EUROPEAN COMMISSION

PS Number __________________
APPLICATION TO PROGRAMME : BRITE-EURAM III
[For Commission use only]

PART B: PROPOSAL DESCRIPTION FOR RTD PROJECTS

SUSTAINABLE CONSERVATION OF BIODIVERSITY

IN TIMES OF CLIMATIC CHANGECOMPETITIVE
AND SUSTAINABLE GROWTH
(FP7-RESEARCH IN THE FRAME OF GROWTHNATURE 2000)
PROGRAMME

Contract for:
Shared-cost EU project

Annex 1 “Description of Project”

Proposal number: GAU3-2001-55555

Project acronym: TRUNPA
Project full title: Transhumant Rangeland Use and
Networking of Protected Areas (TRUNPA)
Duration: 42 Month

Project
Co-ordinator: Gh Kassel, FB 6, ASL
Hubert B. Beckmann, M.sc.agr.

Contractors:
(full names of the organisations) (country code)
... ..
... ..
Document Revision Date: January d, yyyy

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Table of Contents
1 CONFIDENTIAL SUMMARY OF A SIGNATED WPRNR.21ST )ENTURY........................3
1.1 SOCIAL NEEDS.................................................................................................................... 3
1.2 COMMUNITY ADDED VALUE....................................................................................... ..............3
1.3 SPECIFIC PROGRAM............................................................................... ..............................4
1.4 T ECHNICAL AND SCIENTIFIC OBJECTIVES AS WELL AS INNOVATIVE ASPECTS............................ ...........4
1.5 SCIENTIFIC AND T ECHNICAL WORKPLAN ......................................................... .........................4
1.6 PARTNERSHIPS.................................................................................................. .................5
1.7 STRUCTURE OF THE PROJECT MANAGEMENT......................................................... ......................6
1.8 DEVELOPMENT PERSPECTIVES......................................................................................... ........6

2 SCIENTIFIC OBJECTIVES AND INNOVATION: STATE-OF-THE-ART...........................7

2.1 PROJECT COMMUNICATION AND PUBLICITY................................................................... ...............7
2.2 NATURE PARKS AND BOTANICAL RESOURCES......................................................................... .....7
2.2.1 PROGRAMS AND CONVENTIONS OF PLANT CONSERVATION............................. ..............................7
2.2.2 STUDIES ABOUT RANGELAND ECOSYSTEMS......................................................................... ......8
2.2.3 INNOVATING METHODS OF ANALYZING RANGELANDS ........................................... .........................9
2.3 T RANSHUMANT CORRIDORS CONNECTING NATURE PARKS ....................................... ...................10

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1 CONFIDENTIAL SUMMARY OF A SIGNATED WPRNR.21ST )ENTURY

This project originated from a collaboration of Prof. Dr. Gert Rosenthal, Uni Gh Kassel, FB 6, ASL
and Hubert B. Beckmann (HBB-consult). The project title is “Transhumant Rangeland Use and
Networking of Protected Areas”, abbreviated TRUNPA, and it has been designed to discover
sustainable tools conserving the benefits of biodiversity taking in account the impacts of climatic
change.
Climate change might cause a serious alteration of species habitats and thus the ecosystems will
experience an extreme environmental pressure on their plant and on their animal species
deteriorating the conditions of their reproduction. IPCC expects about 25% of all plant and animal
species will become extinct by 2050. These lacks in the ecosystems might entail an even bigger
environmental catastrophe.
European natural gene pools and its diversity have to be preserved to minimize most possibly the
extinction of the plant species. Thus European Community has enacted the NATURA 2000
program (http://europa.eu.int/scadplus/leg/en/lvb/l28076.htm) asking to protect valuable
ecosystems and their species as Nature Park as well as to connect these areas through Green
Corridors.
The aim of our project is to support the function of this Green Corridors by facilitate species
migration. Transhumance, and in particular sheep transhumance have been elected to achieve this
aim. During a long time most of institutions related to nature conservation did regard grazing rather
as a problem than as a part of nature conservation. However this was an unrealistic approach while
small as well as large ruminants have been a natural component of most European ecosystem.
Semi open landscapes do need grazing and secondary succession to maintain their diversity. This
need even will get enhanced significantly by the impact of climatic change.

