- A pilot project in Mataro, Catalonia, Spain, is utilising a herd of approximately 300 goats to create natural firebreaks and reduce the risk of wildfires.
- This initiative is part of a wider European Union-funded effort aimed at mitigating the escalating threat of wildfires across southern Europe, exacerbated by climate change.
- Goats are particularly effective for this task due to their voracious appetites, enabling them to clear flammable undergrowth and even thorny vegetation.
- The project revives traditional methods of using livestock for land management, with goatherders Francesc Teixido and Pedro Alba combining their flocks for this nomadic lifestyle.
- Although the work is demanding and not primarily for financial gain, the goatherders receive payment from municipalities for their fire prevention services and from cheesemakers for their distinctive milk.
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