Traditional grazing systems in the Venetian Alps: Effects of grazing methods and environmental factors on cattle...

Livestock farming in large-scale pasture landscapes can fulfil the economic and ecological requirements for sustainable, biodiversity-friendly agriculture of the European Union (EU). However, little is known about the grazing systems that have maintained these pastures for centuries. The traditional grazing methods and their effects on the cattle behaviour were therefore studied at 23 mountain summer farms in the Asiago upland (northeastern Italy). Traditional methods of free-ranging and herding were the only techniques adopted by farmers. Only environmental factors (size and perimeter length of the pastoral unit) were significantly associated with the grazing method used. Free-ranging was more often performed in small and homogeneous farms, while herding was done in large and heterogeneous farms. Herding led to a more homogeneous grazer distribution and better regulated the lengths of the cattle daily routes than free-ranging. The grazing direction and resting sites were almost exclusively affected by environmental factors. Cattle grazed predominantly in the direction from which the wind was blowing, and preferred resting at windy sites in the daytime (escaping from flies) and at open areas close to woods during the night (being protected against cold winds). Other traits shared between free-ranging and herding were: the seasonal organisation of grazing into periods and camps; re-grazing of the same surface within a few days; everyday use of different pasture types; and rhythms in the cattle daily activities. Even if they may have lower productivity compared to rotational stocking, the studied traditional grazing methods, especially herding, have the advantages of respecting spontaneous cattle behaviour, producing more savoury cheeses, and better maintaining heterogeneous and biodiversity-rich landscapes. More attention should be paid to traditional grazing methods within measures aiming to conserve cultural heritage and agricultural biodiversity.