Biodiversity in the Andalusian mountain olive groves in Spain
The Spanish case study region analysed within the PROVIDE project is Autonomous Community of Andalusia, located in southern Spain. Andalusia has a population of 8.4 million of inhabitants and 87,268 km2 of area. The GDP per capita is €16,884/year. The agriculture and forestry sector accounts for 4.7% of GDP and 7.4% of workforce in the region (period 2008-2013).
The region has a heterogeneous geography with four main parts, namely: i) the Guadalquivir Valley, ii) northern low mountain range of Sierra Morena (where mountains below 1,000 masl), iii) southern-eastern big mountain range of Sierras Béticas (with some few peaks over 3,000 masl in some parts), and iv) southern and eastern semi-tropical coastal areas.
Olive groves represent the main agri-forestry system in Andalusia, covering 1.52 million hectares. It is a key generator of income and employment in the rural areas where it is located. The vast area of olive groves in Andalusia encompasses a heterogeneous sector, within which a wide range of different systems can be identified, including the so-called “mountain olive groves” (MOG). This type of olive groves is typically located on steep slopes in poor, shallow soils, resulting in low yields. This, along with the high production costs due to the difficulties of mechanisation, makes it an agricultural system with low economic profitability and at high risk of abandonment of agricultural activity.
The valuation of the improvement in the provision of each public good compared with the current situation has been calculated both for the demand and supply side, on the basis of social preferences regarding the public goods supplied and the cost of implementing different combinations of environmental friendly practices. Read more…
60% of mountain olive growers are willing to participate in the AES proposed as the most suitable governance mechanism aimed at promoting significant improvements in their provision of public goods at low to moderate compensation payments. Read more…
Stakeholder Portal Andalusia
Stakeholder Portal
Here you find outcomes of the participatory workshops and material in national language.
Contact for case study region
- Anastasio J. Villanueva & José A. Gómez-Limón
University of Cordoba