How grazing shapes pastoral resources: examples from mountain and Mediterranean environments

Oct 9, 2026 — 09:30 am - 11:00 AM

Centre de conférences - Foyer Niveau 1

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Pastoral activities make use of naturally occurring forage resources through extensive grazing to provide all or part of the herd’s feed. Animals act as ecosystem engineers, profoundly transforming the structure, composition, and dynamics of vegetation, as well as the functioning of the pastoral ecosystem as a whole. The positive and negative effects of grazing must be considered at several nested spatial scales: the microsite, the grazing unit, and the pastoral territory. These impacts depend above all on management practices: the timing of use, herd composition, grazing intensity, and whether or not a shepherd is present to guide animal movements. Climate change is affecting the dynamic balance between vegetation, herds, and management practices. In this context, grazing management must reconcile short-term animal feeding objectives with the medium-term preservation of pastoral resources. Drawing on examples from mountain environments in the Massif Central and the Alps, as well as Mediterranean areas, we will illustrate how flexible management practices can serve as a lever to reconcile forage quality, biodiversity, and ecosystem resilience.

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