Each year, in spring and autumn, herders organise the movement, or transhumance, of thousands of animals along traditional pastoral paths. They move on foot or horseback, leading with their dogs and sometimes accompanied by their families. An ancestral practice, transhumance entails social practices and rituals related to the care, breeding and training of animals and the management of natural resources. Transmitted informally within families and communities, the practice strengthens cultural identity and ties between families, communities and territories while counteracting the effects of rural depopulation. Country(ies): Albania; Andorra; Austria; Croatia; France; Greece; Italy; Luxembourg; Romania; Spain.
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