Mountain pastures guarantee a wealth of species

Working on the mountain slopes is extremely difficult, as virtually no machinery can be used. I work only for my animals.

Mountain pastures are home to biodiversity: marmots run and play among our cattle, and without our animal husbandry, instead of meadow, there would soon be nothing but barren ground.

© Perwanger s.r.l. | Marketing
July 9, 2020

We farmers have been cultivating the steep slopes of the Alps for centuries. This is how our ancestors created today's meadows from the originally barren forests.

The idyllic alpine pastures shape the mountain landscape, they offer nature lovers a varied environment and are home to over half of all alpine animal and plant species. The conservation of the pastures guarantees the biodiversity and tourist attractiveness of our natural world.

This traditional livestock farming is a particularly important building block in the cycle of nature.

However, the conservation of the landscape cannot be separated from animal husbandry. Depending on the region, up to 60% of our animals are “alped” on the mountain pastures by we cattle farmers, which means they spend the summer on the steep mountain meadows of the alpine pastures and Alps. The animals perform the work up there that would be almost impossible for us humans: they graze the meadows and create space for new plants and fertilise the impassable areas with their dung.

This traditional livestock farming is a particularly important building block in the cycle of nature.