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This paper provides a constructive critique of Corrine Cash's paper “Good governance and strong political will: Are they enough for transformation?”, published in volume 58 of Land Use Policy in 2016. By focusing on how intra-sector dynamics influence land use policies in conflicts revolving around urban sprawl, this paper aims to complement and, to some extent, widen the analytic lens deployed by Cash. The examination of the Spanish wine sector and its lack of zoning policies confirms Cash's argument about the need to go beyond discourses of ‘good governance’ and ‘strong political will’ to understand the dynamics underpinning real spatial processes. However, this exploration underscores the need to add layers of complexity to land use analyses, showing the relevance of intra-sector conflict and logics. In complicating any simplistic reduction of urban sprawl conflicts to rural–urban oppositions, the paper ultimately calls for a more dynamic and multiscalar planning theory to address complex governance issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the political system and in public perception, the well-functioning of economy is frequently equalled to the output of the national economic system. However, during the last decades, this narrow conception of economic prosperity started to erode. This paper is based on a rural prosperity conceptual framework that takes into account the systemic nature and dynamics of interactions and impacts within rural systems through the analysis of an organic agriculture cooperative called Camposeven in the south east of Spain. The focus is on rural prosperity, differences in understanding, related parameters and strategies used by the cooperativés farming partners to success without following the traditional conventions of economic growth and farm-efficiency. Experience lessons in this paper demonstrate that the “technical-economic” approach of rural prosperity is not sufficient and results emphasize the important role of individuals’ behaviour as well as the contexts in which they are involved. The findings point to the increasing relevance of expanding both the theory and practice of rural prosperity approaches in sustainable rural development. This is important in order to enrich the connections between rural prosperity and other concepts such as social capital, innovation, social learning and resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This article examines the governance structures for managing the location and operation of Intensive Livestock Farming Operations (ILFOs). The article focuses on the hog sector and compares two very different jurisdictions: Manitoba, Canada and Catalonia, Spain. Both are regions that have witnessed recent increases in hog production, including increasing spatial concentration of ILFOs and an increase in size of those ILFOs. Policy has both fostered and sought to manage the increased production. The paper draws on the literature on regulatory regimes, environmental regulation, and political economy to frame the comparative case studies of the impacts of environmental regulations on hog production. Following a brief background description of restructuring, the changing legislative frameworks for Manitoba and Catalonia are described. The paper concludes that environmental policy in Manitoba and Catalonia has been more successful in managing overall production (e.g., manure management, and location of operations) than in limiting total production. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The environmental, cultural and economic consequences of land use change, including abandonment of agricultural use, have been recognized for a long time. It has often been assumed that the transformations of the agricultural systems in developed countries (and particularly in Europe) took place, for the main part, in the immediate years after the Second World War. In this paper we present a review of different statistical and cartographic sources available for a peripheral region in Europe (Galicia, Spain) characterized by small-scale farming and a very fragmented property system, that suggests otherwise: modernization of agriculture apparently took place without major changes in agricultural area until the country gained access to the European Economic Community, and the effect of Common Agricultural Policy reforms during the decade of 1990 is suggested as a major driver for the net decrease of agricultural area in the region between 1956 and 2004. On the other hand, this paper emphasizes the spatial complexity of agricultural abandonment with a case study, showing a large degree of variability at municipal scale and thus the need of future EU-level projects to work at least at municipal (Local Administrative Units 2, LAU 2) level. Finally, a multinomial logistic model for observed changes is included that shows how biophysical limitations were the main drivers behind abandonment of agriculture at parcel scale, while structural qualities related to property structure were strongly associated to the incorporation of former shrublands to agricultural use. Besides, Farm Structure Surveys were revealed as an unreliable source for the assessment of changes in total agricultural area in the studied region. