Sustainable Hunting as a Tourism Product in Dehesa Areas in Extremadura (Spain)

Abstract

The dehesa is one of the main agricultural landscapes in the Extremadura region. It is currently undergoing a production crisis caused by changes in the market, including the abandonment of uses linked to its exploitation. This situation could lead to the disappearance of this unique landscape due to its anthropogenic nature. It is therefore necessary to develop alternative activities to improve its productive profitability, which could include sustainable hunting. The hunting literature recognizes the role it plays in environmental, economic, and social sustainability, with hunting tourism being one of the productive activities that generates the most wealth within the sector, where big game hunting is of great importance. In this scenario, the regions of Villuercas-Ibores-Jara and La Siberia have an ideal landscape for the development of this modality due to their physical characteristics. For this reason, this study carried out an analysis of the situation of hunting tourism in these areas through the dissemination of a questionnaire among the managers of rural accommodation in the study area. The responses recorded were processed using statistical techniques that allowed us to extract interesting results such as the importance of hunting as a tourist resource, with a large number of big game species living in these areas, the high presence of hunters in these lodgings during the hunting season, the role that hunting plays in environmental, economic, and social sustainability, and the need to create a specific tourist product that meets the needs of the demand of hunters.

Modeling the Potential for Rural Tourism Development via GWR and MGWR in the Context of the Analysis of the Rural Lodging Supply in Extremadura, Spain

“…There are other areas that possess rural offerings and heritage, but have never been put to good use for the purposes of tourism. It will suffice to point out, as an example, one of the most common landscapes in the region, the dehesa, which was recognized over two decades ago as being one of the areas with the greatest projections for the practice of rural tourism in its broadest sense, but the conversion of which into a destination has still not been translated into reality [96,100]. In many cases, demand trends are not considered when creating tourism products or planning the location of accommodation.…”

Efficient Procedure for Induction Somatic Embryogenesis in Holm Oak: Roles of Explant Type, Auxin Type, and Exposure Duration to Auxin

“…In addition to the productive role of dehesas (livestock, agriculture, forestry, hunting products), the traditional management of dehesas provides a wide variety of services, contributes to in the regulation of important natural cycles, and contributes to mitigating climate change and enhancing the conservation of biodiversity [4,5]. Finally, dehesas are an important part of the historical-cultural heritage of Spain and are increasingly exploited for tourism and recreational uses [8].…”