Cross-border management of mountain grasslands for better nature conservation in the Basque Country
Grasslands are key mountain ecosystems but are often threatened by a poor conservation status. In the Basque Country, the LIFE OREKA MENDIAN project has brought together livestock and environmental stakeholders to improve the management of pastoralism and restore nature in 15 Natura2000 areas.
The deterioration of mountain pastures in focus
Mountains are rich in biodiversity and 43% of Natura 2000 sites are in mountain areas. This biodiversity is found in forests, wetlands and grasslands, which are among the most common mountain habitats in the EU. However, many of these grasslands are in poor condition. At European level, it is estimated that 75% of grasslands are in an unfavourable conservation status. This is often due to overgrazing or, on the contrary, under grazing, which is increasingly threatened by abandonment.
In the Basque Country, the abandonment of certain areas for grazing has led to the overgrowth of meadows and the appearance of invasive species. This is detrimental to the conservation of species dependent on grassland habitat and the provision of associated ecosystem services – such as the prevention of fire risk, which increases as grassland becomes overgrown.
Environmental diagnosis and agro-pastoral management in 15 Natura 2000 sites
In response to the poor condition of Basque grasslands, the OREKA MENDIAN project aimed to develop a joint management strategy for mountain pastures in the 15 Natura 2000 sites in Euskadi and the 8 sites in Iparralde, such as the Gorbeia and Aralar parks and the areas around the Jaizkibel mountain. As agriculture and nature conservation in the Pyrenees, and more specifically in the Basque Country, are inherently cross-border, the project has made it possible to bring together public and private stakeholders in the livestock and nature conservation sectors around the same objective.
The first years of the project were devoted to a diagnostic analysis of each site to identify the causes of grassland degradation (livestock density, type of livestock, cause and nature of scrub growth, presence of endangered species, existence of a previous initiative, etc.).
This enabled stakeholders to develop grassland management plans in collaboration with livestock farmers and conservation experts. The elaboration of these plans required the involvement of owners, users, natural area managers, experts and local actors in the integrated and sustainable management of mountain pastures, creating opportunities for meetings and debates. This has also helped to ensure the conservation of flora and the supply of fodder for livestock, thus striking a balance between the conservation of pastures and their socio-economic use.
In addition, grasslands have been rehabilitated through mechanised clearing of scrub and the implementation of measures to better direct livestock towards less grazed areas (installation of salt blocks, creation of water points, etc.).
1,670 hectares of mountain grassland restored
Over 1,670 hectares of mountain grassland in 15 Natura 2000 sites have been restored thanks to the project. As a result of this success, the project was awarded the Natura 2000 Award in 2024 by the European Commission in the category of cross-border cooperation.
The project has also contributed to the protection of wetlands and peat bogs in the Basque grasslands. In Urkiola and Aiako harria, for example, permeable fencing has been installed around the protected areas to prevent them being trampled by large livestock.
Finally, the activities carried out as part of OREKA MENDIAN have had a longer-term impact on the development of pastoralism in the area and on the recognition of the ecosystem services provided by traditional pastoral practices.