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The implementation of the European Water Framework Directive (WFD) is a great challenge for a catchment area such as the Segura River Basin. An intense use of hydrological resources has taken place in this semi-arid region of southern Spain, with the huge territorial transformation, demonstrated in the expansion of the irrigated areas and the growth of urbanization, principally in the last few decades. The provision of water to the population in particular has improved since the middle of the 20th century owing to the Mancomunidad de los Canales del Taibilla (MCT) and to their extraordinary development of hydrological infrastructure. The MCT also has to manage various resources, principally the transfer from the Tagus River to the Segura. Recently the guarantee in the water provision has given rise to water not been a limiting factor in urban development, with expansive urban schemes supported by the proliferation of golf courses. This is demonstrated in the current local urban planning and its projected scenarios, as much as in the territorial planning of the regional governments, which ignore the hydrological reality of the basin. This paper shows the territorial transformation and the existing planning of the area with the object of analyzing its integration with the new hydrological planning required by the WFD. For this work an analysis has been made of the evolution of the water demands for agricultural as well as urban, industrial and environmental requirements. Also the increase and diversification of the consumed hydrologic resources are studied and the hydrological planning actions to maintain them. Finally this paper advises on the difficulties in the implementation of the environmental requirements of the WFD in an area with such intensive consumption which has given rise to a substantial degradation of the hydrologic environment. However, due to the WFD addressing these issues there can be an anticipated process of recovery. The new environmental water needs entail the continuation of the water shortage with respect to agricultural use. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Traditional buildings are important features of the rural landscape and a valuable documental source about rural technology and ways of life in the countryside. For the last 60 years many traditional farm buildings have lost their original function because of the great changes in the European agricultural sector. Their respectful conversion to adopt new activities provides economic, socio-cultural and landscape benefits for promoters and the whole rural community. Traditional wine caves used for the production and storage of wine are particular good examples of redundant rural buildings needing for viable new uses. The aims of this paper are to present the architectural features of these agro-industrial spaces and to discuss suitable new uses for them. The technical, socioeconomic and legal contexts of the reuse are also examined in the paper. The use of traditional wine cellars in the production of high-quality artisanal wines, cheeses and cured meats, for cultural activities, as restaurants, or in the production of mushrooms, among others, are viable reuse proposals according to the current needs in the Mediterranean rural areas. Nevertheless, special care must be taken when restoring these spaces in order to respect the identity and the aesthetic appeal of the ancient cellars and not to come into conflict with the planning and building regulations. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In recent decades, an emerging literature on Agricultural Parks (APs) has described and theorized their variations in the different countries where they have been debated and/or implemented. This paper aims to conceptualize an AP in the Spanish context by analyzing case-studies. The review of the existing international literature on APs is followed by a set of analytical criteria to select pertinent case-studies and construct three analytical clusters consisting of several variables. The results of the comparative assessment of 19 selected case-studies are then presented. The analytical results obtained are compared against the available literature, highlighting several contentious findings which are contrary to the researchers' expectations, including the quasi absent physical planning dimension of APs. The paper concludes that, counter to previous aprioristic and deductive AP literature, APs are not consistent across jurisdictions despite making use of the same name. By contrast, they merely share some soft features that are made explicit here, leading towards a final proposed conceptualization of APs. • The APs analyzed in Spain are not all consistent simply because they use the same name. • The APs analyzed in Spain encompass a vision for preserving farmlands and farming activities. • AP in Spain basically implies a brand or marketing label. • Physical land-use planning is a quasi-absent dimension in the APs analyzed in Spain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the relationship between land use and the modal split in commuting over time to assess, from a dynamic perspective, the effectiveness of land use policies in managing mobility. The analysis covers 2001 and 2011 at municipal level in Biscay (Spain). The methodology used is based on SUR models, which take into account the potential temporal interdependence between periods. Furthermore, spatial econometric techniques are applied to avoid biased results and unreliable inferences due to spatial dependence. The results indicate that urban density is a key factor, as it is the only factor relevant for all means of transport and time periods. It can be seen that the relationship between land use factors and modal split varies over time for commuter journeys made by private transport and cycling/walking, suggesting that there is a need to monitor the effectiveness of land use policies so as to adapt them to the characteristics of each period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the increase in forest surface covered by trees in Spain in the second half of the twentieth century in the light of Forest Transition Theory and explores the existence of a statistical relationship between this process and forest fires. The study describes the afforestation policy based on new forest plantations developed by Franco’s Dictatorship in the period 1940–1988, linking it to the forest fires that occurred in the period 1968–2002, in order to determine, at a provincial level, the extent to which the afforestation activity affected the number of hectares burnt. The evidence shows a significant positive relationship between forest fires and the afforested hectares, especially 30–35 years after plantations. The effect increases when the model is implemented exclusively for the Cantabrian and Atlantic north-west provinces, especially affected by afforestation programmes. Our findings reinforce the need to complement certain models of Forest Transition based on tree plantations, taking into account the possible relationship that they have with fires, particularly in environmental contexts prone to fires. