One of the fundamental pillars of the LIFE Connect Ricotí project is the study and promotion of extensive livestock farming in the Iberian moorlands. To achieve this, we work together with farmers who have sheep grazing extensively in the study areas.
The main objective is to understand the habitat characteristics of areas with different grazing gradients and to relate these various intensities to the habitat characteristics for which data has been collected within the framework of the project.
These include: (i) microbial decomposition activity and physicochemical characteristics of the soil; (ii) composition and structure of the vegetation; (iii) arthropod community; and (iv) bird community.
With this information, optimal livestock loads for each area can be deduced and used as a measure for habitat conservation… but this work is still under construction!
