Implementation of shepherdism in the reclamation of the Bełchatów brown coal mine as care for the environment, people and the economy

Sammanfattning: The EU is currently under an energy transition and the phase-out of coal mining and burning. The Bełchatów brown coal mine is scheduled to stop its operations in 2036. It is crucial to analyse the transformation of the coal mining regions as a multilayered problem, which requires an insight into the creation of new employment opportunities, restructuring of the social institutions and remediation and revitalisation of the degraded environment. I focused on the implementation of wood pastures, which are currently not researched in the context of post-coal mining landscapes. Wood sheep pastures have a positive influence on degraded landscapes by enhancing the accumulation of soil organic carbon, soil formation, water-holding capacity, development of soil microorganisms and provision of varied habitats for different species. Local employment will have higher resilience if industrial heritage tourism is supported by pastoral tourism and the manufacturing of sheep-derived products. Through literature review, I found that the local economy, society and landscape altogether will benefit from shepherdism if it is implemented along with social change and land management transition towards community-led common pool resource institutions. They are advantageous by being governed by a group of members, local and scientific knowledge diversity, high consent with decisions, improved monitoring and socio-ecological endurance. Finally, the application of sheep pastoralism in multiple post-coal mining sites can contribute to the revival of sheep farming in Poland.