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the geographical proximity impact and the proximity paradox in a regional study of the Spanish agri-food industry. This study is mainly based on the Community Innovation Survey database, from which we get a representative group of agri-food companies in Murcia, Spain. The regional character of this research allows us to discount the institutional effects which could cause differences between companies in different regions. In addition, we consider individual innovative actors and alternative innovation outcomes. Our findings corroborate the significant impact of geographical proximity for the innovation in agri-food companies. We get differences between innovators when the geographical impact on absorptive capacities and innovation is examined: geographical proximity between agri-food companies and industrial states and R&D centres has a significant impact on firms’ absorptive capacities whereas geographical distance to large companies and transport facilities play an important role in determining R&D activities. Our results corroborate the proximity paradox for the geographical dimension finding a non-linear relationship for the absorptive capacity in agri-food companies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The abandonment of agricultural activity has multiple negative economic, environmental and social impacts in rural areas. As a consequence of different socioeconomic, political, environmental and technical drivers, this phenomenon shows an increasing trend in olive groves in disadvantaged and sloping areas. This paper analyses, for the case of sloping olive groves in Andalusia, the main olive-growing region in the world, the explanatory factors (abandonment factors) and alternatives to this abandonment, such as organic and conventional olive growing, as well as the explanatory factors of the adoption (adoption factors) of the best of these alternatives.The aim is to provide insights for the development of public policies to avoid or mitigate the negative effects of abandonment and to promote the adoption of the best alternative to abandonment. The results indicate that, as an alternative to abandonment, organic farming is a better option than conventional farming, from an economic, environmental and agronomic point of view. The surface area of olive grove fields is the main structural variable to be increased in order to reduce the risk of abandonment and to promote conversion to organic farming. This can be done through land consolidation, tax exemption measures for the purchase/sale of olive groves and the promotion of cooperatives. It is also important to promote the professionalisation of the sector, following the philosophy of the active/genuine farmer of the CAP, and to develop awareness programmes for olive grove managers focusing not only on the economic advantages of organic farming but also on the generation of public goods. Knowledge transfer is needed through traditional sources such as agricultural associations, and through more institutional and less used sources of information such as universities, public research bodies and technology centres, because of their public service vocation. • Abandoning agriculture has negative economic, environmental and social impacts. • Andalusia is the main olive growing region in the world. • Organic farming is a better option than conventional farming for sloping olive groves. • Increasing the surface area of farms should be a priority policy. • Professionalisation and knowledge transfer to the sector are also necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban sprawl is a phenomenon that is generally growing across all continents. As a result, modern city structures need larger areas for similar populations. Few studies have evaluated the effects of sprawl on an important aspect in terms of sustainable development: energy consumption. The aim of this paper is to analyse whether urban sprawl has a significant effect on electricity consumption in Spanish municipalities. The increase in sprawl in Spanish cities is heterogeneous, and the growth of household income during recent decades has allowed households to move to scattered residential areas. This situation makes this country especially interesting as a case study to evaluate the impacts of urban sprawl. In this paper, by disaggregating the electricity consumption of households at the local level using entropy, we measure the effect of sprawl to evaluate whether there is an effect on household energy consumption. The joint consideration of disaggregated data and spatial heterogeneity allows us to assess the effect that sprawl has for certain urban configurations on electricity consumption, which points to the need for policies that involve national, regional and local land use policies. • The aim of this paper is to analyse whether urban sprawl has a significant effect on electricity consumption. • Our results indicates that sprawl clearly affects electricity consumption. • More attention should be paid to the urban form and to the design from an energy efficiency perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper combines the classification of hedgerows in relation to surface soil moisture with the consideration of drivers of change (environmental, demographic, and policy) affecting the areal extent of hedgerow land cover in central Spain. These landscapes have a high cultural significance and functionality that needs to be preserved and improved. The hedgerow network of a continental Mediterranean mountain was mapped and different levels of surface soil moisture were estimated utilising images of the satellite Sentinel-2. In addition, we analysed the areal extent of hedgerows from 1956 to the present in relation to slope, surface soil moisture and distance from the metropolitan area. In the last 70 years there has been a decrease in the surface area of hedgerows in central Spain. In the study area in particular, this decrease represents 48.26% of the total hedgerow network identified in 1956. 