Ethnozootechny and the conservation of domestic and wild animal diversity

Efforts to conserve biodiversity in agroecosystems also include domesticated plants and animals. A survey was carried out in Tuscany, Italy, with shepherds of the Zerasca and Pomarancina breeds. Both are endangered autochthonous breeds, belonging to the apenine trunk and meat producers. The aim was to describe and analyze the local knowledge regarding the care of the life and health of sheep, with emphasis on the use of plants in the treatment of diseases of these animals. The concept of ‘farming styles’ was used as a basis, which allows to relate the cultural, technical and environmental dimensions of agricultural production. Initially, a survey was carried out in the field to identify relevant issues and problems in local sheep farming. There was a tendency to disconnect from the ancestral practices of veterinary use of plants, characterizing, at least apparently, an ‘extinction of experience’ situation. Still in reference to the protection of life and animal health, there was a strong conflict between the shepherds and the wolves (Canis lupus italicus Altobello, 1921), the main sheep predators in the region. About half of the farms were run by women; Labor was almost exclusively family; About 75% reported wolf attacks on their herds. This has caused changes in management, with an increase in production costs, according to the sheherds´ perception. Rumors about the intentional reintroduction of wolves can be seen as folk social science, that is, explanations of the world that represent a cultural resistance against the dominant narratives and the structures of power that sustain them. Ethnobiological approaches, possibly associated with the scientific study of ‘rumors’ may contribute to the mediation of these conflicts. (Funding bodies: Capes / PGCI, Science without Borders, CNPq).