Discover

"Everything here reminds one of sheep: the names of the villages and hamlets, the driveways that wind through the wild grass and the cattle ranges, the washhouses where the herds quench their thirst, the jasses releasing a strong smell of suint." Daniel Crozes, Métiers et traditions Coutumes et fêtes (Trades and Traditions Costumes and Festivals).

The Causses landscape has long been shaped by the dominating presence of agropastoralism revolving around the breeding of dairy sheep.

The supremacy of the sheep was established with the awarding of the AOC label and the creation of an interprofessional association bringing together milk producers and Roquefort producers in the Roquefort sector.

The shepherd was the symbolic character in these landscapes, and was responsible for building the small man-made heritage that dots the region. The concerns of modern-day livestock farmers are not very different from those of past times: to pay attention to the state of the herd and the vegetation.

Sheep and pastures help maintain one another: pastures feed the sheep, which prevent overgrowth. Therefore, what gives these landscapes their characteristic appearance is the flora and fauna of the steppe meadows.

Travel the scrubby roads of the Grands Causses Park and discover the saga of the sheep. Come and meet the men who have built the region, discover their products and share their passions.

• The European Charter for Sustainable Tourism
• The commitment of the Natural Parks of the Massif Central