The 2025-1-IT01-KA220-VET-000364682 SHEP4ECO project – The ‘Ecosystem Shepherd’, funded by the National Erasmus+ Agency for Education and Vocational Training, was set up to address an increasingly pressing challenge: to promote the role of sheepfarming as a tool for sustainable land management and the provision of ecosystem services. The project aims to develop a new professional profile, the ‘Ecosystem Shepherd’, by integrating traditional pastoral skills with new knowledge relating to the enhancement of ecosystem services, with particular reference to biodiversity conservation, carbon sequestration and fire prevention.

To achieve this objective, the partnership will implement a structured programme involving

• the collection and analysis of existing training programmes at European level
• the identification of good practices in pastoral management geared towards ecosystem services
• the production of a Handbook with Guidelines for enhancing ecosystem services through pastoral activities
• the development of an innovative curriculum for ecosystem shepherds based on European standards for professional qualifications

Furthermore, the project involves the development of training materials aimed at both future shepherds and trainers in the sector. The model will subsequently be tested and validated through pilot activities and local workshops in Italy, Spain and Romania. In Italy, the Selva del Lamone Regional Nature Reserve will host the pilot activities and a transnational workshop dedicated to the ecosystem services generated by pastoralism.

Indeed, one of the project’s key objectives is to stimulate debate on ecosystem services and the associated payment schemes, by promoting discussion and the exchange of experiences at local, regional, national and transnational levels.

SHEP4ECO represents an important opportunity to strengthen the link between training, sheep farming and ecosystem conservation, contributing to the sustainable development of European rural areas