We went to meet Paco last May. He is one of our transhumant shepherds that chose to preserve this treasured tradition of Transhumance instead of going the easy way. He was travelling with his merino sheeps from his farm in Extremadura to the northern mountains in search of cooler temperatures and fresh pastures for the flock.
This journey took them one month walking an average of 20km per day. This is an exhausting practice but has an enormous ecological value: it helps to preserve biodiversity, it prevents fires, all the natural resources of land are efficiently used, it encourages autochthonous breeds raising, it regulates soil quality and it guarantees the animals welfare.
The wool from these sheeps has an amazing quality and resistance due to the kind of life they have.
I am so grateful to all the Spanish shepherds like Paco that keep this valuable tradition alive with their effort and perseverance.
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