The Dehesa-Montado ecosystem, the European savannah, is the most unique and characteristic landscape of the Iberian Peninsula. This is a highly productive ecosystem whose biodiversity is in many respects comparable to that of tropical rainforests. The Dehesa-Montado meets the wildlife typical of the Mediterranean forests, but also enriched with representatives from other habitats, including steppes, agricultural environments or even wetlands.
Unlike its African homologue, the Dehesa-Montado landscape is the result of human activity, a fact that, far from reducing ecological value, gives a higher singularity. In the Iberian savannah large herds of herbivores are replaced by herds of cattles, sheeps and pigs, and periodic action of fire by active clearing. But ecosystem dynamic is the same in both parts of the world: human activity induces positive selection of major tree species and the fast-growing grass, the dry season lasts almost half a year and ushers in an uninterrupted period of water abundance and, in addition, average temperatures vary little throughout the year and do not limit the development of plants, despite the difference in latitude. All these factors contribute to shaping a landscape that, in the middle of Western Europe, seems to move into the heart of Africa.
But the real value of the Dehesa-Montado is not its spectacular landscape which, incidentally, is not small. This ecosystem gives us an example in sustainability, as the ultimate proof that human development is not incompatible with conservation. From the respect and the knowledge, man becomes an element of the natural environment, blends with the landscape and he even prove to be the guardian of its biological integrity. The Iberian Dehesa-Montado is, no doubt, a mirror to look in the future.
Habitat Types of Community Interest (Habitat Directive) included in this section
- 6310.- Dehesas with evergreen Quercus spp. (531010, 531020).
Additional information about the Dehesa-Montado of the Iberian Peninsula