1.1 Social needs

We consider TRUNPA as a strategic evaluation on landscape planning as well as a social
approach. Herders are monitoring transhumant animal husbandry, and therefore have to be
accepted as key element to install transhumance as conservation tool. Moreover they form a hoard
of local and traditional knowledge with respect to the ecosystems, their biotops and species.
Actually in Europe the herdsman’s profession is in the danger of extinction. Herders obtain a lack of
social appreciation and an accommodativeness of live in the 21th century. Society, i.e. European
Community has to react most urgently not to loose an irrecoverable part of our traditional society.
The study also is addressed to the holistic value of Protected Areas as areas ecological reserves
as well as of soft public recreation in nature. Climatic and environmental changes are embracing a
vast quantity of effects summarized as Global Change, which all cause a succession of plant
community, and which might end in a form of ecologic degradation taking away this unpayable
values.
Resuming there have been named four direct social values of Transhumance in Protected Areas:
1. herders and their knowledge
2. their unique genetic diversity of Protected Areas,
3. the forage resources for an environmental adapted herbivory,
4. a zone of tourist relaxing by ecologic-orientated formation.
Rangeland use on a long term has been the most important human impact on these regions.
Influences have to be graded as substantial, and ERUPA tends to develop a option of monitoring
them. Thus it presents an essential contribution of maintaining living spaces in good conditions,
and therefore is a direct impact on social needs.

1.2 Community added value

TRUNPA will resuscitate an integral component of the human ecological capacity: the
transhumance. Transhumance has been essential in human history and can not be replaced by non
technical progress while having become part of the co-evolutionary succession on our planet.
Thereby in Europe extensive rangeland use is concentrated on semi-open grassland ecosystems,
which are to be estimated as most species diverse biotope of the continent.

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Thus TRUNPA is enhancing the implementation of the NATURE 2000 program. It works adapted
overlapping regulations while the regional rangeland conditions differ a lot. TRUNPA includes
several, culturally and technologically differing countries, which are forming an ecological transect.
TRUNPA also studies the administrative condition of a adapted comprehensive implementation of
our project aim as well as of NATURA 2000 by a binding agricultural policy.

1.3 Specific program

Preservation always depends on political decisions. On the other hand the impacts of climatic
change are present, and do not allow any delay. Thus the results have to be succeeded in an
acceptable span of time. Due to the variability of Europe this represents a methodological
challenge. TRUNPA outputs are aspired to make possible an effective control of implemented
regulations as well as their immediate implementation.
We had to subdivide the main objective in the following 5 topics for obtaining our holistic approach:
pt. 1.project communication,
pt. 2.Nature Parks,
pt. 3.Green Corridors,
pt. 4.herders profession and transhumant enterprises,
pt. 5.political implementation.
TRUNPA will use modern efficient equipment for taking up botanical and environmental factors in
the field study. A new insight in actual species migration will be externalized. The results will be
basic justification of following project parts, and argue on programs realization.

