What is a "Dehesa"?

The term "Dehesa" (pasture) refers to any forest area occupied by a wooded stratum, with a fraction of the ground area covered by the projection of the tree canopy of between 5% and 75%, composed mainly of holm oaks, cork oaks, gall oaks or wild olive trees, and occasionally by other trees, which allows the development of an essentially herbaceous stratum (pasture), for the use of livestock or game species. The dehesa is a characteristic agro-ecosystem and practically endemic to the Iberian Peninsula, occupying about 1.3 million hectares in Portugal, where it is called montados, and about 2.4 million hectares in Spain. The extension in Andalusia is around 1.2 million hectares (10-15% of the area of the community), located mainly along the Sierra Morena, where they have a high level of spatial continuity, which facilitates the connectivity of habitats; and to a lesser extent in the mountains of Cadiz and Malaga. Given their great ecological, economic and social value, their great extension and the threats that threaten them, a large part of this area also has some degree of protection, being included as a habitat of community interest in the Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC) and forming part of the Natura 2000 Network. The Natural Parks Sierra de Aracena y Picos de Aroche, Sierra Norte de Sevilla, Sierra de Hornachuelos, Sierra de Cardeña y Montoro, Sierra de Andújar, Los Alcornocales and Sierra de Grazalema stand out for their extension. International figures include the Dehesas de Sierra Morena Biosphere Reserve, the largest in Spain, and the Intercontinental Reserve of the Mediterranean, between Andalusia and Morocco, as well as the Geoparks of the Sierras Subbéticas and the Sierra Norte de Sevilla. The term "dehesa" appears in the Middle Ages, probably between the 10th and 12th centuries, used to designate those lands protected from the grazing of transhumant livestock and destined for the rest and grazing of the livestock of human settlements or feudal lords. However, most of today's wooded pastures were created between the 19th and 20th centuries from the clearing of the Mediterranean forest or from previously abandoned pastures to cover human food needs in an environment with seasonal and scarce resources.

Nowadays, the pasture is a system of multiple use of the territory originated by man, the result of experience and local knowledge. Through the clearing of the Mediterranean forest, the control of scrub and the promotion of a diverse herbaceous stratum, it has been possible to harmonize, in a fragile balance, the use of agriculture, livestock and forestry in an environment with not very fertile soils, not suitable for permanent agriculture, and a markedly seasonal climate, with critical periods for plants and animals. Within this difficult scenario, the dehesa has historically been a compromise between production and conservation, meeting human needs while generating biodiversity and many other ecosystem services.