A look back at pastoralism in the service of biodiversity

At the end of 2024, shepherds and sheep walked the dry grasslands of the Argentine plateau, in order to limit the closure of the landscape due to overgrowth and forest advance. A look back at pastoralism that serves the unique biodiversity of the area.

Acquisition of plots and works

In recent years, the commune of La Rochebeaucourt-et-Argentine has made theacquisition of 34 hectares located on the Argentine plateau, thanks to thePark support and OMYA funds, allocated as compensatory measures for the extension of the quarry at Sainte-Croix-de-Mareuil. Classified Natura 2000, these plots of dry grassland are home to a exceptional flora and fauna which need to be protected. In 2023, the Conservatoire d’Espace Naturels de Nouvelle-Aquitaine therefore finalized a management plan to preserve these limestone environments, which tend to close up and become overgrown due to agricultural abandonment. Various clearing, crushing and logging works on pine trees have been carried out in this context.

Sheep and goats to the rescue

In order to maintain the openness of environments over time, two landless shepherds, Hélène and Got, were asked for funding from OMYA. In December, their flock of 60 sheep and 10 goats was commissioned to grazing dry lawns, thus limiting the closure of the landscape due to overgrowth and forest progression.

The sheep used are of the Pyrenean breed called Sasi Ardia (also called the Petite Rousse). This hardy breed knows how to adapt to all dry and scrubby terrains. The sheep and goats thus come to the aid of the orchids by clearing the slopes of the plateau. After an initial passage on the plateau in December 2023, the shepherds returned with their flock throughout the month of December 2024 before transhuming to the shepherds' headquarters in Bourdeilles to ensure the lambings.

This service will be repeated every year and the shepherds could be called upon at the same time in other communal areas to maintain the lawns on the plateau.

As the driving force behind the Natura 2000 site of the Argentine Plateau, the Park brings together public, private and local stakeholders to build a common dynamic in favour of the exceptional open environments that characterise the area. The actions carried out in 2024 complement those implemented over the past 10 years.