51.62% of abandoned hedgerow areas demonstrate a low degree of surface soil moisture and are usually located on slopes greater than 5%. As a result, driest hedgerows -less fertile, accessible and productive- have lost their functionality in many cases. In addition, urban expansion and the proximity to Madrid Metropolitan Area are processes that have caused the loss of 9.33% of the hedgerows in the study area since 1956. We integrated an overview of European, national and regional policies related to hedgerow functions involving biodiversity, cultural heritage, rural development and spatial planning. This paper contributes to the knowledge of changing Mediterranean hedgerows and the current status of their protection within the different legislations. We conclude there are legislative tools at a European level of interest for the hedgerow landscape, however its identification and management at regional level are scarce. • A classification of hedgerow networks in the Mediterranean region (Central System, Spain). • An inventory of European, national and regional policies related with hedgerows. • The analysis of the evolution of hedgerows area from 1956 to the present time. • Conservation of the hedgerow landscape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses the impact of land use patterns associated with compact population on the costs of provision and maintenance of urban public services for local entities, controlling for other factors. The aim is to develop an econometric analysis using a panel data set of municipalities of the Spanish Mediterranean area and Madrid in the period 2006–2014. The estimations derived from the study confirm one main hypothesis and indicate that compact population impacts positively on the decrease of municipal costs of urban public services. This study suggests that municipal planning instruments of local entities could contribute to efficiently manage their budgets, as well as orients public policy in terms of its local land use decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban form and resource consumption co-evolve dynamically with public finances. While in compact urban settlements public service is provided more efficiently, and in larger amounts per surface area, sprawled developments often translate into larger marginal infrastructure investments, and into higher rates of consumption of resources per capita: land, raw materials, and transport fuels. Yet the relationship between municipal tax policies, rapid urban land consumption and municipal debts is poorly understood. In this paper we first scrutinize the relationship between urban sprawl and municipal deficits in Spain, and contextualize this development in the European situation. We then investigate statistically how urban economic drivers and municipal policies influence sprawling patterns, municipal debt and location values, demonstrating that local interventions jointly influence all three variables and that location value taxes can reduce both sprawl and debts. The linkages between local decisions and global land markets deserve further scrutiny. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper identifies strategies that farmers have undertaken in northwestern Spain, an area characterized by late structural adjustment. For this study, a survey of over 559 farms has been conducted in four areas representative of different specializations and rural situations, from marginal to productive intensification. Farms have been categorized according to social and productive characteristics through a multivariable analysis. Four basic behaviors have been identified and connected with farm types and rural areas using a multiple correspondence analysis. These basic strategies were defined depending on whether investments have been made on farms to increase or intensify production and whether new on- or off-farm diversification activities have been introduced. This analysis allows us to assess transitional pathways for the future and to assume some consequences of farm behavior in connection with structural adjustments. Thus far, empirical evidence shows that the nature and main drivers of the diversification process are different from those in northern European areas. At the same time, a significant level of farm abandonment is registered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agri-environmental schemes (AES) play a key role in promoting the production of environmental public goods by European Union agriculture. Although extensive literature has analyzed AES, some important issues remain understudied. This paper performs an ex-ante assessment of AES in permanent cropping, analyzing several issues that have received little attention from researchers, such as ecological focus areas (EFA) and collective participation. For this purpose, a choice experiment was used to assess farmers’ preferences toward AES in a case study of olive groves in southern Spain. Results show high heterogeneity among farmers, with different classes being identified, from potential participants to non-participants. As regards EFA, almost half of the farmers would be willing to accept it up to 2% for low monetary incentives (€8–9/ha per additional 1% of the farmland devoted to EFA) while the rest would do it for moderate-to-high monetary incentives (€41–151/ha per additional 1% of EFA). However, for a high share of EFA (e.g., 5–7%) higher incentives would presumably be required due to the intrinsic spatial restrictions of olive groves. With regard to collective participation, we find that it is unlikely that farmers would participate collectively with the incentive of the up to 30% EU-wide bonus. These results are relevant for policy-making now when new AES are being designed for the next programming period 2014–2020. