Pasture Adaptation

Presentation

As our climate changes, it will be more important than ever to reinforce the adaptive capacity of heritage livelihood systems, but is important to recognize that cultural heritage is not something that is just under threat. Rather, it offers capacity and lessons for both mitigation of climate change and adaptation to its effects. This research examines the cultural landscapes of transhumant pastoralism in France, Norway, and Spain to understand:

• how these landscapes are threatened by climate change
• what they can tell us about ecological knowledge and social organization for climate resilience
• how these landscapes are sustained through community action and policy

For this work, we build on our existing project in the French Basque Country, expanding it to the Valdres region of Norway, and the Spanish drove roads. We will integrate climate, social, and ecological date across the three sites in partnership with local organizations. In each site, researchers have long histories of engagement with local institutions and farmers.