Sheep husbandry in Southwestern Spain

Abstract

Sheep husbandry has traditionally been the predominant land use in Southwestern Spain. Long-term livestock grazing in this area has created a pattern of scattered holm and cork oak trees that is called dehesas. The dehesas are considered to be of international importance for biological conservation: they are one of the few agro-forestry systems remaining in Europe, and they provide breeding and feeding habitat for numerous endangered bird species. In the 1950s, there was a break with the traditional production system of the dehesas, caused by a massive emigration of the rural population and a decline of wool price. In spite of this change, Livestock husbandry still has an enormous social, economic, and ecological importance. Fifty-three percent of employment in the study area of Cuatro Lugares (province of Cáceres) is in the agricultural sector. However, the dehesa economy is currently challenged by the opening of European markets to the global market. Farmers are responding by forming alliances and by producing goods that stand out against imports. This process could be a chance to combine the goals of secure income maintenance for farmers with those of biodiversity conservation on the rangelands.