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The scalar organization of water governance in Europe has recently been significantly transformed, triggered among other things by the European Water Framework Directive (WFD). This paper argues that the constitutional rules that set-up how decisions on changes in formal responsibilities for natural resource governance are taken are key for such processes, because they tend to formally determine the necessary conditions for the winning coalition. Further, such decisions need to be understood against the background of a set of contextual changes. Thus, a comparative case is presented, examining developments in (a) a symmetric federal state (Germany), (b) an asymmetric federal state (Spain), and (c) a unitary state (Portugal). Based on extensive qualitative fieldwork in these countries, I conclude that changes in the interrelated values of the resources and technologies of production and exclusion of water users there have shaped preferred outcomes of specific actors along with their mental models, complemented by changes in interrelated institutions and ideologies. However, these contextual changes are, I argue, neither necessary nor sufficient for scalar reorganization. Rather, the prevailing vision of water governance is that of those actors who control winning coalitions in constitutionally determined negotiations over formal water governance. Additionally, in unitary states, scalar organization of natural resource governance seems to be more easily restructured. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) came to dominate daily activities (e.g., e-working, e-shopping, and e-leisure). The intensive use of ICT might trigger higher levels of spatial fragmentation of daily activities, having significant consequences for planning purposes. This paper seeks to estimate how ICT use and habits affect the individuals' spatial fragmentation patterns in urban contexts on post-COVID-19 societies, while controlling for socioeconomic and built environment characteristics. The city of Alcalá de Henares (Madrid Metropolitan Area, Spain) serves as the case study. The research design is based on activity diaries obtained by face-to-face interviews, and Tobit and Poisson regression analyses are used to examine the relationships between spatial fragmentation measures (outcome variable) and ICT use (predictors). The results reveal that ICT might originate higher spatial fragmentation for work-related activities than for shopping-leisure purposes. For working activities, higher spatial fragmentation patterns are found among people with higher willingness to e-work and individuals who e-work at least once a month, but rather dependent on the occupation type. Regarding shopping and leisure activities, higher spatial fragmentation patterns are noted with car owners and more frequent consumers of online entertainment. The study provides insight into how ICT use is transforming spaces traditionally adapted for a single purpose into multifunctional spaces as well as the spatial effect of this phenomenon. • Information and Communications Technology (ICT) use become a central part in the post-COVID-19 society. • Working-related activities are more spatially fragmented than shopping-leisure activities. • Working-related activities are more spatially fragmented for individuals e-working monthly. • People consuming online entertainment are more likely to strongly fragment their shopping and leisure activities. • Residential land uses become an important activity hub. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Selection of rural buildings’ site is a complex process to solve a discordant relation with other components of rural landscapes and needs many diverse criteria to deal with its situation. This paper presents a multi-criteria spatial decision analysis approach using geographic information system (GIS) technique for evaluating the suitability of rural buildings site selection with a case study in Hervás (northern Extremadura region), Spain. The aim of the methodology is to evaluate the suitability of the study region in order to optimally site a new single dispersed tourism-related commercial building with landscapes. The analytical hierarchy process (AHP) is used to generate the alternative decisions using the multi-criteria evaluation techniques standardised by fuzzy membership functions. The parameters are categorised into three criteria groups, namely physical, environmental and economic criteria and then the weights are verified by a group discussion with the experts for final weight consensus making them more objective. With the aid of the simple additive weighting (SAW) method, the calculation of final grading values in multiple criteria problem is evaluated for the study region. The resulting land suitability is reported on a grading scale of 0–10, which is, respectively, from least to most suitable areas. Combination of a spatial clustering process reveals the most suitable areas for rural buildings siting with their landscapes. The proposed methodology is intended to solve the rural building integration problem with its landscape and to facilitate the flexible methodology implementation from decision alternatives involved in the decision making process. