Pastoralism

" Such a beauty our mountain ! "

Quite beautiful indead and also an intense theatre of economic activity, the oldest and most important being the pastoral way of life.

Many sepulchral vestiges (dolmens, cromlechs etc ...) remind us that shepherds and their animals have crisscrossed these highlands for thousands of years.

Today sheep raising, milking and cheesing (black or red-headed Manex breed) and beef production (the renowned Pyrenees Blonde.

Each spring, as people herd anew on Jacob's way, shepherds lead their wards by foot or by truck to higher pastures.

In Cize and Baigorri, the mountain has always been subdivided, not into parcels but rather into paths or "saro" of variable lengths and widths. Regardless, the hub of each path is the Etxola (cabin) from which the shepherd organizes his many activities.

This cabin is the principal habitation for the shepherd without a farmhouse.

In these lofty cabins, vintage ewe cheese, prized by gourmets, is crafted.

In these same magnificent reaches one finds superb mares

The mountain lands and "saros" are the commons of the mountain villages. The commons commission manages and equipes the mountain in regards to tracks, access, troughs and sheep tubs.

This governing body descends directly from the "Etats de Corps de Vallée" which began in the 15th century. Decisions are made democratically by communal representation. Modern issues include durable development, the environment and tourism.

Important numbers :
The total area of the Cize and Baigorri commons is 25 000 hectares of which:

• 1/4 is forest regulated by the National Forestry Division.
• roughly 700 shepherds and breeders herd 100 000 sheeps, 5 000 cows and 1 000 horses

Commission Syndicale de Cize