Nomadic pastoralists like the Sarıkeçililer help prevent fires through grazing practices that reduce dry grass and leaf litter. Despite their crucial role in combating fires and climate change, they face increasing restrictions on accessing traditional habitats. Protecting pastures and ensuring access is vital for both fire prevention and climate resilience.
We are all experiencing the sorrow of the destruction of a very large geography and countless lives by fires due to drought due to the climate crisis, the effect of increasingly frequent heat waves and the accompanying wrong policies.
One of the communities most affected by these fires is nomadic pastoralists like the Sarıkeçililer. These pastoralists spend their winters along the Mediterranean coast and their summers in the high plateaus of the Taurus Mountains, accompanied by their goats and sheep.
The recent fires have already destroyed the winter sites of many of these nomadic pastoralists. The production method of these communities, whose access to their traditional areas is increasingly restricted, is one of the most effective means of preventing fires. This effectiveness stems from the grazing practices that rely on natural areas. Goats, in particular, consume dry grass and leaf litter, which serve as fuel for fires. In nomadic livestock farming, the mobility of herds ensures that the biomass they do not consume is trampled and thus more easily integrated into the soil.
Additionally, the migratory routes established by pastoralists have proven invaluable in forming and maintaining natural firebreaks that help prevent the spread of fires. Consequently, the grazing of livestock in forested areas is a tool effectively employed in many countries to reduce fire risks and limit the impact and spread of fires. Despite their critical role in preventing and extinguishing fires, as well as combating climate change, nomadic pastoralists in Turkey face significant restrictions and obstacles in accessing their traditional habitats. Protecting pastures and forests and ensuring access for nomadic pastoralists is crucial both for the continuation of this nature-integrated way of life and for combating the climate crisis.
Pervin Çoban Savran, President of the Sarıkeçililer Survival and Solidarity Association, explains the role of nomadic pastoralism in preventing forest fires. For the video, please follow our Youtube channel.
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