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Paper short abstract:

The case study of the Andalusian dehesa shows that certain types of industries have succeeded in providing alternative presents for rural landscapes and inhabitants. A second case from Extremadura demonstrates that this development may also be sought with a strong concern for social participation.

Paper long abstract:

The Spanish dehesa is mainly known for being the dwelling site of the Iberian pig. The marketing of Iberian pork such as jamón ibérico has been key to the rural development in the Andalusian Sierra de Aracena Natural Park. The dehesa-pig unity is emblematic of a caring relationship between humans and their natural environment and provides an alternative to the extractivist exhaustion of the local landscape through mining activities. This heritage has given rise to local meat industries and an infrastructure of eco-friendly and high-quality culinary tourism. Employment in slaughterhouses and meat-processing factories allows young families to stay in their home region.

In another village which is embedded in the dehesa landscape of eastern Extremadura, many people call for better perspectives for their small-scale sheep farming. Siruela had to witness depopulation and the closing down of numerous local butcheries and other small businesses whose activities have consolidated in the greater areas of the industrial centres. The villagers lament that added value is no longer created locally and they are confined to being suppliers of live animals. They seek opportunities to promote their rural heritage by creating local industries for the production of meat and wool.

The two cases demonstrate that to rural villages, certain types of industry can provide a sound alternative capable of contributing to the conservation of traditional environments with ecologically valuable landscapes. In the case of Siruela, the mutual reinforcement of local industry and cultural heritage could serve to revindicate common rights of use and social participation.