Copyright © 2013 by the author(s). Published here under license by the Resilience Alliance. Oteros-Rozas, E., R. Ontillera-Sánchez, P. Sanosa, E. Gómez-Baggethun, V. Reyes-García, and J. A. González. 2013. Traditional ecological knowledge among transhumant pastoralists in Mediterranean Spain. Ecology and Society 18(3): 33. http://dx.doi.org/10.5751/ES-05597-180333 Research, part of a Special Feature on Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Adaptation to Global Environmental Change: North and South Perspectives Traditional ecological knowledge among transhumant pastoralists in Mediterranean Spain Elisa Oteros-Rozas 1 , Ricardo Ontillera-Sánchez 1 , Pau Sanosa 1 , Erik Gómez-Baggethun 1,2 , Victoria Reyes-García 2,3 and José A. González 1 ABSTRACT. Mobility is a millenary human strategy to deal with environmental change. An outstanding example of mobility is transhumance, an ancient pastoralist practice consisting of the seasonal migration of livestock between ecological regions following peaks in pasture productivity. The maintenance of transhumance depends partly on the preservation of related traditional ecological knowledge (TEK). We (a) identified and characterized social groups that hold transhumance-related TEK, (b) analyzed trends in transhumance-related TEK across generations and social groups, (c) examined the factors that influence variation in levels of TEK, and (d) analyzed elements of transhumance-related TEK as examples of adaptive strategies to cope with global change. We used transhumance on the Conquense Drove Road, a major active transhumant network in Spain, as a case study. Through an indepth literature review, participant observation, semistructured interviews, and a focus group discussion, we developed a survey to examine transhumance-related knowledge, practices, and beliefs. We collected survey data from 150 informants. Although a rich body of TEK persisted among transhumant shepherds, we found a marked loss of TEK among transhumants born after 1975, who scored one-fifth lower on survey items than other generations. The maintenance of transhumance on foot is the most important factor influencing TEK preservation. We conclude that in developed country settings, maintaining conditions for herd mobility can contribute to enhancing the adaptive capacity of agrarian societies to cope with global environmental change. Key Words: adaptive strategy; drove road; environmental change; mobility; pastoralism; resilience INTRODUCTION Mobility has historically been a common social and ecological response to change and environmental risks (Agrawal 2008). Nomadic, seminomadic, and transhumant pastoralism constitute outstanding examples of mobility-based livelihood strategies. However, pastoralism is facing increasing challenges in the context of global change (e.g., Fernández- Giménez and Le Febre 2006, Nori and Davies 2007, Dong et al. 2011). Livelihoods based on the movement of livestock are adapted to areas where natural resource availability is highly variable through time and space (Dyson-Hudson and Dyson-Hudson 1980). Because periodic movement allows the adaptation of grazing pressure to the carrying capacity of pasturelands, mobile pastoralism has historically been the dominant type of livestock management strategy in semi-arid tropics, deserts, and highlands. Particularly in semi-arid countries, animal migratory systems are critical for making efficient use of the primary productivity of ecosystems across seasons (Alerstam et al. 2003, Manzano-Baena and Casas 2010). Transhumance is a mobility strategy consisting of regular seasonal migration of livestock between summer and winter pastures, which allows adaptation to climate variability and matches grazing pressure with seasonal peaks in pasture availability (Ruiz and Ruiz 1986, Manzano-Baena and Casas 2010). Despite the acknowledged adaptive advantages of mobility, the practice of transhumance and other mobility- based pastoralist strategies is declining worldwide (Dong et al. 2011). This decline is due to a variety of factors, including progressive integration into the global market economy, sedentarization policies, and institutional constraints that disfavor nomadic lifestyles (Davies and Hatfield 2007, Galvin 2009). These pressures, combined with drivers of global environmental change, such as climate and land use changes, challenge practitioners to sustain and protect mobile pastoralism worldwide in recognition of its social, cultural, economic, and ecological assets (Nori and Davies 2007). In Mediterranean Europe, pastoralism has played a key role in shaping landscapes of High Nature Value, especially in mountainous ecosystems and rural areas (Hatfield and Davies 2006). Transhumance has been a major adaptive practice in Mediterranean pastoralist systems. The Mediterranean ecoregion is characterized by seasonality and highly unpredictable rainfall, which results in high climatic variability (Blondel 2006). Pasture productivity follows seasonal patterns and varies among years (Gómez Sal 2000). Transhumance persists in some countries like Spain, although with a different structure and at a smaller scale than in the past (Bunce et al. 2006, Manzano and Malo 2006, Fernández- Giménez and Fillat Estaque 2012). 1 Social-Ecological Systems Laboratory, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain, 2 Institute of Environmental Science and Technology (ICTA), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain, 3 Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Spain