VIAE – Valuing Pastoral Routes Across Europe
THE INITIATIVE
For centuries, transhumance routes have functioned as essential territorial infrastructures for the economic, social and cultural development of many European regions.
Beyond their historical value, these routes continue to play an important role today in the sustainable management of landscapes, the conservation of biodiversity and the maintenance of extensive livestock farming.
OBJECTIVE
The main objective of the VIAE project is to contribute to the definition of a shared European strategy for the protection and valorisation of European pastoral routes, understood as a key resource for the sustainable development of local communities and rural territories.
European
cooperation
Promote European cooperation among researchers, public administrations and local stakeholders involved in the management of pastoral routes.
Lleida
Declaration
Draft the Lleida Declaration as a framework document for the recognition and protection of European pastoral routes.
European
Protocol
Develop a European Protocol of recommendations for theirmanagement, protection and valorisation.
UNESCO
World Heritage
Lay the foundations for a future nomination of European pastoral routes as UNESCO World Heritage.
Promoted by Newcastle University (United Kingdom) and the University of Lleida (Catalonia, Spain), and made possible through coordinated work with Camí Ramader de Marina, IDAPA and ARCA, the initiative brings together experts from several European countries to advance a shared strategy and the drafting of a Declaration and of a European Protocol for the protection and valorisation of this heritage, in line with the principles of the Council of Europe Faro Convention and with the patronage of the Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe Programme.
