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Cork Oak Landscapes, Promised or Compromised Lands? A Case Study of a Traditional Cultural Landscape in Southern Spain

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Abstract

Cork oak landscapes are considered a model for the integration of sustainable land-use and biodiversity conservation. These traditional cultural landscapes, shaped through centuries, are in sharp decline in the Iberian Peninsula due to the polarization of their usage: from agricultural intensification to land abandonment. This study presents an in-depth analysis of the main drivers affecting cork oak landscapes’ management and structure in Berrocal, Huelva Province, Spain since 1940. Results show that the main causes for the decline of these landscapes has been the abandonment of the traditional multi-functionality of the dehesa, largely driven by demographic changes, and the increasing occurrence of major disturbances, such as wildfires, drought and diseases. This case illustrates how the abandonment of obsolete land-uses transforms traditional landscapes, sparking questions about what the goals of traditional landscape conservation should be and about possible alternative management options, their associated conservation benefits and risks.

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Acknowledgments

This research has been funded by the Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE), University of Kent, under the MSc Conservation and Rural Development Programme. We thank Dr. Rufino Acosta Narajo, Dr. Rajindra Puri, and Dr. Fernando Pulido for their advice, and Iñaki Peñafiel for assisting with the fieldwork. We also want to thank the respondents of this study, especially the people of Berrocal, for their kind participation and sharing of information.

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  1. Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE), School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent, UK

    Arantzazu Acha & Helen S. Newing

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Acha, A., Newing, H.S. Cork Oak Landscapes, Promised or Compromised Lands? A Case Study of a Traditional Cultural Landscape in Southern Spain. Hum Ecol 43, 601–611 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10745-015-9768-7

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