Pastoral Husbandry in Ariège: Animal Vulnerability on Rangelands, Adaptations to Accompaniment Measures of the Brown Bear (Ursus artos) Reintroduction and Conservation Plan in French Pyrenees 2006-2009 and Farming System evolutions

Chapter 1: General presentation of the study

1.1 Context

In order to render more comprehensive the results of this study, I will present in the following paragraphs, the natural milieu of Ariège, the stocking system, its role and objectives, production's means, social, technical and spatial considerations and, finally, the brown bear predation context.

1.1.1 The natural milieu of Ariège

In the south west of Europe, Pyrenees are a border massif between France and Spain. The centre of this chain corresponds to the mountainous part of the three French departments (Hautes-Pyrénées, Haute-Garonne and Ariège). Vegetation of atlantico-mountain type on a great part, takes much Mediterranean characteristics on the oriental fringe of Ariège. Grasslands, beech trees and fir-trees forest on mountainside north, pines on mountainside south, heaths, and alpine grass are successive in accordance with altitude. Rich soils of bottom valleys and mountainsides well exposed have give rise to intensive agriculture while huge grassland of mountain summer pasture were exploited by migrating pastoralism. Like much of the massifs, Pyrenees' one is characterised by large natural conditions diversity, economic, socio-cultural and demographic heritage (Buffière and Gibon, 1996).

1.1.1.1 A collective management of resources

More than 50% of pastoral units (PU) are collectively managed through: pastoral grouping (PG), collective land tenure (CLT) and syndicates. Thus, for the 19,000 LLU^1(*) (12,000 bovines, 40,000 ovine, 1,000 equines) grazing 75,000 hectares during three to five months of the year, 900 breeders (near to 40% of all the farmers in Ariège), 40 shepherds, 191 PU and 66 PG are concerned (GIS-Pyrenees, 2008).

1.1.1.2 A recognised patrimonial interest

In addition to their technical and economical interest, mountain summer pastures (MSP) represent an important environmental, landscaped and architectural patrimony. Almost all altitude's pastureland of the territory, checked off during inventories on natural patrimony (NZEIFF^2(*), IZBC^3(*), etc.), with high ecologic interests, receive 90% (16,500 LLU) of the Ariège's migrating livestock (GIS-Pyrenees, 2008).

* ¹ 1 LLU = 1 Large Livestock Unit = 1 bovine = 7 ovine

* ² Natural Zone of Ecological Interest for Fauna and Flora

* ³ Important Zones for Birds' Conservation