Understanding the implications of climate and these other global changes for pastoralists is important for a number of reasons. First, pastoralism is an efficient and sustainable method of producing high-quality protein from human-inedible forage with minimal environmental impacts, through the valorisation of grassland by ruminants, and taking advantage of the variability of rangeland environments. In fact, rain-fed grazing systems account for 19% of the world ruminant meat production and 12% of the world’s milk. Second, pastoralists are responsible for the preservation of dry grasslands, which constitutes one of the major carbon sinks on earth due to the large capacity of carbon immobilization in roots. Third, 42% of the world’s poor rely on small-scale livestock farming, such as pastoralism, due to its crucial role in supplying multiple goods and services, such as: draught power, fertilization, household fuel, cultural identity and social status, control of insects and weeds, buffer against crop failure, or hide and wool. Fourth the contribution of family farming, such as pastoralism, in supporting the local economy in rural areas is also gaining global attention, as shown for instance by the fact that 2014 was declared the International Year of Family Farming by FAO. Thus, the paper that promoting pastoralism can do in enhancing the ecological transition in our country is undeniable. However, this contribution is often placed in contrast with the perceived benefits of large farm structures, arguing for the benefits of economies of scale and neglecting the environmental and social aspects, such as the ability of small-scale farming to preserve more biodiverse production systems or the role of labour-inclusive family farms in maintaining adequate rural/urban balance and enabling territorial development (see López-i-Gelats et al., 2016 for more details).

As it is apparent that pastoralism all around the globe is experiencing multiple pressures, it is also evident that pastoral communities are actively dealing with these changes and transformations. However, the conception of pastoralism is still largely conducted through narratives of deficit, and by analytical tools that highlight stability and uniformity and consider irregular distribution of resources as unwanted perturbances. This should be changed, and the voice of pastoralists should be more heard not only to better understand the nature and contributions of pastoralism, but also learn from them to design more appropriate management of socio-ecological systems in a context of climate change and rising uncertainty.

REPAST stems from the following premises: firstly, challenging adaptation science to become more empirically relevant and more integrated with non-climate stressors; secondly, working to blur the borders between professional and lay people in a process of democratisation of knowledge to better nourish more adequate decision-making processes in the management of socio-ecological systems; and, finally, conceiving pastoralism as a high-reliability system instead of an unsustainable anachronism. In view of this, REPAST proposes a threefold innovative approach based on food chain and participatory focus and picturing pastoralism as a high-reliability system to conduct an in-depth account of the vulnerability of pastoral value chains to extreme events and to stimulate innovative transformations in the management of socio-ecological systems. In doing so, three different case studies will be conducted that comprise some of the most relevant abrupt transformation experienced by Spanish pastoralism in the last decades: (i) the eruption of the Cumbre Vieja volcano in La Palma; (ii) the COVID-19 outbreak in the Pyrenees; and (iii) the recurrent floods and droughts in Communitat Valenciana.