ADAPTATION OF AN ECOLOGICAL AND PASTORAL DIAGNOSIS TO THE ALBANIAN CONTEXT

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1 A. Garnier, C. Bernard, P. Dobi, F. Launay, F. Lerin, J. Marie, B. Medolli, B. Sirot ADAPTATION OF AN ECOLOGICAL AND PASTORAL DIAGNOSIS TO THE ALBANIAN CONTEXT 1

2 LIVESTOCK IN ALBANIA ~ 45% of the families concerned by livestock farming (mainly cattle and small ruminants) Large part of auto-consumption Wide self-sufficiency of the country in animal products ( of quality!) Source : INSTAT 2012

3 LIVESTOCK IN ALBANIA 60% 90% Many are 100% pastoral!! A MAJORIT Y OF EXTENSIVE LIVESTOCK Source : FAO 2010 (Petushi, Doko) Photo : F. Lerin

4 LIVESTOCK IN ALBANIA Albania is part of the Mediterranean basin = one of the 34 hotspots of the planet. BIODIVERSITY ISSUES >39% Pasturable areas Source : Agriculture Statistics Yearbook, 2000 Photo : Cl. Lerin

5 LIVESTOCK IN ALBANIA BIODIVERSITY ISSUES Conserving pastoral activities is a fundamental objective for the future of these areas despite high rural decline and low support of public policies >39% Pasturable areas Photo : Cl. Lerin

6 BUT? are poorly documented PASTORAL SYSTEMS & BIODIVERSIT Y are not really integrated in the national and local strategies Challenge: creation of baselines for management practices 6

7 ECO-PASTORAL DIAGNOSIS Developed under European LIFE + Program: Eco-pastoral diagnosis tested in 130 french farms Improve open landscape conservation Strengthen herds food autonomy Photo : B. Sirot

8 ECO-PASTORAL DIAGNOSIS 1 Global understanding of the farm Identify the objectives and expectations of the farmer 2 Eco-pastoral diagnosis Understand interactions between practices and open landscapes Evaluate ecological issues 3 Monitoring of the farm Accompany the farmer in his technical choices Evaluate the impact of changing practices on the environment and on the farm

9 ECO-PASTORAL DIAGNOSIS CO-DIAGNOSIS Farmer One major point in this method is that the diagnosis is co-constructed to cross both complementary competences: pastoralist, naturalist and the farmer himself. Pastoral Specialist Naturalist The idea is to co-construct strategies and propositions to optimize the use of resources and the sustainable management of pastoral areas.

10 MIL OUV METHOD DIFFERENT SCALES Description of the local livestock farming systems and the landscape they use. TERRITORY

11 MIL OUV METHOD DIFFERENT SCALES Understand how the farm operates; Objectives and strategies of the farmer. TERRITORY FARM

12 MIL OUV METHOD DIFFERENT SCALES TERRITORY FARM MANAGEMENT UNIT Evaluate pastoral resource (quality, quantity, accessibility).

13 MIL OUV METHOD DIFFERENT SCALES Biomass accumulation Bare soil TERRITORY FARM Field indicators to describe the resource state : ruderal spices, biomass accumulation, bare soil, MANAGEMENT UNIT TOPO-FACIES 13

14 TRANSFER OF THE METHOD So we decided, with a franco-albanian pluridisciplinary team, to adapt and to test this method in Albania: - Hasi region (North-East Albania), - Vlora region (South coast). 14

15 TRANSFER OF THE METHOD For this, it was necessary to make several adjustments: 1) Massif: territorial scale, landscape analysis, local specificities Originally in France, the territorial level was implicit due to the important knowledge accumulation on livestock systems. But in Albania, this level had to be integrated in the diagnostic.

16 TRANSFER OF THE METHOD For this, it was necessary to make several adjustments: 1) Massif: territorial scale, landscape analysis, local specificities 2) Collective pastures: smallest unit of common management «lagja» In North-eastern Albania, a large part of grazing areas is collective. For that, we had to consider the lagja which is a village quarter and constitutes the smallest unit of common land management. - farm scale individual goals - lagja and territory scales collective goals

17 TRANSFER OF THE METHOD For this, it was necessary to make several adjustments: 3) All grazed areas with pastoral and ecological interests Shrubs Forests The eco-pastoral diagnosis as it has been designed for France focuses on the evolution of pastoral open landscapes. This choice made sense because these types of landscapes show major conservation issues across European Union, due to the decline of pastoralism and landscape closure. However in the Albanian situation and regarding the overall objective of the method, it was suitable to extend the diagnosis from open landscapes to other grazing areas, including forest and scrublands. The aim was to cover all areas presenting pastoral and ecological interests and challenges.

18 MAIN RESULTS INITIATE A DISCUSSION ABOUT PASTORAL PRACTICES For example: in the Hasi region, it was a first step to identify ecopastoral elements to be included in the Code of Practice for a Geographical Indication of a local breed of goat (Hasi Goat).

19 MAIN RESULTS INITIATE A (COLLECTIVE!) DISCUSSION ABOUT PASTORAL PRACTICES OVERGRAZING, UNDERGRAZING Sustainable collective maintenance WATERING PLACES High grazing presure Encroachment Transfer the pressure to the less grazed areas SHRUBS AND FORESTS Balancing wood production and fodder resources

20 MAIN RESULTS INTEGRATE PASTORAL ACTIVITIES IN TERRITORIAL STRATEGIES Refine environmental and pastoral issues Involve farmers in the process! This diagnosis is a first step to build a pastoral debate in Albania : refine arguments to defence agrosilvopastoral systems. But who can use this method for an impementation in Albania? it seems that the ministry of agriculture has not a lot of interests for this question But that might be used at a local level for building management plans in Natural Protected Areas, and especially for natural Emeraude network that have to be transfered in Natura 2000.

21 THANK YOU Photo : O. Crouteix Alice GARNIER (algarnier@iamm.fr), François LERIN (lerin@iamm.fr) With contributions from Claire BERNARD, Petrit DOBI, Fabienne LAUNAY, Julien MARIE, Besmira MEDOLLI and Benjamin SIROT Within the framework of the BiodivBalkans programme coordinated by François LERIN and Roland BARDHI and the Mil Ouv programme coordinated by Sébastien GIRARDIN The authors gratefully acknowledge the three breeders from Hasi region without whom the study would not have been possible: Arben Cahani, Kastriot Dajçi and Muharrem Xhibexhi.