The four-legged brigade – made up of 290 sheep and goats – had just one task: to munch on as much vegetation as possible.
Their arrival turned Barcelona into one of the latest places to embrace an age-old strategy that’s being revived as officials around the world face off against a rise in extreme wildfires.
Controlled grazing begins on the Barcelona side of the Collserola natural park.
It’s a nod to how wildfires were warded off in the past.
In California, where more than 850,000 hectares were consumed by wildfire last year, a dozen companies contract out goats for targeted grazing.
In the Canadian province of British Columbia, cattle have been used to clear areas at risk of wildfires.
“There was this boom of residents who wanted to visit the animals, it became the quintessential family activity,” he said. »