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper studies the impact of the recent expansion of the subway system in Madrid (Spain). The population, land use and transit system evolution is described and relations between them are analyzed. It was found that residential developments and population growth in the vicinity of the new subway stations have been greater in the outer areas of Madrid than in the city center and Madrid''s satellite towns. These effects have been even greater in the new suburbs that have sprung up simultaneously with the subway. Urbanization and population settlement is substantially more dynamic in areas affected by subway expansion than in similar areas elsewhere (whether or not they are served by urban rail). The impact of distance to the station can be seen in the areas around the new stations in the outer areas of Madrid and in the satellite towns, where population density diminishes as distance increases. This effect is more pronounced in the development of new urban areas spurred by new subway stations, where the speed and importance of the population settlement diminishes as distance increases. Therefore, these results demonstrate the benefits of an integrated land use and transit system planning. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: There has been a growing literature on alternative food networks (AFNs); structures that reconfigure the systems of production, distribution and consumption of food. Part of this literature emphasises the local scale and the idea of proximity. In a world that is increasingly urban, AFNs at a local scale can be more easily developed by linking peri-urban farmlands and cities. However, agriculture in the rural–urban fringe struggles to survive in the face of urban pressures and sprawl; a process which undermines viable agricultural production in the city''s countryside. A widely used strategy to address these pressures has been farmland protection, undertaken in different ways depending on the legal framework of particular countries. This paper considers farmland conservation and AFNs development issues through a case-study of the Baix Llobregat Agricultural Park (BLAP) in metropolitan Barcelona. It concludes that AFNs in peri-urban areas are only possible if farmland preservation is guaranteed, and that the former does not come as a direct consequence of the latter. The specific conditions in which both can occur will be of interest for scholars as well as policy-makers and planners. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper provides empirical and conceptual insights in analysing the factors that determine the prices of farmland within Protected Natural Areas that are close to densely populated urban areas, the changes in land use experiences as well as the additional control policies needed to curb this unsustainable trend. The Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve nearby the metropolitan area of Bilbao (Basque Country, Spain) is the case study considered and its bordering non-protected rural area is used as a reference for comparison. A spatial hedonic farmland price model is estimated and the willingness of land purchasers to pay for different farmland characteristics quantified both inside and outside the Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve. The main results are that: (1) residential development is taking place in all categories of farmland, (2) aside from neighbouring prices, farmland prices depend on different factors depending on whether the marketed plots stand inside or outside the Protected Natural Area, (3) the “reserve effect” on land prices is less powerful than the “proximity to the metropolitan area (and motorway) effect” observed from villages of the non-protected area located in the 3rd crown of Bilbao, (4) the reasons for farmers non-compliance with policy regulations is the necessary knowledge base for the farmland conservation policy design and (5) in the light of the results, three development-control policy instruments such as Payments for Ecosystem Services, Tradable Planning Permits and development-taxes are discussed considering the factors that could improve compliance. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Olive farming represents an important source of income and employment in the rural areas of Andalusia (Spain), which is the most important olive oil-producing region in the world. Unfortunately, it also exerts significant environmental pressures with regard to soil erosion, use of polluting inputs, excessive water consumption and biodiversity reduction. This paper uses Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) techniques and pressure distance functions to contribute a farm-level assessment of the eco-efficiency of a sample of 292 Andalusian olive farmers. We distinguish between managerial eco-efficiency and program eco-efficiency, the latter being associated to the different natural conditions prevailing in the three main olive cultivation systems in the region, namely, traditional rain-fed mountain groves, traditional rain-fed plain groves and irrigated intensive groves. Our findings show that eco-inefficient management is a widespread practice across olive farmers, mainly due to widespread technical inefficiency. Furthermore, the most eco-efficient production system is the traditional plain growing system. Finally, we find that soil-climate conditions strongly influence managerial eco-efficiency in all three aforementioned cultivation systems. