Resource information
This paper tracks the evolution of the area covered by the dehesa in Sierra Morena from the mid 20th
century to the present day, in an attempt to identify those areas in which traditional land uses still hold
sway and others in which new land uses are appearing in relation to emerging business activities. These
new uses have brought about an important transformation in the landscape of the dehesa, which in some
areas is being replaced by other more profitable forms of land use, in particular with olive groves. In
many areas where the dehesa still exists, livestock farming has been replaced by hunting, which has led to
internal changes in the structure of the dehesa with an increase in scrubland. Another emerging land use
is tourism-related activities, which many farmers now use to complement their income from livestock and
which help preserve the traditional landscape of the dehesa.
