Transhumance
"Transhumance is the seasonal movement of people with their livestock between fixed summer and winter pastures. In montane regions (vertical transhumance), it implies movement between higher pastures in summer and lower valleys in winter. Herders have a permanent home, typically in valleys. Generally only the herds travel, with a certain number of people necessary to tend them, while the main population stays at the base. In contrast, horizontal transhumance is more susceptible to being disrupted by climatic, economic or political change.[1]
Traditional or fixed transhumance occurs or has occurred throughout the inhabited world, particularly Europe and western Asia. It is often of high importance to pastoralist societies, as the dairy products of transhumance flocks and herds (milk, butter, yogurt and cheese) often form much of the diet of such populations......."
EXCLUDING "Full nomadism" whereby there are no permanent settlements.
Connected Sites
| Site | Rationale | Link |
| Al-Faw | "A large number of tapered structures are dated to the second half of the 3rd millennium BCE and continued into the early 2nd millennium BCE. These possibly suggest the presence of transhumance routes radiating in different directions around the proto-oasis." (AB Ev) | |
| Causses and Cévennes | "The northern part of the Cévennes NP encompasses the grazed granite uplands around Mont Lozère. Here (is) .. good summer grazing by large flocks of sheep travelling north from farms to the south of the National Park in Languedoc near the coast, a system of transhumance that has persisted since the 12th century" | |
| Hallstatt-Dachstein | "The beauty of the alpine landscape, with its higher pastures used for the summer grazing of sheep and cattle since prehistoric times as part of the process of transhumance, which still today gives the valley communities rights of access to specific grazing areas (...)" (Official description) | |
| Hawraman/Uramanat | seasonal vertical migration (AB ev) | |
| Khinalig | Includes "the connecting transhumance route, called Köç Yolu (“Migration Route”)." (AB ev) | |
| Laponian Area | one of the last and unquestionably the largest and best preserved examples of an area of transhumance (OUV) | |
| Madriu-Perafita-Claror Valley | "The centuries-old transhumant system of grazing continues within the area. with frequent movement of herds across the French-Spanish border." (AB eval) | |
| Maymand | "...reflects a traditional three phase transhumance system with unusual troglodytic winter housing in a dry desert environment" (AB) | |
| Pyrénées - Mont Perdu | an outstanding example of a type of transhumance that was once widespread in the mountainous regions of Europe, but which today is rare (OUV) | |
| Risco Caido | Transhumance routes, which clearly date from ancient times, and troglodyte cisterns, are still used by local livestock breeders (AB ev) | |
| Val d'Orcia | "Farmers practiced transhumance with routes to Meremma and l'Amiata." (AB Ev) | |
| West Norwegian Fjords | Remnants of old and now mostly abandoned transhumant farms add a cultural aspect to the dramatic natural landscape (OUV) |
Suggestions?
Do you know of another WHS we could connect to Transhumance?
A connection should:
- Not be "self evident"
- Link at least 3 different sites
- Not duplicate or merely subdivide the "Category" assignment already identified on this site.
- Add some knowledge or insight (whether significant or trivial!) about WHS for the users of this site
- Be explained, with reference to a source