Erasmus+ Project: 21st Century Shepherds: Growing Professionalism in Extensive Livestock Management, Forest Fires, and Landscape in the Era of Global Change

Silvopastoralism is a common practice in Mediterranean socio-ecological systems, characterized by the presence of extensive livestock farming in forested areas. The consumption of vegetation from forest ecosystems provides goods and services to society, such as high-quality food products or the management of forest biomass and the associated risk of wildfires. In the Mediterranean Basin, the revaluation of silvopastoralism is particularly strategic, given that the region is marked by unmanaged forests and increasing vulnerability to wildfires due to climate change.

Therefore, a growing number of public administrations are implementing pastoral livestock farming experiments to control understory fuel. At the same time, the number of farmers practicing extensive livestock farming is declining throughout Europe. Therefore, in recent years, vocational training centers known as Shepherd Schools have been established, with the aim of training young people, whether from the agricultural sector or not, in the development of extensive agricultural projects that are economically viable and adapted to the needs of the 21st-century market. However, a low level of training in silvopastoralism for forest fire risk management has been detected, both theoretically and practically.