Transhumance in the Natural Park of Cazorla Segura and Las Villas
Although the origins of transhumance are not known for sure, it seems to date back to prehistoric times, when nomadic shepherds moved their sheep in search of new pastures.
“Agricultural systems in which there is a movement of livestock between different places, either in altitude or latitude.” (R. G. H. Bunce and M. Pérez-Soba)
This movement is carried out through cattle trails that act as authentic “ecological corridors” essential for the migration, geographical distribution and exchange of wild species (Livestock Trails Law)
King Alfonso X the Wise in 1273, created the Honorable Council of the Mesta that regulated the legal width of the cattle trails, which still exist today along 125,000 kilometers and more than 400,000 hectares in the Iberian Peninsula. These royal ravines began to be a key element in the development of Castilian transhumance, and marked a period of livestock splendour that lasted until the end of the eighteenth century. During this time, a series of privileges and ordinances were granted that ensured the proper functioning of the cattle trails. Among the privileges we find those related to the transit of cattle through the ravines and the municipalities, and the enjoyment of pastures.
The Council of the Mesta was a livestock organization that tried to organize the transhumant herds. This organization did not disappear until the nineteenth century, mainly because of the fall in the price of wool. In the nineteenth century it was replaced by the General Association of Cattle Breeders.
Transhumance, considered in a broad sense as the oscillatory movement of livestock between areas of complementary plant production (in winter they move to the lowlands of the countryside to return to the summer sheepfolds in mid-spring), continues to play an important role in the Natural Park, not only as a means of livelihood for certain farmers, but also as a means of livelihood for certain farmers. but also as a maintainer of resources and landscapes of great heritage and strategic interest.
Currently, transhumance is in decline as is livestock farming and only in certain regions of Spain it continues to be carried out in an active way, with the Cazorla, Segura and Las Villas Natural Park being the main nucleus of transhumant livestock farmers in the entire Spanish territory. Approximately 50 cattle ranchers, mainly from the municipality of Santiago – Pontones with about 24,000 heads, travel about 75 km. on foot with a duration ranging between 7 and 10 days towards the pastures of Sierra Morena, to return again following seasonal changes. They use the pastures of the high plateaus of the Park, such as the Campos de Hernán Perea, in the summer and autumn months and let them rest in the winter and spring seasons. They benefit from the relative proximity of complementary areas from the climatic point of view and, therefore, in terms of the use of the pastures offered by the more temperate valleys of the Sierra Morena. This fact has favoured a “transversal” scheme of characteristic livestock movement.
The livestock they move mainly is the Segureña breed sheep, although it is also worth highlighting herds with livestock breeds in danger of extinction such as, in the case of goats, the Negra Serrana, the Blanca Andaluza; and in the case of beef, the Pajuna, Negra Andaluza and the Berrenda en Negro. Also noteworthy is the presence of two fighting bull ranches, which also maintain these ancestral livestock customs.
These seasonal movements, of different species and native breeds, including wild cattle, generate significant economic activity and constitute an element that shapes and conserves the landscape while combining a wise use of natural resources (pasture, livestock breeds and biodiversity) with local knowledge about the use of time and territory. in perfect harmony with the environment.
The herds make different routes depending on their origin, combining several of them according to the wintering destination.
In the transhumance of the Natural Park, two well-defined routes are chosen:
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Route from Santiago – Pontones to Navas de San Juan
This route channels almost half of the sheep and goat herd that travel along livestock routes. The herds come from Santiago-Pontones and go to winter in the pastures of Sierra Morena and El Condado.
2. Route from Cazorla to Santisteban del Puerto
It is used by the farmers of Santiago-Pontones, La Iruela and Cazorla to go to Vilches, Santisteban del Puerto, Baños de la Encina and Navas de San Juan.
The transhumant sheep and goat farms that winter in the Eastern Sierra Morena are concentrated in five municipalities: Vilches, Baños de la Encina, Santisteban del Puerto, La Carolina and Navas de San Juan.
Among the strengths of transhumance, we will highlight
- High quality food products are generated,
- Fixed rural population
- It maintains and diversifies the socio-productive fabric, benefiting other local economic sectors such as the food industry, crafts, tourism and hospitality.
Transhumance must be protected so that the extensive systems that give life and functionality to the ravines are not lost. In addition, farmers, the true protagonists of these systems, must be supported by the administration so that their culture and knowledge of the environment, the animals and the use of the territory are not lost. For this reason, it is necessary to substantially improve the infrastructures of the cattle trails (shelters, signage, delimitation) as well as the living and working conditions of livestock farmers.
In December 2023, UNESCO declared seasonal transhumance as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity for “contributing to social inclusion, the strengthening of cultural identity, and ties between families, communities, and territories.”
The network of cattle trails in the interior of the Sierras de Cazorla, Segura and Las Villas Natural Park, has a length of 741 kilometers and an area of 2,242 hectares.
The passage of transhumant cattle can be seen within the Sierra de Cazorla region at the end of autumn, descending towards the pastures of Sierra Morena, especially as they pass through the village of Arroyo Frío, Paso del Aire (port of Las Palomas), Burunchel, Roman bridge of the Cañamares river, Los Portillos, Las Arcas, village of Molar and Puente de la Cerrada, all of them places that are rest areas and water troughs. Also at the end of spring, we climb towards the coolest mountain heights of the Natural Park, in the opposite direction.