The sheep tracks of transhumance in the apulia region (South Italy): Steps to a strategy of agricultural landscape conservation

Transhumance is a very old form of pastoralism where livestock is moved seasonally between higher and lower pastures. The historical sheep track represents a valuable ecological asset that needs to be maintained. This study consisted in the agro-ecological characterization of the sheep tracks landscape and the detection of areas having higher conservation value. A planning framework was arranged and the sheep track system of the Apulia region (Italy) was characterized with the support of a Geographic Information System. Plain areas, mainly associated with transhumance in the past, are today much less involved in the residual presence of these sheep tracks; conversely, the most abundant presence and the best conservation status was detected in the hilly and marginal agricultural areas. Moreover, those biotopes having prevailing semi-natural traits closely associated with transhumance are today under-represented in the landscape and largely surpassed in extent by biotopes pertaining to agricultural land use. This work is a preliminary step in detecting the traits of the residual sheep track network in Apulia. Actions are required converging in a preservation plan that supports the recovery of the sheep track system according to an integrated land management perspective. Therefore, a new dimension in the sheep track conservation should be accomplished, not related to pastoralism, but able to deliver ecological services and promoting rural development in marginal areas.