1.4 Technical and Scientific Objectives as well as Innovative Aspects

We set following Objectives for the project to overcome the alignments both the ecological
evaluation of transhumance as well as the socio-cultural requirements:
pt. 1.The set up of an effective project communication net facilitates the investigation and
guarantees popular scientific publications of project results: The project is published in Internet
and gets public known through Search Engine Optimization (SEO).
pt. 2.The ecosystems of semi-open rangeland Nature Parks and their existing plant diversity i.e.
their botanical and their environmental aspects are recorded: evaluation of botanical
composition through botanical indices, estimation of forage offer, stocking-rate and stocking
herd, etc.
Grazing pressure in free ranged sites are calculated applying statistical methods (BOTANAL
and Dry Weight Ranking). Subsequently have to be monitored the administrative decisions
concerning the use of Protected Areas. (implementation of NATURA 2000.)
Efficient and affordable up-takes of most significant influencing environmental data have to be
realized taking into account their later pratical applications.
pt. 3.Species migration is arranged through employing Green Corridors as transhumant animal
ways:
a network of Green Corridors is arranged, migration is measured, and the results are
transformed in multivariate mathematical models depending on the variables quality and
quantity of transhumant livestock, plant species and their diversity, climatic aspects, etc..
pt. 4.It is analysed the socio-economic aspects of herders profession and their transhumant
enterprises as well as a modification of herders profession: Different possibilities for
development in this professional area are assembled and discussed with the herders, like there
are integration of rural tourism, transfer of particular herders knowledge, ecosystem monitoring,
etc..
pt. 5.The options of a project introduction and its public communication are discussed with herders,
adjoining agriculture, conservation techniques, politicians, etc. A rapid adapted implementation
has to be organized due to imminence of climatic change. The programs have to be
accommodated for the general capacity of transhumant herders by adapted administrative
facilities, method of rapid assessment, etc.

1.5 Scientific and Technical Workplan

The work is planned as international collaboration using the all available tools of Internet and
managing the administration of Protected Areas, Green Corridors and migration of plant species
through a GIS supported monitoring. Provided results will influence the decisions referring to
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implementing of regulations respectively their control. Moreover there will be tested the influence
of certain livestock species on migration as well as the covariance of methodological applications
in up-takes, and in order of shortening the lead-time and minimizing the costs.
TRUNPA work is planned in three development parts:
The first one takes time during the period of plants flowering. Its mission is the field work taking
botanical and environmental samples of Protected Areas and Green Corridors. The second scans
the plant migration, and in a third cycle being fixed during the rest of year results will be analyzed,
interpreted, written down and applied.
Principal project outputs will be:
Pan-European reintroduction of transhumance consolidates the plant species migration, and
therefore the species conservation. A modified profession of the eco-herdsman contributes in
society’s ecological formation taking into account the environmental claims of climatic change.
Developed methodologies and its applicability are evaluating the transhumant rangeland use
and its contribution to plant conservation in the Protected Areas as well as to plant migration in
the Green Corridors.
A GIS controlled monitoring facilities the administrating of Protected Areas.
Outputs of the different national project groups will be:
Identification of indicator species discovering the plant migration and the succession of the
plant communities respectively to the environmental changes.
Composition of an adapted grazing herd guarantying the preservation of plant diversity.
Analysis of the possible substitution of domestic grazing animals.
On the way to these outputs, the following major milestones are targeted:
Installation and utilization of closed forums in the Internet. The planed groups will be: Steering
committee, the practical group of herders, countrymen and politicians, the geo-botanical group,
the group of plant migration, the statistic-elaboration group, and a national group of each
participating country.
Web-pages of popular scientific content are connecting the project to the public and the
popular knowledge.
A methodology to evaluate the plant migration is installed.
The duties of the field study are complemented.
Soil and plant samples are chemically analyzed.
An advanced course of “Multivariate Analysis of Ecological Data” at the University of South
Bohemia, Cezke Budejovice, Czech Republic is visited.
Yearly research-reports are written.
Internet meetings are arranged. Twice a year meeting with project-evaluating contents are
realized.
Public Relation Work is getting answered.
Writing of a final report of research project (each country group)
1.6 Partnerships
Several European partners are guaranteeing the success of this project. An external assistant takes
account for backing up pt. 1 of the Scientific Objectives. Each of further points is conducted by the
concerning institute of a different national group.
The partnerships have to be separated in two levels:
an internal national level forwarding the investigation in Protected Areas and Green Corridors;
an external international applying different adapted methods to succeed the agreed results
supporting the maintenance of conservation in Protected Areas.
It is strived for including universities and institutions of the following Countries in the project group:
Germany the German national group takes account of Scientific Objective pt. 3
Department of Architecture, Urbanism and Landscaping, FB 06, Kassel University, chairman
Prof. Dr. Gert Rosenthal
Department of Bioinformatics, Hohenheim University, Stuttgart, chairman Prof. Dr. Hans-
Peter Piepho
Spain the Spanish national group takes account of Scientific Objective pt. 4
Instituto de Sociología y Estudios Campesinos, Córdoba University, chairman Prof. Dr. Eduardo
Sevilla Guzmán
Escuela de Pastores, Consorcio para el Desarrollo Rural del Oriente de
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Asturias, chairman Fernando García

