An interdisciplinary workshop on the evolution and future stewardship of Malta’s pastoral routes was held on Friday 15 November 2024 at the Mediterranean Institute, with the support of the Journal of Mediterranean Studies and the Institute's Key Research Area dedicated to Belief, Identity and Exchange.
The venue could not have been more appropriate, as the Razzett tal-Ħursun, the seat of the Mediterranean Institute, is a former farmhouse that itself forms part of Malta’s pastoral landscape.
Pastoralism was for centuries a vital component of Malta’s economy, leaving a deep imprint on the landscape in an extensive network of routes and grazing grounds, administered as a form of commons. Parts of this network have disappeared, however the study, preservation and use of the surviving parts remains an important challenge for the stewardship of Malta’s historic landscapes.
The workshop brought together thirty researchers, professionals and practitioners, from across the University and beyond, working in archaeology, history, law, geography, ethnography, ecology and animal husbandry, to discuss recent research and to share ideas about how this resource and its public enjoyment may be managed for the benefit of present and future generations.
A recent paper on the subject was the point of departure for the workshop. In the first part of the programme, three of the co-authors presented some of the key characteristics of the pastoral routes and their legal status. In the second part, four discussants from different disciplines shared their critical perspectives. Highlights of the ensuing discussion included: the need to continue to address gaps in our knowledge of pastoral economies in different historical periods; the potential for more interdisciplinary research combining archival methods with GIS-based spatial analysis; and the potential to protect surviving parts of the pastoral route network under the Public Domain Act.
