The added value of mountain livestock products: an ecosystem services approach

The socio-economic evolution of mountain areas is challenging local productions, leading to the abandonment of traditional jobs and rural areas. The multifunctionality of mountain livestock systems can be addressed using the ecosystem services (ES) approach, to ascribe values to products and services that contribute to human well-being and the attractiveness of mountain areas. In this study we present the preliminary results of a project (IR VA Italia-Österreich “TOPValue”) aiming at: 1) implementing the optional quality term “mountain product” (MP) as defined by EU Reg. 665/2014; 2) empowering the optional MP quality term by identifying and quantifying ES delivered by local food chains, with a particular focus on mountain dairy cattle farming. A multidisciplinary approach has been adopted to identify and quantify ES delivered in eastern Alps: 1 - participatory approaches (questionnaires and focus groups) have been used to identify stakeholders (local communities, tourists and producers) perception of mountain products and associated ES delivered;2 - on a sample of 80 dairy farms associated to 7 dairy cooperatives the following methodological approaches were applied: analysis of biodiversity in the grasslands managed by each farm; environmental footprint (Life Cycle Assessment); animal welfare (Welfare Quality adapted protocol for small scale farms); landscape aesthetic and cultural value.The preliminary results evidenced that the dairy cattle systems investigated are able to provide several ecosystem services, particularly when the management of local open areas is considered. Synergies and trade-offs between different indicators are useful to address the “global“ sustainability of MP chains. The results will be used in the last part of the project to address effective communication strategies for ES in order to develop labels (e.g. smart labels) that better meet consumers expectations and understanding.