Abstract
In the framework of the directive 2009/147/EC of the European Parliament some areas of the north east of Spain had been classified as ‘Birds Special Protection Areas’ (BSPA, ZEPA in Spanish). In this semiarid region wild birds share the space with agriculture and livestock production (mainly cereals and sheep). Local administrations are still developing the laws that should follow the livestock producer in order to maintain this BSPA. The topic of this study was to evaluate the inside BSPA natural resources used by the livestock farms and to obtain on farm indicators to evaluate the effect of the future regulations of use of BSPA resources in sustainability of sheep farms. Six sheep farms (half with and intensive and half with extensive reproductive system) in the area affected by BSPA were studied within the framework of sustainability analysis MESMIS. The information based on personal surveys was related with technical, economic and social issues. Focusing on results related with direct use of natural resources grazing represents between a 30% to a 81% of the total flock requirements. For some farms the grazing resources inside the BSPA represents up to 46% the flock maintenance requirements. Concerning MESMIS indicators, the different use of natural resources in the farms leads to different levels of environmental and economic sustainability. As a conclusion regulations for farms inside BSPA should take into account the need to use natural resources in order to maintain or increase farm sustainability levels. This is especially relevant when the landscape need for maintaining the birds that use this BSPA, fallow fields, depends on the human maintenance through livestock and crop production.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Bernuès, A., R. Ruiz, D. Villalba, A. Olaizola and I. Casasús, 2011. Sustainability of pasture-based livestock farming systems in the European Mediterranean context: synergies and trade-offs. Livestock Science, in press. DOI: http:// dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.livsci.2011.03.018.
Díez-Unquera, B., R. Ripoll-Bosch, R. Ruiz, D. Villalba, E. Molina, M. Joy, A. Olaizola and A. Bernuès, 2011. Indicators of sustainability in pasture-based livestock systems. In: I. Cassasus, J. Rogošić, A. Rosati, I. štoković and D. Gabina (Eds.) Animal Farming and Environment Interactions in Mediterranean Region. EAAP scientific series 131. Wageningen Academic Publishers, Wageningen, the Netherlands, pp. #######
European Commission, 2009. Directive 2009/147/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 November 2009 on the conservation of wild birds. Official Journal of the European Union L 20, 26.1.2010: 7-25
European Commission, 2010. Natura 2000. Stepping up action for biodiversity. European Commission Nature and Biodiversity Newsletter 28: June.
López-Ridaura, S., O.R. Masera and M. Astier, 2002. Evaluating the sustainability of complex socio-environmental systems. the MESMIS framework. Ecological Indicators 2: 135-148.
Acknowledgements
Special thanks to the farmers and technicians that contributed to the research.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2012 Wageningen Academic Publishers
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Villalba, D., Molina, E., Taull, M. (2012). Sheep production and conservation of wild birds in birds special protection areas in North East of Spain. In: Casasús, I., Rogošiç, J., Rosati, A., Štokoviç, I., Gabiña, D. (eds) Animal farming and environmental interactions in the Mediterranean region. EAAP – European Federation of Animal Sciences, vol 131. Wageningen Academic Publishers, Wageningen. https://doi.org/10.3920/978-90-8686-741-7_11
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3920/978-90-8686-741-7_11
Publisher Name: Wageningen Academic Publishers, Wageningen
Online ISBN: 978-90-8686-741-7
eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life SciencesBiomedical and Life Sciences (R0)