District Council of Santiago de la Espada, province of Almería,
town mayor Pascual González
Moreover it is planed to include system oriented Universities and institutions of methodological
capacity:
France
Greece
Italy
Czech Republic “Faculty of Biological Sciences” at the University of South Bohemia,
Cezke Budejovice. *
Netherlands “Department of Agronomy” at the University of Wageningen. *
(with * marked institutions already not have agreed in their participation)

1.7 Structure of the project management

The entire project management will be directed by a Steering Committee assembling the
Monitoring Expert, the National Project Managers and the National Exploration Managers. It will be
directed by the Project Director. It runs every two months realized by an Internet conference.
Moreover each project group does organize its own Country’s Managing Group directed by the
National Project Manager. Day to day management will be performed by the Exploration Managers
supported by the Technical Managers respectively the Work Package Leaders. See also chapter
8.1.2.

1.8 Development perspectives

It is expected a package of eligible methods in TRUNPA 4 years after project start. Nevertheless
each participating country is suggested on the long term to continue and enact TRUNPA as
management – tool in European Community Area. Outcomes will be continuing controlled by GIS-
monitoring.
It is accepted the outcome of a transhumant network supporting the preservation biological
diversity in times of climatic change. TRUNPA will prevent the extinction of valuable vegetal
species respectively the decrease of all genetic variety. Therefore the value of TRUNPA can not be
overestimated. It has to rated as consistent continuation of the NATURE 2000 program.
Beside of mentioned aim of this project on long-term it is seen probable a continuation of ERUPA
extending the objectives of evaluation to the items of Global Change. The features of TRUNPA
make it necessary
 to support decisively the formation of eco-herdsmen
 to create a larger base of environmental data;
 to control effectively the preservation in Protected Areas
 to arouse public interest to these environmental succession and its effects on human life;
 to attract new investors.
Public work is a central Project alignment, while it has to be seen as starting point for realize this
challenging and ambitious but at the same time imperative projection. Though it has to be
mentioned that this feature still is in design, and that it will be refined in the first two meetings of
the Steering committee.

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2 SCIENTIFIC OBJECTIVES AND INNOVATION: STATE-OF-THE-ART

The objective of our project is a rapid, expanded and politically raised reintroduction of an
extensive sheep transhumance in all Europe. A Goal Oriented Project Planning has to divide this
main goal in the following 5 sub-goals (see also the chapters 1.4 and 3.2.1.):
pt. 1.project communication
pt. 2.Nature Parks and their botanical resources
pt. 3.Transhumant Corridors connecting Nature Parks
pt. 4.transhumant herders
pt. 5.political implementation of transhumance
Every goal is conducted by a several participating institution, which ought to be of a different
country.

