What is it like to spend the whole summer in the mountains with your flock of animals? Why is it so important for society and nature to revive pastoralism as it has been practiced all over Europe for hundreds of years? And how, eventually, did the profession of a shepherdess change in the last years or decades and what will the future bring? These and many more questions will be answered during the conference Shepherdesses in the Alps – Insights into pastoralism on the 5th of November (14:00 – 18:00). Besides providing an overview about how LIFEstockProtect is integrating pastoralism into project activities, shepherdesses from Germany, Austria and Italy will provide real-life insights into their profession. Curious who they are? Read on then!
Please also read: What Is Social Effectiveness Of Livestock Protection?
Conference speakers
Four motivated women have already confirmed their participation and, thus, you will get to meet them during the conference:
Anna Huber
Anna has a background in arts and works in theatre productions in Germany. During the past two summers she worked as a shepherdess in Carinthia (Austria) and gained valuable experience about the work and lifestyle of a shepherdess and what it means to share the mountain pasture with a wolf. She will share with us why she decided to become a shepherdess, how she experienced the “Alm” and what she thinks has to change in order for the young generation to consider this profession.
Astrid Summerer
An experienced shepherdess from South Tyrol who is currently on a transhumance through Italy and Slovenia. During the conference we will get a lively insight into her experience this year. She has a lot of experience with herding dogs to control the big flocks of animals she is herding, but also knows how to handle guarding dogs.
Christina Ziegerhofer
Actually trained as a climbing instructor in Vienna, she has worked with dairy cows and goats on alpine pastures in Switzerland and Austria during her holidays while studying. Since last summer, she is employed by the Styrian Sheep & Goat Breeders Association as a shepherdess at Hauser Kaibling. There the focus lies on maintaining the the ski slopes through pastoralism.
Barbara Crea
Her farm is called “Quelle del Baito”, and is located in Lessinia, near the village of Erbezzo, close to the regional park. She started in 2009, has sheep and goats for dairy and meat production and is experienced with prevention measures, both dogs and fences. In 2020 her farm won Italian Alpine Club prize offerd to farmers who adopt excellent coexistence practices with large carnivores.
Register now
The conference takes places on the 5th of November 2021 from 14:00 to 18:00 CET. After the success of the first trilingual livestock protection conference in January 2021, this conference will follow a similar structure: the online format and simultaneous translation into German, Italian and English will allow everybody to join, no matter where they are situated. The conference will be held via ZOOM, of course free of charge, but registration is required. Registration is open, meaning that you can save your spot already. And do not forget to share this post with a friend or colleague!