Pat Lifeten

Issue:The presence of rock partridge has been decreasing constantly since the second post-war period because of the disappearance of large sheep and goat flocks with the following colonization of pasture lands by trees and bushes and the fragmentation of this bird’s own habitat. The disappearance of cereals harvesting and the decrease of the presence of insects linked to pasturing livestock determined the reduction of feeding sources for these birds.

Species: rock partridge (Alectoris greca), a bird species of great interest for the community, it belongs to the Galliformes order and it is present in the alpine areas of the Italian peninsula and of the Balkans. In the region of Trentino the species lives on the alpine meadows and in the open, well exposed and bluff areas, also at low altitude.

What LIFE+ T.E.N. will do: the aim of this action is to stop the disappearance of this species’ habitat in an area which is made up of high altitude meadows in the network NATURA 2000 in the southern Brenta’s area and within the bounds of the natural park Adamello-Brenta. The creation of a local society of cattle farmers will be favoured, whose main task is to manage the breeding of sheep, goats, donkeys and mules on the pasture lands in the area of southern Brenta. This result will be achieved thanks to the purchase and the following entrustment of a sheep flock to this society. A touristic project with fixed excursions will be created; this will entail the employment of donkeys to carry the tourists’ rucksacks on the mountain paths (donkey trekking) in order to increase the incomes for the local future society of sheep and goats breeders.

Expected results: preservation of an important and consistent group of rock partridge to be achieved thanks to the strengthening of the traditional pasturing of sheep and goats.