The cultural identity of the Cindrel-Lotru area is rooted in Mărginimea Sibiului, a group of localities located in southern Sibiu. Shepherding and transhumance are at the heart of the communities here. The local pastoral system developed around long-distance transhumance: seasonal movements of flocks over 100 to 500 kilometres between alpine summer pastures and the southern winter plains.
On the Vâlcea County slopes, Western Făgăraș communities gravitate towards the Olt Valley and its confluence with the Lotru River, in a landscape dominated by forests and small mountain villages. Pastoral traditions persist, but are shifting from long-distance transhumance towards cattle breeding, with many residents combining wage labour with subsistence activities such as animal husbandry, fruit growing, and crop cultivation. crop cultivation.
Municipalities
Geographical size
Human population
Number of livestock farmers
Livestock farming systems
Large carnivore species
Bear population
Wolf population
Lynx population
SOCIOECONOMIC CONTEXT
The area exhibits remarkable diversity. Sibiu County is better placed economically than Vâlcea County, as a result of strong industrial poles concentrated in the Sibiu–Cisnădie urban area. Vâlcea County’s economy, by contrast, rests on the chemical industry, hydropower and forestry, with mountain agriculture playing only a marginal role.
The Vâlcea County communes on the western edge of Făgăraș combine logging with animal husbandry and incipient mountain tourism. However, without the infrastructure for capitalising on the pastoral products that exist in Sibiu, these communities face economic isolation, low wages, and dependence on declining extractive sectors.
The pastoral communes of Mărginimea Sibiului benefit from their proximity to a dynamic urban centre, which offers markets, tourism, and infrastructure. A deeply rooted transhumant shepherding tradition provides the cultural foundation for the sector’s survival.
FARMING CONTEXT
Farms are family or inter-family enterprises. Kinship ties determine how seasonal tasks are shared, how flocks are inherited, and how pastoral property passes between generations.
Sheep farming is the most common occupation in Mărginimea Sibiului, valued for the full range of its products: nationally renowned cheese making, traditional sheep meat dishes, as well as wool and leather processing. The dominant sheep breed is the Țurcana, which is adapted to long-distance travel and harsh climatic conditions, kept in dairy or mixed flocks. The sheepfolds in the Cindrel and Lotru Mountains have become true production centres for those seeking authentic Romanian flavours, with local dairy products being certified as traditional products.
Rășinari stands as the pastoral capital of Mărginimii Sibiului and is today one of only four communes in the area where classical transhumance is still practiced.
In Vâlcea County, animal husbandry has long been the backbone of rural life, alongside agriculture and forestry. Farms here are small and primarily subsistence-oriented, with herds typically not exceeding a few hundred heads per sheepfold, managed by local communities. The commune of Boișoara is a particularly striking example: its local community collectively manages seven mountains, with a remarkable continuity of shared ownership spanning six centuries.
Main challenges:
- The pressure from large carnivores is a real constraint. The damage, which is caused mainly by bears, and, to a lesser extent, by wolves, directly affects the profitability of cattle grazing and sheep breeding.
- Pastoral products are sold directly or through informal local markets, without certification, organised short chains, or systematic agrotourism.
- The labour crisis is the central problem facing the sector. Activity is constrained by a lack of qualified personnel, driven by an aging shepherd population, the out-migration of young people, and the weakening of the traditional mechanisms for transmitting pastoral knowledge. This is a particularly acute problem in the depopulated areas of Vâlcea.
- Progressive abandonment of less productive land increases the risk of shrub encroachment and medium-term decline in forage quality. It also brings predators closer to farms and settlements.
LOCAL CONFLICT ASSOCIATED WITH LARGE CARNIVORES
Number of attacks:
- The main conflicts between local farmers and large carnivores involve brown bears (cattle farmers) and wolves (shepherds). There have been no official reports of lynx attacks in the study area.
- Between 2023 and 2025, brown bears were involved in 87 livestock predation incidents, resulting in 108 sheep and 75 cattle killed.
- Between 2023 and 2025, wolves were involved in 33 livestock predation incidents, resulting in 503 sheep and 2 cattle killed.
Number of attacks:
- In Boișoara, Câineni, and Titești, the existing pressures are exacerbated by geographical isolation and weak institutional capacity. This hinders administrative intervention, complicates property documentation and severely limits the community's ability to absorb economic losses.
- The construction of the Sibiu-Pitești highway has impacted the grassland areas, disrupting livestock movement and altering movement patterns of large carnivores in an increasingly human dominated landscape.
- Distrust towards any external actors, such as NGOs, researchers, and environmental inspectors. This is amplified by a strong pastoral identity among breeders, and a long history of institutional autonomy within the community.
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