IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v15y2023i9p7355-d1135683.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

An Exploration of Drivers for Abandonment or Continuation of Summer Pasture Grazing in South Tyrol, Italy

Author

Listed:
  • Julia Stauder

    (Institute for Regional Development, Eurac Research, Drususstrasse 1, 39100 Bozen, Italy)

  • Harald Meimberg

    (Institute of Integrative Nature Conservation Research, Department of Integrative Biology and Biodiversity Research, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Gregor-Mendel-Strasse 33, 1180 Vienna, Austria)

  • Monika Kriechbaum

    (Institute of Integrative Nature Conservation Research, Department of Integrative Biology and Biodiversity Research, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Gregor-Mendel-Strasse 33, 1180 Vienna, Austria)

Abstract

Summer pasture grazing is perceived as being under pressure from renewed wolf presence in the Italian Alpine province of South Tyrol. To investigate this, we combined a literature review with expert interviews to (1) get an overview of the situation of small ruminant farming and (2) identify drivers with an influence on summer pasture use, including wolf presence. Firstly, the results show an increase in small ruminant farms and stock numbers in the valley and on summer pastures during the last years. Secondly, subsidy programs, off-farm employment, lack of personnel and tourism are some of the main drivers for summer pasture development in the past and future. Thirdly, this analysis detects the potential pressure of wolf presence on small ruminant summer farming. Nevertheless, this impact should still be considered modest compared to other driving processes that have started before the return of the wolves. Based on this, the study finally discusses the importance of focusing on targeted funding, the revalorization of the shepherd profession and the balance between tourism and livestock farming to support summer pasture farming in the future.

