As Spain once again faces one of the worst forest‑fire seasons in recent years, with thousands of hectares devastated and a severe impact on rural areas, it is worth remembering that prevention begins long before the flames appear. In this context, extensive organic livestock farming plays a role as discreet as it is essential: keeping the land alive and reducing the vegetal fuel that feeds large wildfires.
According to Álvaro Barrera, president of Ecovalia, “the situation of forest fires in Spain is extremely complex, which is why it is necessary to provide solutions that allow us to anticipate and avoid these problems.” Among them, he refers to “solutions that have always been there, such as extensive organic livestock farming, with animals grazing 365 days a year.” They manage a material, a protein that becomes high‑quality organic meat, and, he adds, “we rely on professionals — livestock farmers and shepherds — who have always known which pastures must be removed in winter so they do not become fuel in summer.”
This knowledge also helps keep rural populations rooted in their territory. For Ecovalia’s president, supporting these farmers, shepherds and livestock is essential, as they “have long been a hallmark of our country, and we need them to continue protecting us and preventing fires.”
The value of organic grazing
Organic grazing acts as a true natural firebreak. Sheep, goats and cattle continuously remove herbaceous and shrub vegetation, reducing the accumulation of dry biomass that favours rapid fire spread. Wherever livestock graze, the landscape is more diverse, with less fuel continuity and therefore greater capacity to slow the advance of flames.
But its contribution goes much further. Organic livestock production is based on a model closely linked to the land, where the sustainable use of pastures supports biodiversity conservation, improves soil fertility and helps maintain high‑nature‑value ecosystems such as dehesas and Mediterranean woodlands. It is a way of producing food that, in addition to generating economic activity and anchoring rural population, provides essential environmental services for society as a whole.
A European environmental approach where fire prevention is key
This vision has just been reinforced by the European Commission, which on 7 July presented the new EU Livestock Strategy with the aim of ensuring that the sector remains competitive, resilient and sustainable through 2040. The document sets out five major priorities: strengthening the sector’s ability to face crises, improving competitiveness, reducing its climate and environmental footprint, maintaining its contribution to rural economies and the conservation of European landscapes, and making animal welfare a distinguishing feature of livestock production.
Far from proposing a general reduction in livestock numbers, the strategy seeks to promote more sustainable production models and explicitly recognises the value of extensive livestock farming for its contribution to pasture maintenance, biodiversity conservation, combating rural abandonment and reducing wildfire risk in certain regions.
The progressive disappearance of extensive livestock farming in many areas has also meant the loss of a traditional land‑management tool. Without herds, vegetation grows unchecked, fuel loads increase and fires find much more favourable conditions to reach large dimensions. Each livestock farm that disappears is also a missed opportunity to prevent future fires. It is no coincidence that more and more public administrations — and the European Union itself — recognise the strategic value of grazing in fire‑prevention and forest‑management policies. Initiatives such as targeted grazing, the promotion of silvopastoral systems and the recognition of extensive livestock farming form part of a strategy that understands that protecting our forests does not depend solely on acting when a fire breaks out, but on managing the landscape throughout the year.
Ecovalia insists that organic production offers real solutions to some of the major environmental challenges. Organic livestock farming not only produces high‑quality food while respecting animal welfare and natural resources; it also helps build landscapes that are more resilient to climate change and reduces the risk of forest fires. Supporting this model means investing in biodiversity, rural development and prevention. Because when it comes to fire, the best response does not always come from the air. Many times, it begins at ground level, where a herd grazes each day, caring for a territory that protects us all.
