For centuries, humans have played a fundamental role in conserving biodiversity across many rural and agro-pastoral landscapes.

1. Biodiversity is also shaped by the relationship between humans and nature.
2. Livestock farming, pastoralism, transhumance, and mixed crop-livestock systems are allies of ecosystems.
3. Protecting rural knowledge means protecting the future.

The millennia-old relationship between humans and nature has not merely modified the environment to produce the resources needed for human development; it has also shaped and transformed it, creating landscapes of immeasurable value. Much of the biodiversity that characterises Europe’s rural landscapes is the result of long interactions between human activities and natural processes. This mosaic has been built, piece by piece, through the work of countless generations of farmers and livestock keepers. These ecological relationships represent a legacy of ancestral knowledge, in which humans act as custodians of biodiversity through practices that integrate agriculture, forestry, and livestock farming.

What we now consider “natural” is, in reality, the product of a complex biocultural process. Within this framework, biodiversity is not merely a passive feature of the landscape but a dynamic system that provides essential ecosystem services and supports food security. Traditional livestock production systems have not only fostered the selection of numerous animal breeds adapted to challenging local conditions but have also sustained what is known as “associated biodiversity”: the community of microorganisms, insects, and plants living within agricultural systems that contribute to soil fertility, pollination, and overall ecosystem functioning.

The Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) programme, launched by the FAO in 2002, protects and promotes traditional agricultural landscapes around the world, recognising them as drivers of sustainable rural development.

Grasslands and habitats

Livestock production systems such as pastoralism and transhumance are key pillars of biodiversity conservation. By moving livestock across landscapes, pastoralists maintain open grassland habitats, prevent land degradation, and promote nutrient cycling through animal manure. Likewise, mixed crop-livestock systems, in which crop cultivation and animal husbandry are closely interconnected, create balanced and resilient production cycles.

Within this circular economy model, livestock provide draft power and natural fertiliser for crops, while crop residues become feed for animals. This closed-loop system reduces the need for synthetic inputs and supports biologically rich and diverse soils. When the “human guardian” disappears, the consequences become evident: hydrogeological instability increases because the continuous management of the land and water resources is no longer maintained.

Landscapes at risk

As highlighted by Bruno Ronchi, Professor of Agricultural and Forest Sciences at the University of Tuscia and former President of the Italian Association for Science and Animal Production (ASPA), this situation calls for profound reflection. The issue extends beyond food production; it raises the question of whether society can afford to lose an invaluable landscape heritage.

In 2019, the FAO published The State of the World’s Biodiversity for Food and Agriculture, the first global assessment of biodiversity within food and agricultural systems. The report showed that the abandonment of traditional grazing is leading to the “closure” of landscapes, as shrubs and forests progressively encroach upon species-rich grasslands. As these open habitats disappear, so too do many rare plant species and pollinating insects that depend on traditionally managed grasslands.

Traditional knowledge at risk

Equally at risk is the loss of centuries-old knowledge and traditional land management practices. These may appear outdated in an era of rapid technological innovation. Yet, it is precisely the intergenerational transmission of expertise in managing landscapes and livestock that has enabled the preservation of complex and resilient agroecosystems.

As rural populations continue to age, there is a growing risk that the knowledge underpinning the management of Alpine high-altitude pastures will disappear. These traditional systems, in which local communities collectively manage grazing areas and natural resources, help prevent overexploitation while promoting environmental regeneration. In several traditional agroforestry systems, the conservation of forest ecosystems is closely linked to the carefully regulated presence of grazing livestock. A study conducted by the University of Florence and published in the scientific journal Forests in 2020 highlighted the multifunctional role of traditional agroforestry systems as models of sustainable rural development.

Promoting practices such as agroecology and strengthening policy frameworks that support traditional livestock farmers is therefore essential. Protecting the role of people as stewards of rural landscapes and safeguarding livestock systems in vulnerable areas is not simply about ensuring food production. It also means preserving vital ecosystems, maintaining the relationship between communities and their environment, increasing resilience to natural hazards, and protecting soil fertility for future generations.