A ''dehesa'' () is a multifunctional, agrosylvopastoral system (a type of

agroforestry Agroforestry is a land use management system in which trees or shrubs are grown around or among crops or pastureland. Trees produce a wide range of useful and marketable products from fruits/nuts, medicines, wood products, etc. This intentional ...

) and cultural landscape of southern and central Spain and southern Portugal; in Portugal, it is known as a ''montado''. Its name comes from the Latin 'defensa' (fenced) referring to land that was fenced, and usually destined for pasture. Dehesas may be private or communal property (usually belonging to the municipality). Used primarily for grazing, they produce a variety of products, including non-timber forest products such as wild game, mushrooms,

honey Honey is a sweet and viscous substance made by several bees, the best-known of which are honey bees. Honey is made and stored to nourish bee colonies. Bees produce honey by gathering and then refining the sugary secretions of plants (primar ...

cork Cork or CORK may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container ***Wine cork Places Ireland * Cork (city) ** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...

, and

firewood Firewood is any wooden material that is gathered and used for fuel. Generally, firewood is not highly processed and is in some sort of recognizable log or branch form, compared to other forms of wood fuel like pellets or chips. Firewood can ...

. They are also used to raise the Spanish fighting bull and the Iberian pig. The main tree component is oaks, usually holm (''

Quercus rotundifolia ''Quercus rotundifolia'', the holm oak or ballota oak, is an evergreen oak native to the western Mediterranean region, with the majority on the Iberian Peninsula and minor populations in Northwest Africa. The species was first described by Jean- ...

'') and cork ('' Quercus suber''). Other oaks, including melojo (''

Quercus pyrenaica ''Quercus pyrenaica'', commonly known as Pyrenean oak, is a tree native to southwestern Europe and northwestern North Africa. Despite its common name, it is rarely found in the Pyrenees Mountains and is more abundant in northern Portugal and nort ...

'') and quejigo (''

Quercus faginea ''Quercus faginea'', the Portuguese oak, is a species of oak native to the western Mediterranean region in the Iberian Peninsula. Similar trees in the Atlas Mountains of northwest Africa are usually included in this species, or sometimes treate ...

''), may be used to form dehesa, the species utilized depending on geographical location and elevation. Dehesa is an anthropogenic system that provides not only a variety of foods, but also wildlife habitat for endangered species such as the Spanish imperial eagle. By extension, the term can also be used for this style of rangeland management on estates.

Ecology

The dehesa is derived from the Mediterranean forest ecosystem, consisting of grassland featuring herbaceous species, used for grazing cattle, goats, and sheep, and tree species belonging to the genus ''Quercus'' ( oak), such as the holm oak ( ''Quercus'' ''rotundifolia''), although other tree species such as

beech Beech (''Fagus'') is a genus of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia, and North America. Recent classifications recognize 10 to 13 species in two distinct subgenera, ''Engleriana'' and ''Fagus''. The ''Engle ...

and pine trees may also be present. Oaks are protected and pruned to produce

acorn The acorn, or oaknut, is the nut of the oaks and their close relatives (genera ''Quercus'' and '' Lithocarpus'', in the family Fagaceae). It usually contains one seed (occasionally two seeds), enclosed in a tough, leathery shell, and borne ...

s, which the famous black Iberian pigs feed on in the fall during the ''montanera''. Ham produced from Iberian pigs fattened with acorns and air-dried at high elevations is known as '' Jamón ibérico'' (" presunto ibérico", or "pata negra" in Portuguese), and sells for premium prices, especially if only acorns have been used for fattening. 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 to 12 years, depending on the productivity of the site. The understory is usually cleared every 7 to 10 years to prevent the takeover of the woodland by shrubs of the rock rose family ( Cistaceae), often referred to as "''jara''", or by oak seedlings. Oaks are spaced to maximize overall productivity by balancing light for the grasses in the understory, water use in the soils, and acorn production for pigs and game. 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 prevailing. The dehesa is many ways similar in to the California oak woodland, although the former is typically much more intensively managed.

Importance and economic context

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 usually

, a sustainable product that supports this ancient production system and old growth oaks.McGrath (2007) High end black iberian pigs and sale of hunting rights also represent significant income sources. 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, hunting wild boar, red deer and other species. The area of 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 a lack of local industry, which results in isolated agro-industries and very low capitalization.

Extent

Dehesa covers nearly 20,000 square kilometers on the Iberian Peninsula, mainly in: ;Portugal Francisco Manuel Parejo Moorish, 2010 *

Alentejo Alentejo ( , ) is a geographical, historical, and cultural region of south–central and southern Portugal. In Portuguese, its name means "beyond () the Tagus river" (''Tejo''). Alentejo includes the regions of Alto Alentejo and Baixo Alent ...

* Algarve ;Spain * Córdoba * Extremadura * Salamanca * Sierra Morena **

Sierra de Aracena Sierra de Aracena is the westernmost mountain range of the Sierra Morena, Andalusia, Spain. It is located in the northern part of Huelva Province. The range is named after the town of Aracena. Description The Sierra de Aracena is not very high an ...

** Sierra Norte de Sevilla

References

Notes

Bibliography

Fra. Paleo, Urbano. (2010). "The ''dehesa/montado'' landscape".
pp. 149–151 in ''Sustainable Use of Biological Diversity in Socio-ecological Production Landscapes,'' eds. Bélair, C., Ichikawa, K., Wong, B.Y.L. and Mulongoy, K.J. Montreal: Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity. Technical Series no. 52. * Huntsinger, Lynn; Adriana Sulak; Lauren Gwin; and Tobias Plieninger. (2004). "Oak woodland ranchers in California and Spain: Conservation and diversification". In ''Advances in Geoecology'', ed. 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 A journal, from the Old French ''journal'' (meaning "daily"), may refer to: *Bullet journal, a method of personal organization *Diary, a record of what happened over the course of a day or other period *Daybook, also known as a general journal, a ...

'' 45(1-3): 57-79.
McGrath, Susan. (2007). "Corkscrewed,"
'' Audubon magazine'', January–February.

External links

Plataforma integralDehesa
- Página web de agentes del sector
Proyecto Biodehesa

Foro encinal

Dehesas ibéricas

Observatorio de la dehesa y el montado
{{Non-timber forest products Natural regions Geography of Spain Agriculture in Spain Non-timber forest products Forestry in Spain Agriculture in Portugal Geography of Portugal Agroforestry systems Quercus Cultural landscapes