Baza danych projektów PROW

A wide-ranging campaign was launched to support sheep farms, improve shepherds' image and promote lamb from the Palatinate Forest. The sheep farming sector is integral to sustainable management and the protection of the endangered natural landscape.

The attractive recreational landscape in the Palatinate Forest (a biosphere reseve) is the main capital of this peripheral and structurally weak region. It has the potential to attract visitors and boost the development of tourism facilities. An important part of this natural heritage is sheep grazing, which in the last years has been confronted with decreasing popularity. Additionally, sheep breeding has become less profitable due to increasing competition from global suppliers.

The project wanted to promote sheep grazing and maintain employment in this sector. The other goal was to increase demand for regional lamb and improve the image of shepherds in the biosphere reserve, thus contributing to nature protection and maintaining traditional natural landscape.

The project encompassed the organisation of a wide range of awareness raising and promotional activities, such as: i) a 'Culinary Lamb Week', where restaurants offered dishes based on the lamb from the region; ii) travelling exhibitions and a festival, which promoted the importance of the shepherd profession to a wider public; iii) several educational initiatives such as field trips, lectures and courses on sheep grazing, conservation or cultural landscape.

The project met with notable interest from local actors who enthusiastically got involved in its implementation. It has significantly contributed to awareness-raising among the population in the region and resulted in the establishment of a recognised brand - Palatinate Forest Lamb. After the project had finished, a number of follow-up actions were launched, such as the next edition of the 'Culinary Lamb Week'.

The project was successful thanks to networking and engagament of numerous actors. Likewise, the individual actions were also planned and performed in a participatory way with all partners.

Palatinate Forest

Rheinland-Pfalz

Rhineland-Palatinate

9 897

5 443

4 454

https://www.pfaelzerwald.de/

Helmut Schuler

h.schuler@pfaelzerwald.de

+49 6325955217

German