A transhumance is a form of pastoralism that includes the seasonal movement of livestock along migratory routes throughout the Mediterranean and Alps.
For centuries, the Sarakatsani, the Eastern Romance (Romanians, Aromanians, Megleno-Romanians, and Istro-Romanians), and the Yörük of Turkey spent the summer in the mountains and winter on the lower plains. At the time when Greece, Albania, Bulgaria, and the former Yugoslavia were part of the Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman empires, the borders between them were relatively unobstructed. In summer, some groups ventured as far north as the Balkan Mountains, while others stayed in warmer plains near the Aegean Sea.
In the Dinaric Alps (western Balkans in modern terminology), Morlachs or Karavlachs were shepherds (ancestors of the Istro-Romanians) who made their home with vast flocks of sheep and constantly moved in search of better pastures. But as national states emerged in the area of the former Ottoman Empire, new state borders were developed, which divided many of the pastoral groups' summer and winter habitats. These made it difficult to move across borders, especially during wartime.
In Italy, the tradition of driving herds upland in southern, and especially in the regions of Molise, Apulia, and Abruzzo, dates back hundreds of years and has had a long documented history until the advent of alternate road transport in the 1950s and 1960s. A system of drivers' roads, or tratturi, with narrower shoulders than 100 meters and a length approaching 100 kilometers allowed the passage and grazing of livestock, mainly sheep, and even attracted regulation by law and the establishment of a mounted police force as early as the 17th century. In order to prevent the deterioration of the tratturi, the law protecting cultural heritage mandates their preservation.
However, people, animals, and ecosystems are all connected with transhumance through shared rituals and social practices, as well as the management of land, forests, and water resources as well as dealing with natural disasters. In addition to their expertise in livestock farming, transhumant herders also possess a great deal of knowledge about the environment, ecological balance, and climate change. They also are experts in handicrafts and food production. Every spring festivals and autumn festival will mark the beginning and end of transhumance. It is when chief herders pass on their specific knowledge to younger generations through daily activities, ensuring the continuation of the practice. Chief herders share food, rituals, and stories and introduce younger generations to the practice.
References
(https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/transhumance-the-seasonal-droving-of-livestock-along-migratory-routes-in-the-mediterranean-and-in-the-alps-01470) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transhumance#Italy) |Country=Austria, Greece, Italy |SDG=(11) Sustainable Cities and Communities |Media_URL=https://vimeo.com/60841876 }}