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A transhumant shepherd on Mount Aigoual: sheep transhumance and the shepherd's knowledge
Author(s) -
Grellier Bernard
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
international social science journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.237
H-Index - 43
eISSN - 1468-2451
pISSN - 0020-8701
DOI - 10.1111/j.1468-2451.2006.00591.x
Subject(s) - flock , mount , grazing , geography , context (archaeology) , traditional knowledge , biodiversity , sheep farming , agroforestry , ecology , biology , archaeology , animal production , zoology , indigenous , computer science , operating system
In Languedoc, sheep can be raised only if they are brought to summer pastures: this is a climatic necessity. And sheep are as indispensable in the plains as in the highlands. Transhumance has thus shaped the landscape, the paths, and human relations. In this context, the shepherd's knowledge has proved to be effective and pertinent. Today, questions are raised concerning the transmission of this knowledge in a global economy that does not necessarily need sheep, but is preoccupied by the biodiversity resulting from and saved by the traffic and the grazing of the flocks.