Relationship between livestock husbandry and wildlife in semi-mountainous areas of northeast Rodopi

Rangelands, apart from being the place where livestock are grazing, constitute suitable biotopes for several species of wildlife and places where services such as soil protection, recreation etc. are ensured as well. This makes necessary the determination of the relations and the effects of livestock grazing on the survival of rare or threatened species of wildlife that live in a protected region. The Philiouris valley, in the eastern part of Rodopi Prefecture, which is a NATURA 2000 site, an important habitat for a large number of birds and mammals, was chosen as the study area. The evolution of livestock, land uses and wildlife was studied. Shrublands, occupying 65% of the area, dominate the landscape. The relationship between livestock husbandry and wildlife in the area is in most cases positive and important. Preservation of this relationship depends on maintenance and continuation of traditional land uses and practices. Unfortunately, land abandonment and land use changes results to disorganization or even disappearance of these important landscapes. Traditional landscapes however, which are the result of the interaction between human and natural activities, represent the cultural, social, ecological and economic heritage of the people and they should be preserved, without violating the NATURA 2000 directives.