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The Atlas of Biodiversity

Among the elements that distinguish a territory and give it a particular, sometimes unique, imprint, in addition to those of a historical, cultural and architectural nature, a decisive role is played byoverall landscape aspect, which is almost always the result and expression of the interconnections and influences exercised for centuries by the men who have inhabited it and which, by reflection, in turn influenced the development of their customs, their cultural traditions and their way to approach and adapt to the world.

Meadows, pastures, snow-capped peaks, wide green expanses, dense forests with a great variety of trees, tidy and well cultivated countryside, well regimented rivers they inspire a sense of harmony to the eye that observes them and represent the clear sign of the balance between human activities and the territory and of the continuity of agricultural and pastoral traditions handed down from generation to generation.

Unfortunately, many territories of the planet do not offer such an idyllic image and are far from a condition of environmental balance, both due to the lack of adequate policies for the protection of the territory (an endogenous factor) and due to the increasingly worrying climate changes (an exogenous factor) to which, among other things, the application of intensive methods has contributed , very harmful methods in agricultural practices and in the breeding of livestock because they do not respect the natural production cycles.

In particular, with reference to the intensive livestock farming, a recent FAO study, in fact, attributes to them about 14.5% of greenhouse gas emissions, placing livestock, together with the rise in temperatures, among the primary causes of the degradation of the soil balance and the increase worldwide of the emission of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, and the accumulation of which represents the main cause of climate change underway. But, fortunately, in addition to intensive farming, there are millions of people in the world who live on pastoralism following traditional methods based on respect for the environment, therefore antithetical to the intensive ones, with beneficial effects on both the environment and local economies.
The pastures cover 54% of the earth’s surface for a total of more than 79 million square kilometers and include different biomes, i.e. large portions of the biosphere with characteristic climate, vegetation and fauna: from the desert to the grasslands, from the savannah to the Mediterranean scrub, to the forest areas and alpine. The biomes are distinguished from each other by the groups of vegetation and fauna that have adapted to the specific living conditions of the environment in which they were born: latitude, altitude, climate. Within these areas, livestock farming plays a crucial role, affecting 84% of the global territory, equal to 45% of the earth’s surface. The protected areas within the pastures cover 7% of the earth’s surface while 1% is recognized as a key area for biodiversity. Furthermore, according to the FAO, forage species are the main economic source of livelihood for more than 500 million people.

Pastoral communities they are, in most cases, made up of low-income local populations living in more sustainable environments than those of modern intensive livestock farming. These eco-systems are crucial for achieving food and water security and contribute not only to the development of resilient national economies but also to the improvement of environmental conditions related to biodiversity and soil protection.
Proprio oggi, 26 maggio, verrà presentato da ILRI (International Livestock Research Institute), IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature), FAO (Food and Agriculture Organisation), WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature), UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme) e ILC (Global Rangelands Initiative of the International Land Coalition) the Atlas of Pastures (The Rangelands Atlas), a publication aimed at providing crucial information for the survival of pastures and at stimulating greater awareness of the enormous environmental, economic and social value of these lands and the ecosystems that develop within them.

Launched almost simultaneously with the UN Decade of Ecosystem Restoration, the atlas will aim to highlight the impact of climate change and human activities on grasslands globally, in terms of loss of biodiversity and the effects on traditional activities, and to underline the urgent need to undertake actions to develop and safeguard sustainable systems. Although pastures cover more than half of the planet’s land surface, host a rich and diverse fauna, affect the water balances of rivers and marshy lands, and allow for the sustenance of several million human beings, they have been neglected in national political agendas and international. In fact, only 10% of the national climate plans (part of the Paris Agreement) explicitly refer to pastures, compared to 70% aimed at the conservation and protection of forests. This almost exclusive focus on forests has generated a loss of interest in pasture conservation. Today, an area as large as the US has already been lost; another, as vast as Australia, once rich in spontaneous vegetation and fauna, is now used exclusively for crops and finally an area equal to about twice the European surface is in a very critical condition due to the effects climate change. All this, in the absence, above all, of effective interventions for a significant reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, will determine an inevitable decline in the availability of natural resources and food. The Atlas, also available on the web, it will be composed of geographical maps accompanied by a description of the main data and case studies that reconstruct 7 of the 14 biomes categorized by the WWF in its mapping of terrestrial eco-regions and constitutes a first starting point to identify, document and raise awareness on the main characteristics pastures and their importance in livestock breeding, food production and the conservation of the ecosystems connected to them. The atlas emphasizes the lack of significant data on the subject and underlines the continuous reduction in terms of investments in comparison with other types of territory. The website will also be updated with new maps / case studies every 2/3 months and aims to become the largest platform on the subject.

According to IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), in fact, pastoral resources are ecosystems that are extremely sensitive to climate change and must therefore be kept under constant monitoring in order to promote sustainable management aimed at their conservation.
Also Italy, which together with Austria and Greece is one of the promoters of the recognition and enhancement of the tradition of transhumance as a Heritage
Intangible Cultural Heritage of UNESCO, it will be represented in the Atlas, with a case study dedicated to the Alps, one of the most vulnerable areas in Europe. In fact, during the last century, global warming, with the consequential worrying increase in temperatures, has caused not only the reduction of alpine glaciers but also substantial changes in the patterns of rainfall and snow that have caused an alteration of the course of the winter seasons.
Recently, as the Atlas communication coordinator, I went to Trentino Alto Adige, together with the production team, to have direct contact with the breeders of an area that hosts pastures dedicated to the breeding of the Bruna Italiana and Bruna Alpina cattle. , two species that have adapted well to mountain pastures, along with sheep and goats. The farmers here have been practicing transhumance for about 600 years and move the flocks to over 3000 meters above sea level during the summer, following a route used for over 10,000 years, the only transnational and trans glacial route in the world and already protected by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage. Every year, perpetuating this ancient tradition, between 3000 and 4000 sheep migrate from Vernago to Maso Corto for about 40 km and, through snow-covered mountain passes, reach the fertile pastures of Vert, in Austria, located at 3200 meters above sea level. altitude.
The breeding areas are managed according to common exploitation rights called civic uses or collective ownership of woods and pastures. This rural community institution, considered one of the supporting structures of South Tyrolean society, provides for the presence in each village of a committee called to regulate the use of pastures and settle any conflicts related to the exploitation of the territory. This collective management, which sees the individual elements of a community operate towards a single goal in a synergistic way, has made it possible to reconcile economic and production needs with the need for the conservation of material and landscape resources and the protection of semi-natural eco systems. Furthermore, the collective administration of strategic resources by the mountain communities of Trentino-Alto Adige has made it possible to generate indirect benefits of great value such as the protection of biodiversity and the traditional landscape, factors that also positively influence the attraction of tourist flows. in the area. The mountain communities of Alto-Adige are only one of the most valid proofs of the implementation of adequate sustainable policies that respect the traditions and the landscape in the territories under their control. More generally, the conditions and productivity of the world’s pastures are often far from the standards of Trentino-Alto Adige and represent a critical element for the sustainability of the entire planet not only for the populations that directly depend on these pastures but also for all those who who indirectly benefit from widespread biodiversity in agricultural production and pastoralism: economic operators, tourists, consumers of agricultural and dairy products. In view of the launch of the United Nations Decade of Ecosystem Restoration on 4-5 June, it is necessary to intensify our attention and our commitment to the protection and restoration of pastures, to guarantee the survival of millions of plant and fauna species and better living conditions of the populations directly affected.

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