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Alpine transhumance
Alpine transhumance is transhumance as practiced in the Alps, that is, a seasonal droving of grazing livestock between the valleys in winter and the high mountain pastures in summer (German Alpwirtschaft, Almwirtschaft from the term for "seasonal mountain pasture", Alp, Alm). Transhumance is a traditional practice that has shaped much of the landscape in the Alps, as without it, most areas below 2,000 m (6,600 ft) would be forests. While tourism and industry contribute today much to Alpine economy, seasonal migration to high pastures is still practiced in Bavaria, Austria, Slovenia, Italy, France and Switzerland, except in their most frequented tourist centers. In some places, cattle are taken care of by local farmer families who move to higher places. In others, this job is for herdsmen who are employees of the cooperative owning the pastures.
Most Alpine pastures are below 2,400 m (7,900 ft); all are below 2,800 m (9,200 ft). The higher regions not suitable for transhumance are known as the High Alps.
The German word Alp or Alm (meaning "seasonal mountain pasture", from Old High German alpa, alba) is originally identical to the name of the Alps (German Alpen) itself, probably a pre-Roman (and possibly pre-Indo-European) term for "mountain". In French, the corresponding word for "alpine pasture" is alpage.
Evidence survives of a transhumance economy in the Alps dating to the later Neolithic period (c. 3000 BC), with evidence for pastures above the treeline reported for the Bronze Age (17th to 11th centuries BCE) in the Northern Limestone Alps.
The transhumance system in the Alps has remained virtually unchanged since at least the High Middle Ages, with a document referring to a summer pasture from 1204. Along the edge of the Alps, starting around 1300 in west and central Switzerland and a little later in eastern Switzerland, cattle production became the primary agricultural activity. A number of specialized cattle markets grew up in Arona, Bellinzona, Como and Varese in the south and Villeneuve in the west. In these communities on the edge of the Alps, transhumance included both the vertical movement of cattle to the alpine pastures as well as horizontal movement to the cattle markets. In the communities located in the central Alps, the herds were more diverse. Generally there were large herds of sheep with much smaller cattle herds and other animals such as pigs and goats.
While the inhabitants of the Alps had practised transhumance for thousands of years, during the Late Middle Ages it became increasingly important as the population decreased following the Black Death and the wars of this era. Cattle production was much less manpower-intensive than farming, which was ideal with the reduced population. However, cattle production is much more capital- and especially land-intensive. Cattle production became an investment opportunity for monasteries and citizens of nearby cities. The investors would purchase the cattle and then rent the beasts out to small farmers or to herders for the summer. The smaller alpine communities generally did not want "foreign" cattle pastured in their alpine pastures, which led to conflicts between the alpine farming communities and the neighboring cities and monasteries. Conflicts over grazing rights and ownership of the alpine meadows led to several wars within what is now Switzerland, including the pivotal Battle of Morgarten (1315), which started due to a long-simmering feud between Schwyz and Einsiedeln Abbey.
Since the late 20th century, Alpine regions face economical difficulties. Since 1980, around 64% of farms in the Alps have gone out of business. The structural change in agriculture is noticeable not only but especially in the Alpine region. Conflicts with the tourism and energy sectors as well as changed production conditions due to the climate crisis and demographic tendencies (depopulation, the ageing of the farming population, migration, lack of qualified alpine staff) are exacerbating the situation.
Thus, many regions turn to the expansion of their economic fields such as agritourism. In many regions, the extinction of businesses among subsistence farmers could be stopped through ecological compensation payments for comprehensive cultural landscape management and the production and marketing of high-quality food. An entry in UNESCO's intangible cultural heritage helps the alpine season to gain increased visibility and opens up new opportunities to support the continuation of this tradition.
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Alpine transhumance AI simulator
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Alpine transhumance
Alpine transhumance is transhumance as practiced in the Alps, that is, a seasonal droving of grazing livestock between the valleys in winter and the high mountain pastures in summer (German Alpwirtschaft, Almwirtschaft from the term for "seasonal mountain pasture", Alp, Alm). Transhumance is a traditional practice that has shaped much of the landscape in the Alps, as without it, most areas below 2,000 m (6,600 ft) would be forests. While tourism and industry contribute today much to Alpine economy, seasonal migration to high pastures is still practiced in Bavaria, Austria, Slovenia, Italy, France and Switzerland, except in their most frequented tourist centers. In some places, cattle are taken care of by local farmer families who move to higher places. In others, this job is for herdsmen who are employees of the cooperative owning the pastures.
Most Alpine pastures are below 2,400 m (7,900 ft); all are below 2,800 m (9,200 ft). The higher regions not suitable for transhumance are known as the High Alps.
The German word Alp or Alm (meaning "seasonal mountain pasture", from Old High German alpa, alba) is originally identical to the name of the Alps (German Alpen) itself, probably a pre-Roman (and possibly pre-Indo-European) term for "mountain". In French, the corresponding word for "alpine pasture" is alpage.
Evidence survives of a transhumance economy in the Alps dating to the later Neolithic period (c. 3000 BC), with evidence for pastures above the treeline reported for the Bronze Age (17th to 11th centuries BCE) in the Northern Limestone Alps.
The transhumance system in the Alps has remained virtually unchanged since at least the High Middle Ages, with a document referring to a summer pasture from 1204. Along the edge of the Alps, starting around 1300 in west and central Switzerland and a little later in eastern Switzerland, cattle production became the primary agricultural activity. A number of specialized cattle markets grew up in Arona, Bellinzona, Como and Varese in the south and Villeneuve in the west. In these communities on the edge of the Alps, transhumance included both the vertical movement of cattle to the alpine pastures as well as horizontal movement to the cattle markets. In the communities located in the central Alps, the herds were more diverse. Generally there were large herds of sheep with much smaller cattle herds and other animals such as pigs and goats.
While the inhabitants of the Alps had practised transhumance for thousands of years, during the Late Middle Ages it became increasingly important as the population decreased following the Black Death and the wars of this era. Cattle production was much less manpower-intensive than farming, which was ideal with the reduced population. However, cattle production is much more capital- and especially land-intensive. Cattle production became an investment opportunity for monasteries and citizens of nearby cities. The investors would purchase the cattle and then rent the beasts out to small farmers or to herders for the summer. The smaller alpine communities generally did not want "foreign" cattle pastured in their alpine pastures, which led to conflicts between the alpine farming communities and the neighboring cities and monasteries. Conflicts over grazing rights and ownership of the alpine meadows led to several wars within what is now Switzerland, including the pivotal Battle of Morgarten (1315), which started due to a long-simmering feud between Schwyz and Einsiedeln Abbey.
Since the late 20th century, Alpine regions face economical difficulties. Since 1980, around 64% of farms in the Alps have gone out of business. The structural change in agriculture is noticeable not only but especially in the Alpine region. Conflicts with the tourism and energy sectors as well as changed production conditions due to the climate crisis and demographic tendencies (depopulation, the ageing of the farming population, migration, lack of qualified alpine staff) are exacerbating the situation.
Thus, many regions turn to the expansion of their economic fields such as agritourism. In many regions, the extinction of businesses among subsistence farmers could be stopped through ecological compensation payments for comprehensive cultural landscape management and the production and marketing of high-quality food. An entry in UNESCO's intangible cultural heritage helps the alpine season to gain increased visibility and opens up new opportunities to support the continuation of this tradition.