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The island of Mallorca is the main Balearic resort and sustainable water management is a key challenge for the economic and ecological sustainability of tourism as the main economic activity. The critical water supply situation on the island is being exacerbated by the extension of the tourist base to so-called “quality tourism”. Since the mid 1990s, low-density residential tourist land uses associated with second homes and more affluent urban dwellers have spread around existing mass tourist urban centres. Increasing water consumption for outdoor uses (gardens, swimming pools) is a direct consequence of this development. Available water consumption data mask the impact of residential tourism on water consumption levels. The objective of the present paper is to compare per capita water consumption in quality tourist, mass tourist and residential urban areas, and to provide quantitative information on the magnitude of water consumption by gardens and swimming pools as water-related leisure structures. The analysis combines water consumption data with a land use geodatabase at the sub-parcel scale, a detailed population inventory, and an estimate of pool water use. The results show that quality tourism produces higher water consumption levels per capita than mass tourism. Garden irrigation is the single main cause of the high water consumption in quality tourist areas and accounts for more than 70% of these areas’ total consumption in summer. But even in mass tourist and residential areas, garden irrigation accounts for up to 30% and 20%, respectively, of total water consumption in summer. Individually owned swimming pools cause an additional average water consumption of 22litres/person/day. The proliferation of swimming pools and lavish ‘Atlantic’ gardens may turn out as one of the biggest threats to sustainable water management on the island of Mallorca and in other tourist destinations adapting the quality tourist model. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: After the GATT agreements in 1986, which removed the existing external protection on wine market, and with demand developing towards a qualitative level, the European wine sector has been subjected to a continuous transformation to accomplish that main objective. To give producers the chance to bring production into line with market developments and to allow the sector to become permanently competitive, the European Commission established the Council Regulation (EC) No. 1493/1999) on the common market organization in wine, later adopted in the 2003 CAP reform. Among other measures, this regulation finances the restructuring of a large part of present vineyards by adopting new farming systems (EC Council Regulation No. 1227/2000), supporting actions as soil preparation, which includes land levelling and terracing. Traditional vineyard areas in Mediterranean mountain environments, with subsistence agriculture and farming systems based on man and animal labour, have taken advantage of the new market opportunities in the wine sector and of this policy as well, and have changed to a market-oriented farming strategy. It has involved the construction of terraces on hillslopes using heavy machinery with the objective of crop mechanization, which has supposed important changes in soils and landscape. An example of this situation is the Priorat region (Catalonia, NE Spain), where vineyards have been cultivated on hillslopes by human and animal labour since the 12th century. Since the early 1990s the region has been undergoing major changes arising from new wine market opportunities and later by vineyard conversion and restructuring EU policy, which subsidizes up to 50% of the cost. In this paper we consider two aspects of the changes that modern farming systems are causing in the region: (a) land use changes after the coming into practice of the EU vineyard restructuring policy and (b) terrain morphology changes due to land terracing and related geomorphological effects. The results show high terracing rates (22.6–36.1hayear−1) in the study period (1998–2006), accompanied by huge land movements (a cutting rate of about 5475m3 ha−1). Bad design of terraces has led to the collapse of benches and borders, affecting about 3.5% of the newly planted area. These effects question the suitability of the EU CAP for vineyard restructuring in Mediterranean mountain environments, revealing that although farmers comply with environmental protection requirements, CAP support is not accomplishing the objectives for which was conceived: the protection of the environment by the reduction of impacts of the agricultural activities. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Tourism represents a fundamental economic strategy for many cities, regions and countries around the world. Yet, it is also one of the main drivers of global environmental change and may have deleterious effects on a number of critical environmental vectors such as water. The development of tourism in Mediterranean region raises special concerns regarding water because of summer droughts and large concentrations of seasonal tourists. Nevertheless, tourist destinations are far from being homogeneous in their consumption of water and other resources. In this paper we argue that dense, high rise tourist centers tend to use comparatively less water than disperse, low density residential resorts, taking the case of Benidorm and the Alicante coast (Mediterranean Spain) as examples. Thus we seek to illustrate how water consumption may differ substantially depending on the predominant tourist land use patterns and their associated different densities (i.e., campsites, hotels, holiday resorts, apartments, residential homes, etc.). The observed different water consumption patterns reaffirm the heterogeneous nature and impacts of tourist activities and corroborate that density is a crucial variable for understanding the economic, social, and environmental effects of tourism. