The multifunctional enhancement of sheeptracks networks. Policies, practices and perspectives for a reinterpretation of transhumance routes.

The present doctoral thesis explores the reinterpretation and multifunctional enhancement of transhumance routes, long-distance infrastructure historically used for seasonal livestock migration, which have undergone significant repurposing and transformation. In the context of increasing pressures of urbanisation, ecological fragmentation, environmental degradation and rural depopulation, the study argues that these inherited networks retain a unique potential to support contemporary strategies for sustainable territorial development. The work seeks to reposition transhumance routes as multifunctional green infrastructures that can simultaneously address ecological, cultural, and socio-economic challenges. In order to provide a comprehensive overview of the multifunctional potential of transhumance routes, the thesis employs three key concepts: the natural capital, the ecosystem services and green infrastructure. A thorough analysis of the present ecosystem services provided by these routes is conducted, and their potential to be recognised as green infrastructures is explored, in accordance with the extant definitions derived by scientific literature. A central case study of the research is the Apulian transhumance routes (tratturi) network, which is one of the most extensive and historically rich in Europe. The analysis demonstrates the potential for tratturi to be integrated into broader frameworks of territorial planning, ecological networks, slow mobility and cultural development.