi-natural grasslands are the sole endogenous source of winter feeding in the Pyrenees, its availability determines the quantity of livestock a given pastoral household can raise (Taull et al, 2005) and constitutes a key limiting factors for the pastoral activity. Transhumance is a strategy developed to overcome the structural shortage of winter feedstuff. Despite specificities, land abandonment is a common trend identified all around the mountains in Europe. The shortage in semi-natural grasslands due to land abandonment is being enhanced by displacements due to infra-
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