L5 Hoyos: Ayuntamiento de Hoyos (SP)

FUNCTIONS APPLIED TO THE LAND

 ECONOMIC

 [1]

Small plots planted with Lavandula luisieri with minimum soil alteration. Main goal is extraction of essential oils but also very useful for attracting pollinators.

 Sheep grazing under olive trees

 [4]

Sheep grazing in chestnut area

[4]

Two areas were sheep grazing is used to avoid shrub encroaching around old and new chestnut trees. 

 Grazed area for fuel break and herdsman house

 [4]

 Pasture improvement

 [20]

 Chestnut for fruit

 [15]

 Chestnut for fruit and for timber

 [13, 19]

 Recover of burnt cork oak

 [13, 19]

 Fodder bank

 [9]

 ECOSERVICES

 Test area

 [32]

This area has been planted twice with a mixture of aromatic plant species in stone terraces that has been also repaired. This plot will be the basis for plant harvesting and processing by a local company selling organic cosmetics.

 Hiking trails

 [27, 28, 35]

 ENVIRONMENTAL  

 Erosion control and oak pruning

 [37, 15]

 Streambed protection and ponds

 [42]

 Native arboretum

 [41]

Fenced botanical garden made up with native rare species of trees. The area also hosts traditional stone buildings and picnic facilities. 

 Controlled grazing for oak regeneration

 [41]

 Grazing exclusion for oak growth and pruning

 [41, 15, 13]

 Insect shelter

 [40]

 Wildlife protection

 [39]

 Landscape restoration

 [45]

Biodiversity promoting planting

[46]

 SOCIAL 

 Create employment 

 [47]

 Provide social services

 [49]

Almost all our plants como from local seed sources and nurseries have to use them also.

Vegetation has been removed only in small plots for aromatics or around trees in chestnut plots.

Only organic fertilizer was used in the initial planting of fruit trees.

For chesnut, a tank delivering water on individual trees was used. 

Tubex protectors are used.

Stones, chips and plant remains used according to availability.

 Controlled by sheep.

No formalplan but regulation to avoid damage of regeneration and plantations.

Dead wood left intact in all plots.

Numbers of functions and measures correspond to the list reported in the DAM methodology, defining the operative DAM plan

http://www.desert-adapt.it/index.php/en/case-studies/dam-methodology

Improving nut  production from chestnut

[Economic function: nuts 15; Adaptation Measures: plant protectors 28 - plant assist 29]

Hoyos has planted several species, to increase the density of production of marketable goods like those derived from chestnut (Pict. 1-3) and also native local species increase biodiversity and cover density. Plant support measures have been used during seedling planting; mulching with local chipped wood (Pict. 4-6) seedlings plant protector and shelters (Pict. 7-11).

Productive firewall

[Economic functions: Aromatics 1 - Livestock 4 - Fodder 9 - Fruits 7 - Natural fibers 13 - Nuts 15 - Timber 19 - Pasture improvement 20]

Municipality of Hoyos is also partner of MOSAICO project that aim at creating a mosaic landscape with less fire risk due to the adoption of a participatory fire prevention strategy based on agricultural, livestock and forestry activities (https://www.mosaicoextremadura.es/en/home-en/). These land portions represent productive firebreaks. Desert-adapt is networking with MOSAICO project on this topic.

In Hoyos, the permanent production of aromatic plants (Pict. 1-2) will contribute to create local jobs thanks to the extraction of oils and resins used medicinally and cosmetically, as well as, to improve many ecosystem services such as the pollination and erosion control. Desert Adapt further promotes to restore terraces on slope to control erosion and preserve a precious cultural heritage that is disappearing (Pict. 3).

The agro-silvo-pastoral uses act as productive and persistent firebreaks. Water sources (Pict. 4-6) as well as refuges (Pict. 7) for goats were repaired and grazing strategically planned to reduce the amount of vegetation that acts as fuel (Pict. 8-9). To sustain goat in summer a small area was planted with palatable tree species (Tagasaste, Pict. 10). Other project plots are devoted to nuts planting (Pict. 11-12) for fruits as well as timber (Pict. 13-14) and natural fibers (Pict. 15) production. 

Erosion control and natural regeneration

[Environmental function: erosion control 37]

In the map of Hoyos north the orange color indicates an area burned in 2015 where strong erosion is occurring.  To reduce soil loss rate, the slope has been stabilized by the creation of stone walls (Pict. 1) and the goat grazing has been used to facilitated natural regeneration of shrub and tree (Pict. 2-3). 

Functions to improve ecoservices

[test area 32 - hiking trails 27]

Municipality of Hoyos selected the hiking trails function (Pict. 1) to valorize the local natural capital and  increase and differentiate income sources.

The test area (Pict. 2) pruning materials and mulching materials were used after clearing to test a mixture of aromatics growth based on seeding or seedling of local wild aromatic species, planted in stone terraces previously repaired (Pict. 3-4). The positive result of this test might lead to create areas where natural aromatic might be concentrated and used as income sources (bioservices), with the support of local companies to harvest and process plant material and sell the extracted soil mainly for cosmetic use.