2.1 Project communication and publicity

This part has still to be elaborated.
Communication:
 international project communication
 visual project meetings
 interior national inland communication
 international subitem communication of the different sub-goal-groups
 different communication works
publicity:
 project Internet platform: archetype is the public cooperation platform BSCW,
Be Smart – Cooperate Worldwide, http://public.bscw.de/en/index.html,
It is a system originated in the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Information Technology FIT
in the mid-1990s.
 SEO (Search engine optimization – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Search_engine_optimization),
the process of improving ranking in search engine results
making public goals public known and supported
 publication of popular science articles

2.2 Nature Parks and botanical resources

Semi-open rangelands are often protected as Nature Parks. Thus they are serving as biosphere
reserve of great species diversity formed by a specific species abundance and their habitats. Thus
on rangelands this also integrates a specific stocking herd and their stocking-rate.
The following literature survey leads to investigations focusing on the items of free transhumant
ranging, and describing the particular characteristics of a specific rangeland ecosystem.

2.2.1 Programs and conventions of Plant Conservation

There are existing several international conventions having the goal of biodiversity protection:
 Man and Biosphere, UNESCO (1970, http://www.unesco.org/mab/)
 Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat or
Ramsar Convention (1971, http://www.ramsar.org/lib/lib_handbooks2006_e.htm)
 Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Washington Convention
(1973, http://www.cites.org/)
 Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals or Bonn Convention
(1979, http://www.wcmc.org.uk:80/cms/)
 UN Convention on Biological Diversity or Rio Convention (1992, http://www.biodiv.org)
 UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) or Climate Change Convention
(1992, http://www.unfccc.int)
 Council Directive 92/43/EEC on the Conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and
flora or Habitats Directive (1992, http://europa.eu/scadplus/leg/en/lvb/l28076.htm)
The Council Directive on the Conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora or
Habitats are an EU convention included in the Natura 2000 program. Natura 2000 represents an
ecological network consisting of core areas protecting biodiversity, buffer zones surrounding the
core areas, the corridors connecting the protected areas and restoration areas recovering typical
biodiversity. It obligates the EU-Member States to take all necessary measures to guarantee the
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conservation of habitats in particular areas and their biodiversity, and to avoid their deterioration.
Corridors are essential for the migration, dispersal and genetic exchange of wild species and
networking the several European regions.

