RESEARCH PROGRAM LOUTSES (LOcal water infrastrUctures for Transhumance enhancement in Subalpine rangelands as Ecological and Sustainable practices for climate adaptation in Epirus, Greece)
APPLIED RESEARCH PROJECT
Did you know that in recent years, water has been significantly decreasing even in the mountainous areas of Pindos, which is characterized by the wettest climate in Greece? Have you considered the water needs of a livestock farmer who grazes or moves his livestock to the natural pastures of Epirus?
Similar questions arose in the Lalitsa Team when we accepted the idea from one of our members to participate in an open competition for the Horizon Europe (RURACTIVE) competition for applicable and practical solutions focused on water management in the local communities of Zagori. Local livestock farmers, their animals, and wildlife use water from reservoirs or natural or artificial surfaces that retain water (rainwater, groundwater, or snowmelt), known as “loutses.”
The innovation of our proposal combines knowledge of geology, pasture management, and architecture, with the aim of restoring three or four “loutses” at different altitudes in subalpine and alpine pastures, made of different materials (earth, stone, concrete). The LOUTSES proposal explores the hydrogeology of each site as a potential existing natural underground water reservoir and its connection to the “loutsa”.
Figure 1. On-site visit by the team to a stone-built sheepfold in the area, suggested by a livestock farmer.
The geology of the Zagori region, with its alternating aquifers of limestone and impermeable clayey flysch, has contributed both to the settlement development and cultural heritage of the region, as well as to the adequacy of water resources and the development of agricultural production and mountain livestock farming. The springs in the area are located at points where the two formations meet. In other cases, where limestone dominates, water penetrates the deeper aquifer and flows underground towards the Voidomatis River. Since ancient times, water harvesting from aquifers has been possible mainly at the boundaries between porous limestone and flysch, and this experience has been passed on to all land users, such as farmers and livestock breeders, over hundreds to thousands of years.
Figure 2. Concrete open tank with rainwater collector during the site visit in May.
At a meeting we had with local residents and organizations in May this year (phase A of the overall project), it became clear that there was a need for such a proposal, drawing on forgotten and new practices to support local livestock farming communities, which have been managing grassland ecosystems for generations.
Figure 3. Presentation of the LOUTSES proposal to stakeholders (local authorities, livestock farmers, residents, visitors to the municipality) in May this year.
The Mediterranean basin is characterised by a rich mosaic of landscapes, which have been shaped by the interaction of long-term cultural and historical processes in conjunction with complex and diverse environmental processes. Annual or seasonal changes in the availability of the main limiting factors for plant growth and water create fluctuations in the production potential of Mediterranean ecosystems, especially grassland ecosystems. Grassland ecosystems in Greece play a critical role in shaping forest policy, as they provide ecosystem services similar to those of forest ecosystems, such as food, plant fiber, carbon sequestration, biodiversity conservation, and recreation. The new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) establishes a specific policy objective for the environment and climate: to contribute to the protection of biodiversity, enhance these services, and preserve natural landscapes and habitats. In addition, Greece has set the conservation and enhancement of ecosystem services as a key objective of its National Forest Strategy (NFS).
Figure 4. Walking towards an open water collection tank (Construction funding: World Bank, December 1970).
Subalpine and alpine grasslands in Greece are important because they offer a wide variety of goods and services to local communities, and there is an urgent need for the rational management of these special anthropogenic ecosystems. In Greece, it is estimated that grasslands in general cover about 40% of the country’s total area. They are the main source of feed for traditional livestock farming systems, covering a total of 70% of the country’s needs. The multiple uses of grasslands and adjacent forests are of great ecological importance, because both types of vegetation ecosystems protect soils from erosion, store carbon, provide habitat for wildlife, and act as small catchment basins that transport water to local aquifers through infiltration and surface runoff. Therefore, well-managed grassland and pasture ecosystems can contribute to increased carbon sequestration and mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions through increased soil filtration of water, as well as improving water quality and overall vegetation conditions.
Livestock farming, and in particular transhumance, is an integral part of the cultural heritage of many Mediterranean regions and part of the intangible cultural heritage listed in UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. For centuries, it has been one of the main economic activities of the inhabitants of the Mediterranean region and Greece, keeping many areas of the country alive, especially mountainous areas, and shaping the socio-economic development of these regions. However, despite its recognized advantages, there has been a decline in this practice over the last 60 years, contributing negatively to the productive capacity of Mediterranean agroecosystems to provide diverse ecosystem services, as well as to their reduced socio-ecological resilience.
Using old empirical knowledge, combined with new non-destructive methods such as geophysical surveys and geochemistry, the geometry of the aquifers and the dynamics of underground water storage near the “loutses” will be mapped, with the aim of using this water to continuously supply each watering hole during the dry summer period, when surface water reserves dry up due to evaporation and consumption by livestock. In addition, the evolution of grassland areas over time will be recorded, and the grazing capacity and stocking rate in these areas will be assessed. All of the above combined actions and applications will constitute a pilot project through which mountain livestock farming can be supported, and endemic aquatic flora and fauna, but also indirectly combat climate change, as man-made ponds with continuous water supply are important habitats for storing atmospheric carbon dioxide.
Project Team: Michalis Styllas, Eliki Diamantouli, Dimitris Kapsalis, Savvas Vassiliadis