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Pyrenean Pastoralists’ Ecological Knowledge: Documentation and Application to Natural Resource Management and Adaptation

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Abstract

Pastoral production systems in the Spanish Pyrenees have changed dramatically in recent decades, leading to the loss of traditional ecological knowledge (TEK). We documented TEK of pastoralists from two valleys in the western Central Pyrenees of Aragón and explored its potential applications to resource management and adaptation. Pyrenean pastoralists possess extensive knowledge of relationships between terrain, climate, vegetation and animal nutrition and behavior. TEK could contribute to sustainable stewardship and facilitate adaptation by informing pasture monitoring; providing traditional practices to manage mountain vegetation; and preserving knowledge of extensive livestock production strategies, such as transhumance. Institutional barriers to applying TEK include weak economic cooperation among stockmen, their dependence on EU subsidies, and lack of voice in regional government decisions about local resources. A more collaborative, place-based stewardship of the Central Pyrenees might begin with direct involvement of pastoralists in designing monitoring of pasture conditions and vegetation type changes.

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Notes

  1. In Ansó, rights are obtained after two years of residence.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the Spanish Fulbright Commission and the Center for Collaborative Conservation at Colorado State University. We thank the pastoralists, residents and municipal governments of the Valleys of Ansó and Hecho for their assistance and participation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Forest and Rangeland Stewardship, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 80523-1472, USA

    María E. Fernández-Giménez

  2. Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología (CSIC), Jaca, Spain

    Federico Fillat Estaque

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  1. María E. Fernández-Giménez
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  2. Federico Fillat Estaque
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Correspondence to María E. Fernández-Giménez.

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Fernández-Giménez, M.E., Fillat Estaque, F. Pyrenean Pastoralists’ Ecological Knowledge: Documentation and Application to Natural Resource Management and Adaptation. Hum Ecol 40, 287–300 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10745-012-9463-x

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