2.2.2 Studies about rangeland ecosystems

Introducing it has to be mentioned that rangeland ecosystems are to distinguish in three mayor
subsystems:
1. rangeland sites
2. herbivores
3. forage vegetation
The research of rangeland-ecosystems takes care of these subsystems and their interaction.
Although primarily aims of rangeland-research were dominated by economical aspects:
Rangelands forage offer was estimated to fix forage yield. Therefore harvesting methods were
applied [1]. Later on first statistics made possible the application of or non-harvesting methods [2].
Forage management was linked to forage yield and its quality [3]. Cultivating the swards was
proposed to purpose the improvement of forage offer’s quality and quantity. Categorizing rangeland
sites permited the evaluation of rangeland’s conditions as well as the value of its conservation[4].
The economical output of a rangeland use is the pasture livestock. Thus rangeland’s quality and
adaptability of nutrition have been of central interest. Animals forage demand has been assembled
depending on type of animal, their forage preferences, their “status”, and their “expenses” of
locomotion in ranging [5]-[10]. There were developed methods to analyze the nutritional content of
the forage [11].
Concepts of stocking rate and carrying capacity are linking forage vegetation and grazing animals,
as they do introduce concepts of a sustainable use of rangeland-ecosystems. The effects of certain
stocking rates were analyzed [12] as well as it has been determined the nutritional carrying
capacity of rangelands [13]. Animals nutrition has been determined by analyzing the forage offer
[14].
The sustainability of rangeland use and the diversity in rangeland’s species is influenced by range
management [15]-[17]. Guidelines have been developed for managing assessment [18]-[20].
Listed themes are only a small selection of a big number of papers related to this complex
scientific theme. In general economical aspects and the rates of return for farmers working matter
in most of these studies.
Nowadays ecological aspects are recovering space. Statistical methods are approved in analyzing
geo- and socio-botanical aspects and so the succession of plant communities. Multivariate
Statistics of Ecological Data allow to analyze environmental influences [21].
In a previous investigations in the Southern Spanish rangelands of High Sierra Nevada it has been
verified by Canonical Correspondence Analysis that temperature is the most significant impact on
abundance of plant species [22].
CITED LITERATURE:
[1] Wacker-FW. 1943. Vergleichende Prüfung von landwirtschaftlich brauchbaren Verfahren der
Grünlandbestandesuntersuchung. in: Klapp-E. 1943. Pflanzenbau. 328-363. Leipzig, Germany.
[2] Tothill-JC, Hargreaves-JNG, Jones-RM, McDonald-CK. 1992. A comprehensive sampling and computing
procedure for estimating pasture yield composition. Tropical Agronomy Technical Memorandum No. 78,
CSIRO, Australia.
[3] Glatzle-A. 1990. Weidewirtschaft in den Tropen und Subtropen. Ulmer, Stuttgart, Germany
[4] Gastó-J, Cosio-F, Panario-D. 1993. Clasificación de ecorregiones y determinación de sitio y condición.
REPAAN (Red de Pastizales Andinos). Santiago de Chile.
[5] Alderman-G, Cottrill-BR. 1991. Energy and Protein Requirements of Ruminants. CAB International, UK.
[6] Agricultural Research Council. 1980. The Nutrient Requirements of Ruminant Livestock. Commonwealth
Agricultural Bureaux, UK.
[7] Vallentine-JF. 1990. Grazing Management. Brigham Young University. Utah. USA.
[8] Ungar-ED. 1996. Ingestive Behaviour. 185-218. in: Hodgons-J, Illius-AW. CAB International. UK.
[9] Lachica-M, Barroso-FG, Boza-J, Prieto-C. 1999. Goats locomotion energy expenditure under range
grazing conditons: Seasonal variation. J. Range Manage., 52:431-435.
[10] Lachica-M, Barroso-FG, Prieto-C. 1997. Seasonal variation of locomotion and energy expenditure in
goats under range grazing conditons. J. Range Manage., 50:234-238.
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[11] Van Soest-PJ. 1982. Nutritional Ecology of the Ruminant. Durham and Downey, Portland, Oregon, US.
[12] Rowan-RC, White-LD, Conner-JR. 1994. Understanding cause/effect relationships in stocking rate
change over time. J.rang.manag. 47 (5), 349-54.
[13] McCall-TC, Brown-RD, Bender-LC. 1997. Comparison of techniques for determining the nutritional
carrying capacity for white-tailed deer. J.rang.manag. 50 (1), 33-38.
[14] Tainton-NM, Morris-CD, Hardy-MB. 1996. Complexity and Stability in Grazing Systems. 275-300. in:
Hodgons-J, Illius-AW. CAB International. UK.
[15] Nolte-KR, Gabor-TM, Hehman-MW, Asleson-MA, Fulbright-TE, Rutledge-JC. 1994. Long-term effects of
brush management on vegetation diversity in ephemeral drainages. J.rang.manag. 47 (6), 457-59.
[16] Waddington-J, MacCartney-DH, Lefkovitc-LP. 1999. Effects of management on species dynamics of
Canadian aspen parkland pastures. J.rang.manag. 52 (1), 60-67.
[17] Armstrong-RH, Grant-SH, Hodgson-J. 1987. Grazing choices and hill management. Occasional
Symposium, British Grassland Society 21, 175-78
[18] FAO. 1991. Guidelines: land evaluation for extensive grazing. Roma.
[19] Milton-SJ, Dean-WRJ, Ellis-RP. 1998. Rangeland health assessment : a practical guide for ranchers in
arid Karoo shrublands. J. Arid Environ. 39 (2), 253-65.
[20] Gibson-RS, Bosch-OJH. 1996. Indicator species for the interpretation of vegetation condition in the St.
Bathans area, Central Otago, New Zealand. N. Zeal. J. Eco. 20, 2.1: 163 – 172.
[21] Jongman-RJH, ter Braak-CJF, van Tongeren-OFR. 1995. Data analysis end landscape ecology.
Cambrigde, UK.
[22] Hubert B. Beckmann. 2001. Evaluación de los pastos oromediterráneos de Sierra Nevada en relación a
su aprovechamiento por la ganadería local (ovino trashumante y bovino estante). Consejería de
Agrilcultura y Pesca, Junta de Andalucía. Sevilla.

