The public policies in favour of the livestock sectors in Corsica are analyzed and discussed to iden-tify how pastoralism is considered. Corsica, a Mediter-ranean island has a high cultural pastoral back-ground. Nevertheless the representations of pastoral-ism by most of the actors are rather idealistic and nostalgic and it is not seen as a viable technical op-tion. The public payments to support livestock are important but either they promote a productive model, either they are not connected to a clear strat-egy of pastoral development for rural areas. We suggest that a smart specialization strategy should be promoted and based on pastoralism. To be viable, this option should internalize its ecosystemic services. To achieve these objectives, it would be necessary also to rebuild an innovation system based on pastoralism, developing specific capacities and enhancing the local know –how and skills.