Dehesa (pastoral management)

Dehesa is a multifunctional agrosylvopastoral system of southern and central Spain. In Portugal, a similar system is known as "montado". Dehesas may be private or communal property (usually belonging to the municipality), and they produce a variety of products including non-timber forest products such as wild game, mushrooms, spanish ham ("jamon"), and firewood. The tree component is oaks, usually holm (Quercus ilex) and cork (Quercus suber) although depending on geographical location and elevation, other oaks may be used to form dehesa, including Melojo (Quercus pyrenica) and Quejigo (Quercus Canariensis). Dehesa is an anthropogenic system that not only provides a variety of foods, but also wildlife habitat for species endangered species such as the Iberian lynx and Imperial eagle (Joffre 1999; Huntsinger et al. 2004; McGrath,2007);

Photo of a dehesa in the south of Spain - Bollullos Par del Condado, Huelva

Nature

The dehesa is derived from the Mediterranean forest ecosystem, consisting of pastureland featuring herbaceous species for grazing and tree species belonging to the genus Quercus (oak), such as the holm oak (Quercus ilex), although other tree species such as beech and pine trees may also be present. Oaks are protected and pruned to produce acorns, which the famous black footed Iberian pigs feed on in the fall during the Montenara (Parsons 1962). Jam produced from Iberian breed pigs and fattened with acorns and then air dried at high elevations is known as Jamon, and sells for premium prices, especially if only acorns have been used for fattening.

There is debate about the origins and maintenance of the dehesa, and whether or not the oaks can reproduce adequately under the grazing densities now achieved in the dehesa or montado. Goats, cattle, and sheep also graze in dehesa. In a typical dehesa, oaks are managed to persist for about 250 years. If cork oaks are present, the cork is harvested about every 9-12 years, depending on the productivity of the site. The understory is usually cleared every 7-10 years, to prevent the take over of the woodland by shrubs of the rock rose family (Cistaceae), often referred to as "jara" or by oak sprouts. Oaks are spaced to maximize light for the grasses in the understory, water use in the soils, and acorn production for pigs and game (Joffre 1999). Periodic hunts in the dehesa are known as the "monteria". Groups attend a hunt at a private estate, and wait at hunting spots for game to be driven to them with dogs. They usually pay well for the privilege, and hunt wild boar, elk ("red deer") and other species.

Dehesa in Extremadura, Spain

Importance

The dehesa system has great economic and social importance on the Iberian peninsula because of both the large amount of land involved and its importance in maintaining rural population levels. The major source of income for dehesa owners is overwhelmingly cork, a sustainable product that supports this ancient system and old growth oaks. If one is interested in protecting and encouraging this agro-sylvo-pastoral system, it is best to make sure that any wine purchased is closed with a real cork (McGrath 2007).

Economic context

The exploitation of the dehesa usually coincides with areas that could be termed "marginal" because of both their limited agricultural potential (due to the poor quality of the soil) and the lack of an industrial fabric, which boils down to isolated agro-industries and very small capitalization.

Extent in the Iberian peninsula

Dehesa covers nearly 20,000 square kilometers on the Iberian peninsula, mainly in:

Spain

• Córdoba
• Extremadura
• Salamanca
• Seville
• Sierra Morena
• Sierra Norte de Huelva

Portugal

• Alentejo
• The Algarve

Other uses of the term

Dehesa also refers to the type of rangeland management of estates for private agro-livestock exploitation in Mediterranean-type forests from which multiple resources are obtained simultaneously.

See also

• Cabañeros National Park
• Wooded meadow

References

Huntsinger, Lynn, Adriana Sulak, Lauren Gwin, and Tobias Plieninger. 2004. Oak woodland ranchers in California and Spain: Conservation and diversification. In Advances in Geoecology, edited by S. F. A. Schnabel.

Joffre R; Rambal S; Ratte JP. 1999. The dehesa system of southern Spain and Portugal as a natural ecosystem mimic. Journal of Agroforestry. 45(1-3): 57-79.

McGrath, S. 2007. Corkscrewed. Audobon magazine. http://archive.audubonmagazine.org/features0701/habitat.html