2.2.3 Innovating methods of analyzing rangelands

Statistical methods have taken place as reliable, inexpensive and powerful tools in the botanical
sciences. Since the 60thies also the range management applies statistical programs to analyze in a
large scale the carrying capacity of rangelands [21]. This avoids overgrazing according to
Ellenberg most frequent cause of rangeland’s degradation [22] as well as the malnutrition of the
stocking herd.
In recent time statistical methods have made possible to analyze geo- or socio-botanical aspects
and the succession of plant communities. Multivariate Statistics of Ecological Data allow to analyze
the environmental influences [23].
There are to distinguish four different types of statistical problems: regression, calibration,
ordination and constrained ordination.
The analysis of regression helps to describe the probability of species abundance in dependence of
environmental factors. The tool of calibration identifies indicator species related to environmental
factors. Ordination constructs a latent variable that explains the abundance of the species
observed at the sites without having measured environmental variables. The constrained ordination
relates species to measured environmental factors in an indirect way [24].
Different problems have been analyzed using these statistical tools. Repeated measures can study
the succession of a plant community [25]. Vegetation changes caused by changes in environmental
factors have been analyzed [26], [27]. Related with ranging the grazing preferences of goats have
been analyzed using paired plots and multivariate analysis [28].

CITED LITERATURE:
[21] Ellenberg-H. 1984. Entwicklung ohne Rückschläge. Schriftenreihe GTZ Nr. 156, Eschborn. 13-24.
[22] t’Mannetje-L, Haydock-KP. 1963. The dry-weight-rank method for botanical analysis of pastures. J. Brit.
Grassl. Soc. 18: 268 – 75.
[24] ter Braak-CJF. 1996. Unimodal models to relate species to environment. Wageningen, Netherlands.
[25] Ende-CN. 1993. Repeated-measures analysis: growth and other time-dependent measures. in: Design
and analysis of ecological experiments. 113-37. Chapman & Hall. New York.
[26] Ter Braak-CJF, Wiertz-J. 1994. On the statistical analysis of vegetation change: a wetland affected by
water extraction and soil acidification. J.veg.scien. 5: 361-72.
[27] Vacek-S, Bastl-M, Lepš-J. 1999. Vegetation changes in the forest of the Krkonoše Mts. over a period of
air pollution stress (1980-1995). Plant Ecol. 143, 1-11.
[28] Lepš-J, Michálek-J, Kulíšek-P, Uhlík-P. 1995. Use of paired plots and multivariate analysis for the
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determination of goat grazing preference. J.veget.scien. 6: 37-42.

2.3 Transhumant Corridors connecting Nature Parks

Nature Parks are stable areas conserving a given species diversity and their habitats. Therefore
they are stable constructs not able to react on shifting of an environmental vector in an acceptable
span of time. Also it is threatened by inbreeding of species. Therefore wildlife corridors have to join
of fragmented habitats and Nature Parks. Like ecosystems are supraregional such connections
ought to be realized on regional, national and international scales.
Generally corridors may be important to connect botanical core areas, but also internal
fragmentations of core areas. They are classified into three classes according to their shape and to
their functionality: line corridor, stepping stone corridor and landscape corridor. Their functionality is
serving for dispersion, for migration and for commuting.

line corridor

stepping stone corridor

landscape corridor

source: http://www2.alterra.wur.nl

Pasture livestock supports different types of corridors: grazing on rangelands including several
ecosystems realizes plant migration through landscape corridors, in the meantime a transhumant
movement forms stepping stone corridors or line corridors according to realized grazing activity.
For grazing animals there has to be differentiated between three species function types of corridor:.

