Ecosystem Services and Livestock Systems in Mountain Areas

The ecosystem services (ES) conceptual framework defines the contribution of ecosystems to human well-being and is rapidly gaining importance in international and national policies. According to “The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity-TEEB” initiative, ES can be classified into “provisioning,” “regulating,” “cultural,” and “habitat or supporting,” which include habitats for species and biodiversity. Humans are an integral component of ecosystems, and the interaction of human activities with the (seminatural) ecosystems’ structure and functions is strictly connected with the delivery of the associated services. Mountain livestock farming systems are highly multifunctional since, through extensive land and livestock management practices, they provide high-quality typical food products but also various non-provisioning services, such as conservation of livestock genetic resources, carbon sequestration, biodiversity conservation, water regulation, protection from fires, pollination, maintenance of cultural landscapes and heritage, space for ecotourism and recreational activities, and others. In Europe and many areas of the world, the role of livestock systems in the provision of mountain ES is declining due to the concomitant trends toward farming abandonment in marginal areas and the transition to specialized-intensive farming systems in more favorable rural areas. In both cases, the link between agricultural ecosystems and livestock management that allows the delivery of ES, especially non-provisioning, is weakened or disrupted. This is the case of European mountain regions, where, starting from the second half of the 19th century, extensive, grassland-based livestock systems have experienced a massive abandonment, with the result of a strong reduction of traditional, local livestock populations, and loss or degradation of biodiversity, cultural landscape, and cultural heritage. Sustainable management of permanent grasslands and grazing activities is of basic importance to guarantee the stability of mountain areas and all the ES connected, and new technologies for precision grazing, which open new perspectives for research and management, are rapidly expanding. When livestock farming systems are managed with unsuitable practices, they may be responsible for ecosystem disservices, i.e., negative impacts on ES. European Environmental policies are tackling important reductions in anthropogenic emissions impacting climate change. Biodiversity and ES indicators should integrate the widespread Life Cycle Assessments of impacts on climate and pollution to develop comprehensive and unbiased evaluation tools for the environmental sustainability of Livestock systems. The Common Agricultural Policy-EU will include ES in the context of agro-environmental measures. Considering the high variability of rural ecosystems and mountain livestock systems, together with the variability of associated ES, there is a strong need to establish inventories of ES at the regional or local level and to assess their social perception and economic value. This knowledge is necessary to increase society’s awareness of the multifunctionality of mountain farming systems and implement fair public payments for ES, subject to the control of measurable and responsive indicators. In addition, it might inform private market initiatives to promote production chains delivering public benefits. This achievement is highly challenging and needs the commitment of the scientific community, stakeholders, and policymakers.