The role of grazing in agropastoral systems in the Mediterranean region and their environmental sustainability

Agro-pastoral systems have significantly contributed to shape the landscapes of the Mediterranean basin. These systems are widely different according to the climatic, cultural and socio-economic conditions where they developed, from the Parcours of the Maghreb steppes to the Dehesas in the Iberian peninsula, from the Mediterranean islands to inland mountain regions. Their present specifities developed both in response to internal needs within the farming systems (such as the need to increase production while reducing costs) and external (such as the competition with other activities for the use of land). In many cases the recent evolution resulted into an increased impact of grazing on the territory. Overgrazing represents one of the causes for desertification in many areas of the Mediterranean region. To mitigate the problem a better knowledge of these systems and their impacts is first needed. Then, different methods have to be conceived to model and assess environmental impacts, land suitability to grazing an optimal stocking rate