Preserving pastoral knowledge – LIFEstockProtect presents new catalog in Mals

This post is also available in: Deutsch Italiano

On May 10, the new 200-page catalog of the EU project LIFEstockProtect was presented at Bistro Vinterra in Malles/Mals. The event impressively underlined how deeply the traditional knowledge of alpine farming and the respectful treatment of herd animals are anchored in the region.

The richly illustrated catalog documents the diverse challenges and perspectives of pasture farming in the Alpine region – with a focus on the voices of the shepherds themselves. Over the years, project partner Johanna Platzgummer conducted numerous interviews with shepherds from the Vinschgau Valley, Tyrol, Bavaria and Austria. Their stories form the lively core of the book and show how valuable this experiential knowledge is for the future livestock protection.

Highlights of the presentation

• Presentation of the project and the catalog by the LIFEstockProtect team
• Field report by Erich Höchenberger (“Who asks the shepherd?”)
• Contribution from master butcher Alexander Holzner on stress-free mobile pasture slaughtering
• Numerous guests from South Tyrol, Bavaria and Austria – including architect Thomas Hickmann, filmmaker Peter Grutsch and representatives from the worlds of culture and agriculture

The catalog is available in two languages (German/Italian) and has been supplemented by specialist articles on topics such as fencing, Livestock guarding dogs, landscape conservation, tradition and training.

With the LIFEstockProtect catalog, the knowledge of the shepherds is made visible – as a contribution to the long-term safeguarding of pasture management in the Alpine region.