Tick-borne challenges in a changing climate: risks and mitigation strategies for Mediterranean livestock systems

The sustainability of livestock production systems in the Mediterranean basin is increasingly compromised by the multifaceted impacts of climate change. Progressive shifts in temperature regimes, precipitation patterns, and the frequency of extreme climatic events are driving declines in the availability of water resources and forage biomass, while simultaneously exacerbating thermal stress in livestock. These environmental stressors not only undermine animal health and productivity directly but also facilitate ecological changes that favour the proliferation of arthropod vectors, particu larly ticks. Warmer conditions accelerate the developmental cycles of ticks and expand their geographical distribution, intensifying the transmission dynamics of tick-borne pathogens with significant implications for livestock morbidity and mortality rates. The compounded stress of climatic and epidemiological pressures represents a dual threat to traditional and commercial livestock systems, necessitating urgent adaptation measures. Effective responses should prioritize the integra tion of climate-resilient agricultural practices, enhanced vector and disease surveillance systems, and the implementation of precision livestock farming technologies aimed at optimizing animal welfare and resource use efficiency. Although a One Health framework underscores the interconnectedness of environmental, animal, and human health, targeted, sector specific interventions remain critical to mitigate the immediate risks to livestock sustainability and ensure the resilience of agro-pastoral livelihoods across the Mediterranean region. This review synthesizes current knowledge on the intercon nected effects of climate change on tick ecology and livestock sustainability within the Mediterranean basin, a region particularly vulnerable to environmental and epidemiological shifts. The principal objective is to examine, in detail, the ecological mechanisms by which climatic factors – such as temperature, humidity, and rainfall patterns – alter tick popu lation dynamics, seasonal activity, distribution ranges, and capacity to transmit pathogens to livestock. Furthermore, we aim to highlight adaptation and mitigation strategies, including early-warning surveillance, pasture management, vector control, and climate-resilient husbandry practices, that can counteract these combined threats. By integrating climate sci ence with veterinary epidemiology, this review provides an evidence-based framework to support sustainable livestock production in the face of accelerating climate change.