There is presented the previous research related to the rangeland use in Biosphere Reserve Sierra
Nevada:
It has been evaluated the goat husbandry in altitudes between 1.300 m and 2.150 m above sea
level Grazing was shown to be adapted in the study region as well in terms of sustainable carrying
capacity as in nutritional offer for grazing animals. This result was consolidated by proving an
abundant forage reserve, by examining existing forage composition, and by an extend analyzing of
nutritional values of sampled forage species [29].
There also has been compared the diet of sheep and of rock goat in the alpine levels, at a height of
more than 2.000 m above sea level, at the southern side of Sierra Nevada. It was analysed
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Issued: 21 January 2009

animals’ excrements, relating it to the forage supply of vegetation. It was shown that sheep
pastured grass- (41,6 %) as well as herb- (32,2 %) and shrub-vegetation (26,1 %). Rock goats
consume predominantly grass- (57,7 %) and shrub-vegetation (34,8 %), in which the species
Junperus nana and Junperus sabina make up an important part (20,5%) [30]. It was also proved,
that the composition of sheep’s diet was significantly influenced as well by forage over as by the
protein content of forage species [31].
It was informed about the bio-climatic environment of Sierra Nevada’s rangelands, and about both
traditional and present transhumant movements of current livestock. He verified a continuing
process of change in grazing herds replacing step by step traditional ewes and goats by labour-
extensive cattle husbandry [32].
In the rural areas of Granada, where Sierra Nevada belongs to, this is caused by immense social-
cultural changes in the last four decades, and due to his fact by a significant diminishing of
herdsman [33].
Two own previous investigations have been realised:
It was to notice, that sheep and goat husbandry farming systems in the southern part of the Sierra
Nevada, the so called Alpujarra, already are of a traditional form. Thus there have been suggested
different forms of an economically sustainable development adjusting to the different initial
positions [34].
Rangelands of High Sierra Nevada (2.250 to 3.000 m above sea level) have been proved not to be
overgrazed. The estimated forage quality did satisfy sheep’s energy requirements, meanwhile
cattle suffered a lack. Therefore it was observed that they did elude to adjacent rangelands [35].

CITED LITERATURE:
[29] Fernández García-P. 1995. Aprovechamiento silvopastoral de un agrosistema mediterráneo de montaña
en el Sureste ibérico: evaluación del potencial forrajero y la capacidad sustentadora. Facultad de
Ciencias, Universidad de Granada.
[30] Martínez -T. 1988. Comparación de los hábitos alimentarios de la cabra montés y de la oveja en la zona
alpina de Sierra Nevada. Archivos de zootecnica, 37: 39 – 53.
[31] Martínez Martínez-T. 1995. Estrategia alimentaria de la oveja en una zona de alta montaña. in: Actos de
la XXXV Reunión Científica de la Sociedad Española para el Estudio de los Pastos (S.E.E.P.), Centro de
Investigación y Tecnología Agrarias. Universidad de La Laguna, Tenerife. 113-117.
[32] Rubio de Lucas-JL, Albert Gamboa-MJ, Muñoz Municio-MC, José Gómez-SS. 1995. Cuadernos de la
trashumancia. - No 9. Sierra Nevada. ICONA, Madrid.)
[33] Carrascosa Salas. 1992. Las Alpujarras. Tomo 2. Monográfica Tierras del Sur. Univ. Granada. Spain.
[34] Beckmann-H. 1998. Animal husbandry in the mediterranean region of Spain. Faunus, 4: 5.
[35] Beckmann- H. 1999. Transhumanz als angepasste Nutzung einer Mediterranen Gebirgsweide.
Witzenhausen, University Gh Kassel, Germany.

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