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Changes in the profession of transhumant shepherd-cowherd: an illustration of the diversity of situations across France’s pastoral territories

Oct 7, 2026 — 03:00 pm - 4:00 PM

Hall d'accueil - Espace rencontres

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The professions of transhumant shepherd and cowherd (both employees and livestock farmers) are undergoing many changes linked to shifts in the socio-economic and ecological context affecting both pastoral communities and pastoral areas. These changes involve: - how knowledge is passed on and the profile of people entering the profession - the duties and skills required in response to environmental challenges, climate change, and the protection of herds from predators - working conditions, particularly the need to coexist with the sharp increase in other users of pastoral areas These professions are also practiced in a wide variety of settings. Between the cowherds of the Northern Alps working as a team on a dairy mountain pasture and the cowherd in the Pyrenees managing a large herd of suckler cows, daily life and required skills differ greatly. The same is true of the cheesemaking shepherd in the Basque Country or Béarn and the shepherd in the Southern Alps managing a large flock of suckler ewes. These are many different realities within the same profession. The AMBER project aims to provide an illustrated overview of this diversity, based on in-depth work on how skills are transmitted and on field surveys carried out in the Alps, the Pyrenees, and the Massif Central. Speakers: Institut Agro Montpellier Institut Agro Florac National Association of Schools for Transhumant Shepherds and Cowherds Contributions from shepherds and cowherds from different mountain ranges

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