Mediterranean inhabitants depend on natural resources for their livelihoods. Livestock production and forestry are key sources of income yet are carried out under harsh conditions such as limited land resources, marginal agricultural conditions, isolation, and scant equipment and infrastructure. Livestock is of particular importance in mountain production systems as they convert plant biomass into useful products for humans such as milk, meat and draught power. These products are key to the regions' sustainability. The main topics discussed in this book are: Human geography of Mediterranean mountain territories. Livestock production and natural resources. Improving the efficiency of livestock systems in Mediterranean mountain areas. Applications of new technologies for environmentally sound management of livestock and natural resources. The role livestock plays in rural development and in safeguarding natural resources.

Livestock production systems are the result of an interaction between domestic animals and the environment, modulated by man, that dates back to Neolithic times. As a consequence of this interaction among the wide diversity of animal resources, natural habitats and population needs, very different farming systems have developed across the Mediterranean Basin. Understanding the mechanisms and effects of these relationships is key to design the farming systems best adapted to each condition, guaranteeing an adequate balance between target animal production and environmental outcomes provided by these systems. This is indeed a multidimensional topic, influenced by animal genetics, feeding resources, flock management, and economic and social aspects inside and outside the household. Therefore, this book focuses on the basis of the animal-environment interactions and the impact of human activities on the type and magnitude of these interactions. In this context, the issue of sustainability of livestock production is evaluated considering economic, social and environmental aspects. This book contributes to upgrade the state of the art in Mediterranean conditions, providing indicators and procedures of application across a wide range of systems, and hence of interest for researchers, students and professionals concerned with livestock production and the environment.

This book and its case studies focuses on typical local products and breeds, descriptions of the production systems and conservation techniques of endangered breeds/products in the Mediterranean area. Traditional and extensive systems, involving local breeds, which meet the needs of the population requiring safe foods at a reasonable costs, are validated for their specific meaning to the region. It is acknowledged that natural constraints of the Mediterranean area of climate and geography, make it unfavourable to mass production at low cost. Profit related aspects are discussed considering the different economic realities of the northern part of the basin compared to the southern part. Characteristics of typical animal production with consideration for positive and negative impacts on production systems and on the environment as well as the need to adjust to climate uncertainty and seasonal variability of feed resources, is also discussed. A focus is given to the following areas: animal production economy and social impact in the Mediterranean area; utilisation of natural resources and environmental impact of the animal production systems; possibilities for improving traditional systems; quality and traceability of typical products; moving from traditional to certified animal products.

This book explores the current trends and challenges of sustainable goat meat and milk production in different global contexts, providing valuable insights into this industry in adverse environments like mountain, semiarid and arid regions. It also includes contributions from international experts discussing goat reproduction, genetic diversity and improvement, as well topics such as animal health, welfare, socioeconomic aspects, and many other issues regarding the environmentally friendly and economically viable exploitation of goats. This is a highly informative book providing scientific insight for readers with an interest in sustainable agriculture and socio-economic aspects, as well as goat breed conservation, genetic diversity, and veterinary care. These subjects are complemented in a second volume providing a detailed description of more than 40 indigenous goat breeds and several ecotypes found in Asia, Africa, Europe, and America.

The Mediterranean area shows a great diversity of livestock systems, depending on local resources and traditions, but also on the networking space where informational resources are available for producers. During the last decades, a lot of innovations have been conceived or introduced in the Mediterranean area, allowing livestock systems to remain competitive. The book looks at two main issues: firstly, it gives an updated review on the main innovations that significantly changed the activities of livestock production in the Mediterranean area in the recent past. Secondly, the focus lies on the extent to which these innovations improve the efficiency, ensure the socio-cultural basis or reduce the environmental impact of livestock systems. One major finding is a new vision of innovating systems based on the distinction between regulated innovation (when aims are fixed) and innovative design (when aims are questioned). Innovations reported in the book are dealing with a set of concerns. They concern the production techniques, the work organization, the equipment and infrastructures, the collective features for selection, reproduction, feeding or sanitary devices. They also concern the local organization such as product labelling, new dynamics around local breeds, collective rules for supply basin or approaches of new products for new markets. More recently, some innovations focus on environmental impacts of livestock production, due to an increasing consciousness of those kinds of problems. In the final part of the book, a round table copes with a crucial question: are traditions in Mediterranean livestock activities to be considered an obstacle or a source of innovation? This book provides a set of updated information and knowledge useful for researchers, students, extension services and policy-makers in the field of animal science.

Agriculture, alpine, global change, nutrients, farming

There has been a great increase in the consumption of animal products. The intention of agricultural activities is to provide safety and adequate food by respecting the environment. Although many questions are being raised concerning the sustainability of the world's food-animal agricultural resources. This book presents some in-depth reviews of selected topics in livestock science written by experts in their respective areas. The book is divided into eight chapters, consisting of topics in food-animal production systems, management of several animal products, health-threaten example by ticks in animals, and contaminants that may be found in animal foods. We hope that a wide variety of scientists, researchers, and others may benefit from this book.