Soluciones innovadoras para la gestion y valorización del sistema tradicional de caballos salvajes en Galicia
- LAURA LAGOS
- HENRIQUE BAZAL
- SANTIAGO CRECENTE
- ANGELA SAA
- FEDERICO CHEDA
- MARCO RUBINOS
- EDUARDO ANDRADE
- CARLOS MUÑOZ-BARCIA
- IVÁN SANMARTÍN
- ROBERTO HERMIDA
- JAIME FAGÚNDEZ
ISSN: 2531-2286
Year of publication: 2020
Issue Title: bienestar de los équidos, y valoración del impacto de la regulación de la pandemia COVID-19 en su bienestar: no tropecemos dos veces en la misma piedra.
Issue: 5
Type: Article
More publications in: Revista General de Derecho Animal y Estudios Interdisciplinares de Bienestar Animal: Journal of Animal Law & Interdisciplinary Animal Welfare Studies
Abstract
The wild ponies of Galicia, called bestas ("beasts"), are a key element of Galician mountain ecosystems. Wild ponies maintain shrublands in good conditions by removing large amounts of biomass reducing risks of fires, improving the access for cattle to better grazing, maintaining the quality of natural habitats, and favouring their conservation. However, the system shows their recent decline due to different reasons. In this article, the innovative actions to change this trend developed within the Project FEADER 2017/049B, co-funded by the European agricultural fund for rural development (EAFRD), are described. Technological tools such as the use of GPS collars or of drones contributed to optimize the efforts of the besteirios (the traditional name used for the owners of the horses) when watching and managing the ponies. Remote sensing was used to a tool to evaluate changes in vegetation. The use of ponies to improve artificial pastures, different forms of identification, or alternative land management by land stewardship agreements were also explored. The Project highligted the ecological and cultural relevance of Galician wild ponies, and the need to maintain their populations.