Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique & Universidad de Chile

Pastoralism is a way of life that relates to core cultural features, keeping at the same time evident intertwining with local ecosystem conditions, adapting to them as well as (re)shaping those conditions in its favor. Due to the particular characteristics of pastoralism (seasonal availability and uncertainty of the resource, need for mobility in extensive areas impossible to appropriate privately, etc.) community-based governance of the territory and the natural resources contained in it (here after the commons), is a typical way in which pastoralism organizes worldwide. Pastoral commons include profound socio-cultural layers, as they imply local community governance systems based on agreed-upon rules and practices as well as key beliefs, values, and rituals, which constitute a sustainable and unique biocultural heritage that has been present and sustainably evolving for centuries and even millennia. Even if often ignored, today pastoralism still covers more than half of the Earth’s surface, and most of it is governed by traditional commons. In this presentation we will show some results and reflections based on comparative studies undertaken in different countries around the world, which we will then follow with a major focus on the pastoral commons of mountains of north-eastern Andalusia (Spain), where we have undertaken nearly a decade-long research on these topics, combining anthropological and ecological analyses. In general, the cases studied show the capacity of these local communities to adapt to different ecological and socio-historical conditions, while maintaining and creating resilient socio-environmental values, that offer us important lessons about sustainability, which are very relevant to face current socio-environmental challenges and the necessary ecological transition.