CONSERVATION OF BIODIVERSITY AND TRADITIONAL LAND MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS IN THE MEDITERRANEAN AREA

Abstract

Certain knowledge contained in the traditional rural cultures is very helpful for nature conservation and valuable landscapes are maintained by these cultures. The Iberian Peninsula is presented as an example. The environmental framework is determined by the cultural and genetic adaptation to a climate with particular characteristics, a geomorphology of high variability and historical processes linked to key elements of the landscape structure and functioning. The interconnection between cultivated and wild areas, as they have been conserved until today, is presented as an essential element for the maintenance of the high biodiversity of these territories.