In a research project currently under way, the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment framework (MA 2005) is used to study the major socialecological drivers behind the abandonment of transhumance, to identify and value those ecosystem services linked to the practice of transhumance, and to explore the potential of payment for ecosystem services (PES) schemes. The study is taking place along the Conquense Royal Drove (CRD), a 75m wide set route still in use by sheep and cows in Spain. The main current path of the CRD extends over more than 410km, from the Albarracín Mountain Range in north-central Spain (pinewood forests and pasturelands), to the mountains of Sierra Morena in the south (holm oak woodlands), crossing the characteristic agricultural landscapes of La Mancha region (vineyards and olive crops). Livestock usually stays in the fresh pasturelands of the Albarracín mountains from June to October, when climatic conditions enhance pasture productivity. In early November, when the snow begins to cover mountainous pasturelands, shepherds and herds start a 25 to 30 days journey towards the warmer mountains of Sierra Morena, where livestock stays for about six months, before returning to the north in late May.
