Pastoralism · Montesinho Natural Park
Herding routes, measured and understood
We study how pastoralism adapts to climate change and build digital tools for the people who herd.
Project
Science with the herding community
PASTOpraxis studies local adaptation of pastoralism to climate change in Montesinho Natural Park, with a team from agricultural sciences, biology and environmental anthropology.
We work side by side with herders from the Coroa and Montesinho mountains, combining local ecological knowledge with field data.
Sustainable Development Goals
Extensive pastoralism in this protected area contributes to seven UN SDGs.
The project in numbers
- 6flocks tracked with GPS collars
- 74,000haof protected area under study
- 92villages in the Natural Park
- 7Sustainable Development Goals
Platform
From the flock's route to decisions in the field
A web dashboard that turns collar data into maps, reports and alerts.
- Daily GPS routes for each flock on the map
- Per-plot reports and the ISIP x COS matrix
- Alerts when a flock leaves its area or a device goes silent
- AI agents that explain the reports
Pastto app
The field notebook on your phone
Herders and technicians log field occurrences, even without signal.
- Occurrences with photo, video, voice and GPS position
- Works offline and syncs when back online
- Platform alerts straight to the phone
Partners and funding
Who runs the project and in what role.
Lead institution
IPB · CIMO
Coordinates the project and the mountain systems research.
Participating institution
CRIA — NOVA FCSH
Studies the social and cultural side of pastoralism.
Funding
FCT
Funds the project with national funds.
Partners
ACOB · ANCRAS · ICNF
Producer associations and the management of Montesinho Natural Park.
