Shared herds: a tool for territorial management

Pastoralism, initially as a livelihood and afterward as an economic activity, has been a part of human societies for thousands of years. Livestock raising is a socio-ecological system since it shapes the sociocultural characteristics and dynamics of many villages, it serves as a source of income for millions of people worldwide and depends on natural resources such as pasture, water, and land. In the current context, various factors pose threats that call into question its continuity as currently understood. Many of these factors are global in scope, such as climate change effects or the capitalist drive to maximize the possible economic returns per hectare—whether through colonialist relationships driven by geopolitical priorities or through production models that prioritize short-term profit. In response to these environmental and social challenges, adaptation and mitigation techniques and practices are emerging, some of which involve reviving traditional practices that have been lost. This analysis compares the main global challenges affecting pastoralism with the constraints impacting the sector within the study area, Sierra de Grazalema Natural Park, located in Andalucía, southern Spain. Subsequently, a model for shared livestock management focused on ecosystem services is proposed to curb and restore not only pastoralism as a degraded sector, but also to restore the landscape in which it takes place, recognizing that it is currently degraded in numerous ways.