Overview

• Some 300 goats now graze the shrub-filled perimeters of Mataro under the EU pilot to create natural firebreaks.
• Jose Antonio Ricis, Mataro’s agriculture councillor, confirmed the project will continue indefinitely as part of Catalonia’s wildfire prevention strategy.
• Goats’ voracious diet allows them to consume thorny, combustible shrubs and create effective firebreaks without mechanical intervention.
• The nomadic program faces complex tax and health regulations as herders reinvest earnings in equipment to expand grazing routes.
• Catalonia credited grazing measures for last year’s drop in wildfires, and similar EU-backed initiatives like wild horse herds operate in Galicia.