Classifying Alpine Pastures for Legally Ensured ​Applicability of Herd Protection Measures on
Alpine Pastures

In the Alpine region, the use of herd protection measures is assumed to not be reasonable in many places due to geographical, technical and economic limitations. In line with EU regulations, securing compensation for livestock damage or losses necessitates evidence of the feasibility of these measures. The aim of this study was to establish a scientifically validated classification framework for assessing the viability of employing herd protection measures (livestock guarding fences and guarding dog utilization) in alpine pastures. To achieve this, five representative Alps in the Italian alpine province of South Tyrol were considered using a devised classification framework and geospatial data. The resultant outcomes were validated...