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End Date
Project Summary
The RURALtXA! project represents an integrated approach to rural development and biodiversity conservation based on the revitalisation of traditional extensive livestock farming. By combining habitat restoration, socio-economic support, stakeholder cooperation, and public awareness-raising, the project demonstrates that traditional pastoral practices can serve as a powerful lever for sustainable rural development.
Themes
Biogeoghraphic Region
Objective
The RURALtXA! project aims to strengthen the link between traditional extensive livestock farming and the conservation of high-value mountain habitats, while simultaneously supporting the sustainable development of rural areas. Its core objective is to demonstrate that traditional pastoral practices are not only compatible with biodiversity conservation but are also a key driver of the rural bioeconomy.
Good Practice Description
The RURALtXA! project is structured around three main lines of action that integrate environmental, socio-economic, and awareness-raising dimensions. A first step consisted of developing Habitat Management Plans linked to traditional activities in the project’s areas of intervention, where such plans did not yet exist. These plans assess the conservation status of Habitats of Community Interest associated with communal mountain pastures, and define concrete measures to improve their ecological condition. Based on these plans, the project implemented a series of practical conservation actions, including clearing excessive vegetation and shrub encroachment, construction and improvement of small pastoral infrastructure and removal of invasive species.
To strengthen the socio-economic dimension of traditional livestock farming, the project carried out an in-depth diagnosis through interviews with livestock farmers using mountain pastures during summer grazing periods and landowners and managers of protected natural areas. This analysis identified the main needs and challenges faced by farms, as well as potential areas of intervention. On this basis, the project implemented actions such as training and advisory services, support for marketing and commercialisation of local products, promotion of diversification strategies, including ecotourism and nature-based activities and organisation of exchange visits between projects and model farms, which proved particularly effective in stimulating innovation and cooperation.
The project also developed territorially adapted initiatives:
- In the Basque Country, special attention was given to maintaining production and promoting the mountain cheese Mendiko Gazta, part of the Idiazabal Protected Designation of Origin, produced in high mountain areas during summer.
- In Galicia, a new brand, Saberes do monte (“Knowledge of the Mountains”), was created to promote products and services linked to traditional practices and ecotourism in communal forests.
- A third pillar of the project focused on raising awareness among the general public about the benefits of extensive livestock farming for biodiversity conservation and landscape management. Activities included a travelling stand at livestock fairs, organisation of seminars and public events, creation of a photographic exhibition, informational brochures, videos, and merchandising materials.
Tools and Equipment
To replicate a project such as RURALtXA!, it is essential to create spaces for dialogue and understanding between livestock farmers, landowners, and forest managers, facilitating the exchange of knowledge, experiences, and opinions. This is crucial to identify common interests and address potential conflicts, moving towards consensual solutions that reconcile livestock farming with the conservation and sustainable management of mountain pastures. This provides the foundation for any other implemented project action.
It is very important to have an initial socio-economic diagnosis and a map of the activities related to the final objective, implemented in advance by local entities, allowing the project to seek synergies and join forces, ensuring a long-standing impact beyond the life of the project.
Personnel
Successfully preserving mountain pastures requires the coordinated participation of livestock farmers, landowners, and forest managers, as each contributes with specific and complementary knowledge. Livestock farmers have practical knowledge about the traditional and current livestock management, including livestock loads, grazing seasons, and rotations. They know how the livestock behaves and interacts with the pasture. They know where the overgrazed or underutilised areas are, as well as forage species and their evolution throughout the year.|
Mountain owners have a medium and long-term vision for their land. They possess historical knowledge of how forests have been used and how the landscape has evolved over time, as well as detailed information about boundaries, easements, and usage rights. Their interests and objectives may focus on conservation, production, or a balanced combination of both. In addition, they are well-positioned to facilitate management agreements and support long-term commitments for the sustainable use of their land.
Mountain managers, such as administrative bodies, technicians, engineers, and biologists, provide essential technical and regulatory expertise. They contribute knowledge of the ecology of mountain pastures and ecosystem dynamics, identify habitats of interest and protected species, and design sustainable grazing management plans. They are also familiar with current environmental and agricultural regulations and are responsible for monitoring, evaluating, and adapting conservation measures. In addition, they have access to planning, mapping, and funding tools that support effective and long-term management.
Additionally, supporting traditional farms requires a series of agents linked to the rural environment and the agricultural sector, responsible for facilitating the marketing and promotion of derivative products. Planned operations, such as field conservation actions, require the participation of field staff with practical knowledge of the natural environment.
Problems and Threats Faced
Traditional extensive livestock farming has historically played a crucial role in shaping and maintaining semi-natural mountain habitats. However, in recent decades, these practices have been increasingly threatened by structural changes in agriculture and rural societies. The main problems and threats identified include: abandonment of traditional farming practices, loss of open habitats, intensification of livestock production systems, decline in biodiversity, spread of invasive species, which alter ecological balances and displace native flora and fauna.