RECOGNITION AND SUPPORT OF ICCAs IN SPAIN Sergio Couto 1 and José Eugenio Gutiérrez 2 Sociedad Española de Ornitología (SEO/BirdLife) Case study for: RECOGNISING AND SUPPORTING TERRITORIES AND AREAS CONSERVED BY INDIGENOUS PEOPLES AND LOCAL COMMUNITIES Global Overview and National Case Studies Edited by Ashish Kothari, with Colleen Corrigan, Harry Jonas, Aurélie Neumann, and Holly Shrumm. ICCA Consortium, IUCN/TILCEPA, Kalpavriksh, and Natural Justice CBD Secretariat Technical Series No. 64 Citation: Couto, S. and Eugenio Gutiérrez, J. 2012. Recognition and Support of ICCAs in Spain. In: Kothari, A. with Corrigan, C., Jonas, H., Neumann, A., and Shrumm, H. (eds). Recognising and Supporting Territories and Areas Conserved By Indigenous Peoples And Local Communities: Global Overview and National Case Studies. Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, ICCA Consortium, Kalpavriksh, and Natural Justice, Montreal, Canada. Technical Series no. 64. (Disclaimer: The views expressed in this case study do not necessarily represent those of the secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, or of the Government of Spain) October 2012 1 Sergio Couto is a Spanish biologist whose work has focused on multidisciplinary, participatory and innovative approaches to the study, management and conservation of vertebrates. Among other institutions, he has worked as a technician and researcher for the Pyrenean Institute of Ecology (CSIC), the European Commission and the Gypaetus Foundation, as well as a consultant on wildlife inventory and management for the private sector and several Environmental Ministry Regional Governments and NPAs. He is member of the Commission on Environmental, Economic and Social Policy of the IUCN. He is currently working at the Sociedad Española de Ornitología (SEO/BirdLife). Contact: [email protected] 2 José Eugenio Gutiérrez is biologist and currently works at SEO/BirdLife. Since 1991, he has been working on several research projects for the University of Granada, the University of Jaén, the CSIC (Spanish National Research Council) and has been involved as a coordinator and lecturer in many training courses. He also worked as an environmental consultant in the private sector, at the Environmental Ministry of the Andalusian Government and was the technical coordinator for the Gypaetus Foundation until 2010. Convinced that the future of biodiversity conservation lies in the active participation of rural agents, an important part of his professional activity has related to rural areas, designing and promoting innovative approaches to enhance the active participation of rural agents. Contact: [email protected] RECOGNITION AND SUPPORT OF ICCAs IN SPAIN Table of contents List of acronyms ......................................................................................................................... 3 Acknowledgments ...................................................................................................................... 4 Summary ..................................................................................................................................... 5 1. Country description and context ............................................................................................. 8 1.1. Key features of Spain ...................................................................................................... 8 1.2. Brief history of conservation, state- and community-based ............................................ 9 2. Features of ICCAs ................................................................................................................ 13 2.1. Range, diversity and extent of ICCAs ........................................................................... 13 (i) The ICCA concept in Spain ......................................................................................... 13 (ii) Pastoral ICCAs in Spain ............................................................................................. 16 (iii) Woodland ICCAs in Spain: ....................................................................................... 18 (iv) Hunting ICCAs in Spain: ........................................................................................... 20 (v) Water Management ICCAs in Spain ........................................................................... 22 (vi) Marine ICCAs in Spain .............................................................................................. 23 2.2. Key ecological, cultural, socio-economic and political values of ICCAs ..................... 25 (i) Sustainability ............................................................................................................... 26 (ii) Adaptability ................................................................................................................ 28 (iv) Multidisciplinary approach ........................................................................................ 30 (v) Integration of cultural values ...................................................................................... 30 (vi) Profit and resource sharing ........................................................................................ 30 (vii) Participation .............................................................................................................. 31 2.3. Main threats to ICCAs ................................................................................................... 32 (i) Legal and administrative recognition problems ........................................................... 32 (iii) Demographic problems.............................................................................................. 35 (iv) Competition with speculative/mass urbanisation projects ......................................... 35 (v) Alienation .................................................................................................................... 36 (vi) Dependence on subsidies ........................................................................................... 36 (vii) Lack of social recognition ........................................................................................ 36 3. Governance and management of ICCAs .............................................................................. 37 3.1. How are ICCAs governed and managed? ...................................................................... 37 3.2. Key issues faced in governing and managing ICCAs ................................................... 38 4. Recognition and support to ICCAs ....................................................................................... 39 4.1. Government and Civil Society recognition and support to ICCAs ............................... 39 (i) Pastoral ICCAs’ recognition and support .................................................................... 40 (ii) Woodland ICCAs’ recognition and support ............................................................... 43 (iii) Hunting ICCAs’ recognition and support .................................................................. 47 (iv) Water management ICCAs’ recognition and support ................................................ 48 (v) Marine ICCAs’ recognition and support..................................................................... 49 4.2. Key issues for the recognition and support to ICCAs ................................................... 52 5. The Future............................................................................................................................. 53 5.1. Future activities planned by the communities, the government, and the civil society; especially in relation to issues of recognition and support ................................................... 53 5.2. Recommendations ......................................................................................................... 54 (i) Gain full legal and administrative status...................................................................... 55 (ii) Recognise and support ICCAs’ outstanding values .................................................... 55 (iii) Promote model cases and pilot projects .................................................................... 56 (iv) Enhance ICCA community governance capacity ...................................................... 56 (v) Promote ICCA adaptability......................................................................................... 57 Page 2 of 72 RECOGNITION AND SUPPORT OF ICCAs IN SPAIN (vi) Link social needs and ICCA services and values ...................................................... 57 (vii) Promote professional advisement and research cooperation .................................... 58 References ................................................................................................................................ 59 Annex 1: Webpages, quoted in text as subscript numbers ....................................................... 70 Boxes Box 1: Natural Protected Areas in Spain 13 Box 2: The meaning of ICCA in Spain 14 Box 3: The dehesa 15 Box 4: Transnational ICCAs 18 Box 5: Acequias de careo 22 Box 6: Mancomunidades, Parzonerías, Ledanías, Concejos Abiertos and other common land- related governance institutions 24 Box 7: Esparto grass 33 Box 8: Agrosilvopastoral ICCAs 34 Box 9: The recognition of rural values and support for them in Spain 37 Box 10: The Association of Livestock breeders of the Ordesa and Monte Perdido National