Accounting for pastoralists in Spain

Spain has a very diverse range of ecosystems that have been created and transformed over centuries by pastoralism. Some 88% of the country’s land area can be used as pastures at some time of the year. Two main pastoral strategies have evolved: transhumance, and agrosilvopastoralism.

  • Transhumance involves moving animals between winter pastures (usually in the plains) to summer pastures (often in the mountains).
  • Agrosilvopastoralism involves grazing animals on pasture and crop residues, and in forests and tree plantations. The dehesa oak parklands are an example.

No data exist on the number of pastoralists in Spain, the lands they use or the numbers of animals they keep. Pastoralism is in general decline, under pressure from changing economics and unfavourable policies. But awareness of its value for the environment, landscape management and tourism is rising.

  • Title: Accounting for pastoralists in Spain
  • Author: Francesca Pasetti, Concejo de la Mesta; Rubén Serrano and Pablo Manzano, Basque Centre for Climate Change; Pedro Herrera, Fundación Entretantos – Spanish Platform for Extensive Livestock Systems and Pastoralism / League for Pastoral Peoples and Endogenous Livestock Development / 2022
  • Description: Information brief
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  • Pages: 6

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    Accounting for pastoralists in Iran

    Rangelands cover 84.8 million hectares (52.3%) of Iran. Mobile pastoralists manage 35 million hectares and raise some 23 million head of livestock of 28 different breeds. Iran has 4–5 million pastoralists, 1.2 million of them mobile or semi-mobile. They play a vital role in Iran’s food security and national economy. They produce 53% of the country’s meat), and contribute to cultural diversity and environmental conservation within their territories.
    Mobile and transhumant pastoralists move their herds along migratory routes between summer and winter pastures. Their ability to do this has been eroded since the past century. Their “territories of life” (customary territories) and migration routes have been fragmented through land-use change and inappropriate development.
    Pastoralists need more supportive policies, including the recognition of their customary territories, their rights to use land, and their customary governance systems. They must be involved in making decisions that affect them.

  • Title: Accounting for pastoralists in Iran
  • Author: Abolfazl Sharifian, Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources Nahid Naghizadeh, Cenesta / League for Pastoral Peoples and Endogenous Livestock Development / 2022
  • Description: Information brief
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  • Pages: 6

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    Accounting for pastoralists: Why it is important and how to do it?

    Ilse Köhler-Rollefson / League for Pastoral Peoples and Endogenous Livestock Development / 2020

    Pastoralism is a way of raising animals in association with nature. It entails the movement of people and herds across landscapes, making use of natural vegetation and crop by-products. Pastoralism corresponds to public demands for high animal welfare and environmentally friendly methods of livestock production.

    If we want to make the livestock sector more sustainable, this production system requires strong policy support. But we currently do not know how many pastoralists there are either globally or within each country. This is due to the absence of data collection and because pastoralism is not a distinct category in livestock censuses. Outdated colonial concepts and one-sided focus on the “efficiency” of livestock systems have prevented the recognition of the benefits of pastoralism as a solar-powered, biodiversity-conserving food-production strategy. In order to monitor the situation and provide a basis for policymaking, FAO should lead a global initiative to define pastoralism and record data by production system.

  • Title: Accounting for pastoralists: Why it is important and how to do it?
  • Author: Ilse Köhler-Rollefson
  • Description: Information brief
  • Format: Pdf
  • Pages: 6

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