Communities in Spain's northwestern Galicia region are bringing back native livestock, including the hardy Cachena breed, to help reduce the risk of devastating wildfires while restoring ecosystems.
Known locally as "goat-cows" for their ability to graze almost anything and navigate steep mountain terrain, the small native cattle are helping to clear dense undergrowth that can fuel fast-moving fires.
The initiative gained momentum after a major wildfire swept through the parish of Vincios in 2017, prompting local landowners to revive traditional grazing practices.
Alongside goats and sheep, Cachena cattle feed on highly flammable shrubs such as brambles, gorse and broom, helping to keep vegetation at safer levels without stripping the landscape bare.
Their return follows decades of decline after large-scale pine and eucalyptus plantations replaced traditional grazing land and rural populations moved to cities.
According to regional livestock association BOAGA, Galicia's native livestock population has grown from just over 1,800 animals in the late 1990s to more than 30,000 by early 2026.
The number of Cachena cattle alone has increased from around 400 to 8,000, supported by government incentives and breeding programmes.
Many of the animals now roam freely wearing GPS collars, allowing them to graze across large areas without the need for fencing.
Galicia remains one of Spain's regions most vulnerable to wildfires. Nearly 119,000 hectares burned last year, making it one of the country's worst-affected regions.
Experts say grazing can significantly reduce wildfire risk but stress it should be combined with other land management measures, including controlled burns and mechanical vegetation clearance.
Local land managers say the approach not only lowers the risk of wildfires but also helps preserve traditional farming practices and biodiversity.
Saudi Arabia’s air defences have intercepted and destroyed a hostile drone over the Riyadh region, according to the Saudi-led coalition fight...
Police were deployed across Paris on Saturday, as a curfew was set to take effect in the Republique and Chât...
A drone strike hit a power station in northern Sudan early Sunday (1 November), sparking a fire and triggering loud explosions, witnesses said....
The U.S. has approved the sale of 500 Patriot PAC-3 missiles to Ukraine in a deal worth an estimated $2.1 billion, but Kyiv could face years of delays before receiving the weapons it urgently needs to defend against intensifying Russian attacks.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei has ordered Iran's armed forces to respond to any threat immediately and without geographical limits in statements posted to social media platforms on Saturday (31 October).
Demonstrators carrying Iranian flags and placards supporting the hijab gathered outside the Azerbaijani Embassy in London.
A Chinese-made AI chip has matched Nvidia’s H200 in tests conducted by its developer, marking a potential breakthrough in China’s efforts to reduce its dependence on foreign technology.
A hacking group linked to North Korea is widely believed to be behind the theft of $6.3 billion from cryptocurrency giant Binance, a cyberattack that experts describe as the largest cryptocurrency heist on record.
The world's richest 0.1 per cent, just eight million people, produce more carbon emissions through their consumption than the poorest 3.5 billion people combined, according to an Oxfam report released on 27 October 2026.
Azerbaijan is seeking international investment in a 3,000-kilometre green energy corridor to Europe, with banks, investors and energy companies gathering in Baku on Thursday to discuss financing for the ambitious project.
A female dusky shark trapped in a canal in Busan, South Korea, for more than a month has finally returned to the open sea after a successful rescue operation on Wednesday (21 October), following two failed attempts.
The world is on course for dangerous levels of global warming despite international climate pledges, with greenhouse gas emissions hitting record highs and the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C target increasingly out of reach, according to a UN assessment.
As Armenia prepares to host COP17, the 17th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, new projections reveal a widening gap between global conservation promises and what countries are on track to deliver by 2030.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment