Pamplona, March 17, 2026. Cross-border cooperation adds a new initiative to respond to one of the great challenges of the Pyrenean mountains: to reduce the risk of forest fires and strengthen the adaptive capacity of the territory in the face of climate change, and to support one of the fundamental activities for the management of the territory and maintenance of the population and economic activity in mountain areas. That is the starting point of PASTORALI, a project that has started this Monday in Pamplona that will promote until 2029 the implementation of environmental grazing for the restoration of mountain open spaces to combine prevention, landscape management and conservation.

The project has five main objectives: to deepen knowledge of animal behavior in the face of new scenarios of change in order to adapt pastoral management to the climate challenge; to evaluate and integrate new technologies that help management and the quality of life of livestock farmers, such as GPS tracking and virtual fencing; to propose new forms of financing and support for environmental pastoralism; and to strengthen professional training and social acceptance of these practices. Finally, the project will make it possible to create and strengthen a cross-border network of environmental pastoralism professionals to strengthen cooperation and exchange for better and faster adaptation to climate change.

Co-financed within the framework of the INTERREG VI-A Spain-France-Andorra program (POCTEFA 2021-2027), PASTORALI has a total budget of 1,993,448.82 euros, with 65% co-financing from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), and will run from February 1, 2026 to January 31, 2029.

PASTORALI (whose full title is “addressing unresolved issues around environmental grazing for the prevention of forest fires and other natural disasters in the Pyrenean mountains”) is based on a diagnosis shared throughout the Pyrenean massif. This diagnosis is based on the progressive abandonment of certain traditional uses of the territory, together with the effects of climate change, which is favoring the accumulation of biomass and increasing the vulnerability of mountain landscapes to fires and other natural hazards, and the abandonment of the activity. In this context, extensive grazing regains prominence as a useful tool to conserve open spaces, reduce the vegetation fuel load and contribute to a more active and resilient management of the territory.

During the launch of the project in Pamplona, Rosa Maria Canals, professor at the Public University of Navarra and specialist in Pastoralism and Ecosystem Restoration, stressed that “PASTORALI wants to demonstrate that environmental pastoralism must become a necessary tool to reduce the risk of fires, conserve open mountain areas and strengthen the resilience of the Pyrenees in the face of climate change. Its practice must be recognized, modernized and financed thanks to the multiple services it brings to society.

PASTORALI is developed in a framework of cooperation between Spain, France and Andorra and brings together eight partner organizations. The Public University of Navarra (UPNA) acts as lead partner. The partnership also includes Gestión Ambiental de Navarra – Nafarroako Ingurumen Kudeaketa (GAN-NIK), the Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología del Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (IPE-CSIC), the Association des Chambres d’Agriculture des Pyrénées (ACAP), the Chambre d’Agriculture des Pyrénées (ACAP), the Chambre d’Agriculture des Pyrénées-Atlantiques (CA64), the Consortium of the Working Community of the Pyrenees (CTP), through the Pyrenean Climate Change Observatory (OPCC), the Centre de la Propietat Forestal (CPF) and the Chambre d’Agriculture des Pyrénées-Orientales (CDA66). In addition, Andorra Recerca i Innovació and ANA – Conservatoire d’espaces naturels Ariège participate as associated entities.

During the launching meeting, some of the expected impacts of the initiative were also presented. Among them, it is expected to reach 4,711 square kilometers of area covered by fire protection measures and to benefit 614,623 people. Beyond the figures, the project aims to promote a change of scale: to move from one-off experiences to a more structured, coordinated and operational implementation of environmental grazing in the Pyrenees as a whole.

Eva García-Balaguer, coordinator of the Pyrenean Climate Change Observatory (OPCC), insisted on this territorial and strategic dimension, stressing that “PASTORALI reflects well the value of cross-border cooperation when it is oriented towards concrete solutions. The project allows to unite knowledge, management and action on the ground to advance in a shared response to the risk of fires and the impacts of climate change in the Pyrenees, supporting the promotion and recognition of a traditional and important activity for the Pyrenean territory”.

To achieve this, PASTORALI will combine applied research, field experimentation, knowledge transfer and work in governance through four main lines of development: scientific, technical, economic and social. Among its main lines of action are the analysis of animal behavior under different environmental and pastoral management conditions, the testing and validation of innovative technologies, the development of new instruments for financing these practices and the creation of social support networks.

The initiative also includes training and transfer actions aimed at livestock farmers, technical personnel and managers of the territory, as well as communication and awareness-raising activities aimed at reinforcing the valorization and social acceptance of environmental pastoralism. The products include a cross-border environmental grazing guide with common recommendations and regional adaptations.

PASTORALI also plans to explore innovative financing mechanisms, such as environmental credits, in order to contribute to the economic viability of the model and facilitate its consolidation in the medium and long term. In addition, a cross-border network of environmental pastoralism professionals will be created, conceived as the basis for a shared strategy on a Pyrenean scale.

Aligned with the Pyrenean Climate Change Strategy (EPiCC) and complementary to other initiatives promoted in the territory, such as Life PYRENEES4CLIMA, the project aims to contribute to a more resilient Europe by promoting safer, more diverse mountain landscapes for the future. In a context of increasing exposure to climate risks, PASTORALI places environmental pastoralism at the heart of a response that connects Pyrenean stakeholders in the prevention, adaptation and sustainable management of the territory.