Suggested Citation

  • Julia Stauder & Harald Meimberg & Monika Kriechbaum, 2023. "An Exploration of Drivers for Abandonment or Continuation of Summer Pasture Grazing in South Tyrol, Italy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(9), pages 1-17, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:9:p:7355-:d:1135683
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/9/7355/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/9/7355/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Streifeneder, Thomas & Giuliani, Clare & Hoffmann, Christian, 2022. "A cross-border analysis of the policies for Alpine pasture farming," Arbeitsberichte der ARL: Aufsätze, in: Chilla, Tobias & Sielker, Franziska (ed.), Cross-border spatial development in Bavaria: Dynamics in cooperation - Potentials of integration, volume 34, pages 44-70, ARL – Akademie für Raumentwicklung in der Leibniz-Gemeinschaft.
    2. Marta Teston & Matteo Orsi & Giovanni Bittante & Alessio Cecchinato & Luigi Gallo & Paola Gatto & Lucio Flavio Macedo Mota & Maurizio Ramanzin & Salvatore Raniolo & Antonella Tormen & Enrico Sturaro, 2022. "Added Value of Local Sheep Breeds in Alpine Agroecosystems," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(8), pages 1-18, April.
    3. Muhammad Abid Shahzad & Christian Fischer, 2022. "The decline of part-time farming in Europe: an empirical analysis of trends and determinants based on Eurostat panel data," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 54(42), pages 4812-4824, September.
    4. Chiara Mazzocchi & Guido Sali, 2019. "Assessing the value of pastoral farming in the Alps using choice experiments: evidence for public policies and management," Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 62(4), pages 552-567, March.
    5. Rickebusch, Sophie & Gellrich, Mario & Lischke, Heike & Guisan, Antoine & Zimmermann, Niklaus E., 2007. "Combining probabilistic land-use change and tree population dynamics modelling to simulate responses in mountain forests," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 209(2), pages 157-168.
    6. Carine Pachoud & Riccardo Da Re & Maurizio Ramanzin & Stefano Bovolenta & Damiano Gianelle & Enrico Sturaro, 2020. "Tourists and Local Stakeholders’ Perception of Ecosystem Services Provided by Summer Farms in the Eastern Italian Alps," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-16, February.
    7. Klaus Salhofer & Paul Feichtinger, 2021. "Regional differences in the capitalisation of first and second pillar payments of the CAP into land rental prices," European Review of Agricultural Economics, Oxford University Press and the European Agricultural and Applied Economics Publications Foundation, vol. 48(1), pages 8-41.
    8. Rodríguez-Ortega, T. & Olaizola, A.M. & Bernués, A., 2018. "A novel management-based system of payments for ecosystem services for targeted agri-environmental policy," Ecosystem Services, Elsevier, vol. 34(PA), pages 74-84.
    9. Markus Schermer & Maria Bacher & Ulrike Tappeiner, 2011. "Wer will welche Landschaft? – Zur Konzeption von Kulturlandschaft in Nord-und Südtirol," Journal of Socio-Economics in Agriculture (Until 2015: Yearbook of Socioeconomics in Agriculture), Swiss Society for Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology, vol. 4(1), pages 85-110.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Yuyu Wu & Jia Chen, 2023. "Spatial Distribution Heterogeneity and Influencing Factors of Different Leisure Agriculture Types in the City," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-20, August.
    2. Marta Teston & Daniel Villalba & Marco Berton & Maurizio Ramanzin & Enrico Sturaro, 2020. "Relationships between Organic Beef Production and Agro-Ecosystems in Mountain Areas: The Case of Catalan Pyrenees," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(21), pages 1-19, November.
    3. Sardaro, Ruggiero & La Sala, Piermichele & De Pascale, Gianluigi & Faccilongo, Nicola, 2021. "The conservation of cultural heritage in rural areas: Stakeholder preferences regarding historical rural buildings in Apulia, southern Italy," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 109(C).
    4. Daniele, Bertolozzi-Caredio & Barbara, Soriano & Isabel, Bardaji & Alberto, Garrido, 2022. "Analysis of perceived robustness, adaptability and transformability of Spanish extensive livestock farms under alternative challenging scenarios," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 202(C).
    5. Pagliacci, Francesco & Salpina, Dana, 2024. "Adapting to climate change: what really drives the choices of the producers of Geographical Indications?," Bio-based and Applied Economics Journal, Italian Association of Agricultural and Applied Economics (AIEAA), vol. 13(3), October.
    6. Vergamini, Daniele & Olivieri, Matteo & Andreoli, Maria & Bartolini, Fabio, 2024. "Simulating policy mixes to reduce soil erosion and land abandonment in marginal areas: A case study from the Liguria Region (Italy)," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 143(C).
    7. Bernués, Alberto & Alfnes, Frode & Clemetsen, Morten & Eik, Lars Olav & Faccioni, Georgia & Ramanzin, Maurizio & Ripoll-Bosch, Raimon & Rodríguez-Ortega, Tamara & Sturaro, Enrico, 2019. "Exploring social preferences for ecosystem services of multifunctional agriculture across policy scenarios," Ecosystem Services, Elsevier, vol. 39(C).
    8. Matthew C. LaFevor & Alexandra G. Ponette-González & Rebecca Larson & Leah M. Mungai, 2021. "Spatial Targeting of Agricultural Support Measures: Indicator-Based Assessment of Coverages and Leakages," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(7), pages 1-17, July.
    9. Lin, Wensheng & Huang, Jikun, 2021. "Impacts of agricultural incentive policies on land rental prices: New evidence from China," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 104(C).
    10. Simone Ravetto Enri & Fabio Petrella & Fabrizio Ungaro & Laura Zavattaro & Andrea Mainetti & Giampiero Lombardi & Michele Lonati, 2021. "Relative Importance of Plant Species Composition and Environmental Factors in Affecting Soil Carbon Stocks of Alpine Pastures (NW Italy)," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 11(11), pages 1-24, October.
    11. Adam Pawlewicz & Katarzyna Pawlewicz, 2023. "The Risk of Agricultural Land Abandonment as a Socioeconomic Challenge for the Development of Agriculture in the European Union," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-24, February.
    12. Tindale, Sophie & Vicario-Modroño, Victoria & Gallardo-Cobos, Rosa & Hunter, Erik & Miškolci, Simona & Price, Paul Newell & Sánchez-Zamora, Pedro & Sonnevelt, Martijn & Ojo, Mercy & McInnes, Kirsty & , 2023. "Citizen perceptions and values associated with ecosystem services from European grassland landscapes," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 127(C).
    13. Stanisław Bielski & Renata Marks-Bielska & Anastasija Novikova & Bernardas Vaznonis, 2020. "Assessing the Value of Agroecosystem Services in Warmia and Mazury Province Using Choice Experiments," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 11(1), pages 1-14, December.
    14. Eduardo Morales-Jerrett & Juan Manuel Mancilla-Leytón & Manuel Delgado-Pertíñez & Yolanda Mena, 2020. "The Contribution of Traditional Meat Goat Farming Systems to Human Wellbeing and Its Importance for the Sustainability of This Livestock Subsector," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-23, February.
    15. Bartkowski, Bartosz & Droste, Nils & Ließ, Mareike & Sidemo-Holm, William & Weller, Ulrich & Brady, Mark V., 2021. "Payments by modelled results: A novel design for agri-environmental schemes," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 102(C).
    16. Schmitt, Thomas M. & Martín-López, Berta & Kaim, Andrea & Früh-Müller, Andrea & Koellner, Thomas, 2021. "Ecosystem services from (pre-)Alpine grasslands: Matches and mismatches between citizens’ perceived suitability and farmers’ management considerations," Ecosystem Services, Elsevier, vol. 49(C).
    17. Marta Teston & Matteo Orsi & Giovanni Bittante & Alessio Cecchinato & Luigi Gallo & Paola Gatto & Lucio Flavio Macedo Mota & Maurizio Ramanzin & Salvatore Raniolo & Antonella Tormen & Enrico Sturaro, 2022. "Added Value of Local Sheep Breeds in Alpine Agroecosystems," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(8), pages 1-18, April.
    18. Carine Pachoud, 2021. "Territorialization of Public Action and Mountain Pastoral Areas—Case Study of the Territorial Pastoral Plans of the Rhône-Alpes Region, France," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(14), pages 1-14, July.
    19. Bingjie Song & Guy M. Robinson & Douglas K. Bardsley, 2020. "Measuring Multifunctional Agricultural Landscapes," Land, MDPI, vol. 9(8), pages 1-30, August.
    20. Dongdong Ge & Xiaolan Kang & Xian Liang & Fangting Xie, 2023. "The Impact of Rural Households’ Part-Time Farming on Grain Output: Promotion or Inhibition?," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-19, March.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:9:p:7355-:d:1135683. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.