The role of goats in the Mediterranean area

Publication Type

Journal contribution

Authors

Morand-Fehr,P.; Bourbouze,A.; Le Houérou,H.N.; Gall,C.F.; Boyazoglu,J.G.

Year of publication

1983

Published in

Livestock Production Science

Band/Volume

10/

Page (from - to)

569-587

During the past ten years, the number of goats has slowly decreased because of limitation policies in some countries and the greater difficulty in managing this Species than sheep or cattle, but opposite trends are now occurring in countries such as France and Greece. Many local breeds, or populations with very different production characteristics, exist in the Mediterranean basin because of various climatic conditions and systems of production. Goats do not have any problems with the Mediterranean vegetation because they select what they graze and eat large portions of bushes and trees when there is very little grass. The goat is more harmful to woody vegetation than other ruminants because it browses. It has been shown that the goat alone is not able to destroy natural vegetation without human help. In the Mediterranean area, the proper management of goats can be used to control bush encroachment by clearing the undergrowth which will reduce the risk of forest fires. Among the production systems used in the Mediterranean area, two systems are mentioned: one using ranges only, or supplemented with cultivated forages, and the other using intensive systems where the range vegetation only meets a small proportion of the needs. The former Systems generally produce meat, hair and milk, while the latter are mainly intended for milk and cheese production. Systems based essentially on ranges are very precarious and their maintenance requires specific techniques and administrative assistance. Intensive systems may also be precarious because they generally depend on high milk prices.