Intangible cultural heritage of transhumance landscapes: their roles and values - examples from Norway, France and Spain

Transhumance landscapes are sensitive semi-natural environments in upland European areas. Shaped through human activities from the earliest times, they provide habitat for many threatened species and produced a rich cultural heritage. They bear witness to the complex and mutually beneficial interplay between natural resources and human activities. Today, they are threatened by societal, economic and ecological factors. The purpose of this article is to identify the roles and intangible values of transhumance systems through the analysis of three studies, in Norway, France and Spain, and to raise awareness about the benefits of continuous traditional transhumance practices for the preservation of pastoral biodiversity and the mountain landscapes’ character.