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Provision of landscape amenities produced by farmers, in addition to their economic function of producing food and fibre, has contributed to a reassessment of the role of agriculture in society. In this paper, we examine whether agricultural landscape provision really responds to a social demand as is argued by those in favour of multifunctionality. Thus, the aim of the present work is two-fold. First, we evaluate rural landscape preferences of citizens from a range of choices in the mountain area of the Alpujarras (south-eastern Spain), and second, we estimate their willingness to pay (WTP) to enjoy each of the landscape characteristics existing in the area. For the empirical analysis, based on a survey of public preferences due to the good public characteristics of landscape amenities, we applied two stated preference methods: Conjoint Analysis (CA) and Contingent Valuation (CV). Three landscape attributes were considered for this analysis: type of vegetation layer, density of rural buildings, and level of slope. Several levels were also considered for each attribute: abandoned fields, dryland farming, irrigated farming, and natural lands were included for the vegetation layer; three levels (low, intermediate and intense) were considered for the level of slope and three levels (none, little and intense) for rural buildings. The empirical findings from the CA and CV confirm that the agricultural-landscape component (first irrigated lands, followed by dryland farming, within the attribute “vegetation layer”), plays an important role in public preferences on the landscape and WTP. Maintaining local agricultural activities, preventing future migration from agricultural lands, recovering abandoned fields, and including elements of rural landscape observation and appreciation of existing recreational programmes for rural tourism in the area, were among the strategies to take full advantage of this aesthetic landscape potential, and to foster sustainable development of the region. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper describes a methodology for the study of sustainable spatial planning in the Guadalfeo river basin and the entire Granada coastal area. It focuses on the degree of dependence and interaction between water as a limiting resource and several territorial factors such as land use, landscape, and socio-economic aspects. The proposed methodology is based on indicators related to factors such as driving forces, pressure, state, and response. This simple indicator system is a very useful methodology based on the continuous interaction of scales, areas and processes. This analysis provides the basis for a future description of scenarios for both the quantitative and qualitative development of land uses such as urbanization (tourism) and agriculture with special emphasis on the fact that water availability and supply is directly related to the dynamics of both activities. In order to justify the proposed methodology, an analysis of coastal intensive agriculture (greenhouses) is presented. Finally, it is our assertion that a successful assessment, prediction and planning of spatial relations (considering sustainability principles) will depend on the existence of a valid methodological approach, useful to select the appropriate indicator system for each case study. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Summary: The geographical literature in the analysis of relations between society and environment present a growing importance in the study of European rural areas. However, one aspect with little contributions in this area is the relevance of environmental factors in the change of position between traditional and new social groups from a geographic perspective. The relevance of the environmental dimension in the constitution of new social groups in depopulated rural areas is given a secondary importance in the small amount of literature that treats this topic. The purpose of this paper is to discuss from this perspective the value given to environmental factors by the different fractions of the new middle class located in the same depopulated rural area. The case study is the Soria province in Spain, an area with extreme problems of depopulation and low density in the context of Spain and the European Union. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Environmental reform understood in terms of ecological modernisation faces important challenges in certain areas such as the location of waste storage and treatment facilities. In this paper, we argue that traditional technical and economical criteria used in the location of these facilities may no longer be predominant in front of other social preoccupations such as health and environmental risks, possible stigmatisation effects and territorial equity issues. A retrospective account of the failure of the siting process in central Catalonia, Spain is offered as an example of the need to incorporate alternative factors in the decisions concerning controversial land uses. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper reviews the process of land consolidation in Galicia, Spain. Economic, social and environmental evaluation have been carried out, comparing consolidated and non-consolidated areas. It is easier to measure efficiency than impact at smaller scales, because of the lack of appropriate indicators or larger data records. Land use is considered an operative indicator at a larger scale, showing that land consolidation contributes to retaining farmland in agricultural use, although we observe changes in use from cropland to pasture land. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Farmland abandonment is common in the southern EU countries. This complex phenomenon has a set of interlinked causes and consequences, among the latter the undermining of farmers' cooperatives role as supply aggregators. The paper discusses a multi-actor farmland consolidation model that avoids some of the drawbacks identified by literature to some models of land mobilization, mostly transaction and agency costs. This model consists on a local-based strategy of common land management, led by a cooperative and supported by a set of external agents. As empirical evidences, we show the attitudes of cooperatives' managers surveyed towards common land management and present a case study implementing this multi-actor model. This piece of evidence shows that strengthening social capital is crucial to the success of these social innovation experiences. • Besides other consequences, land abandonment is eroding cooperatives' role. • Cooperatives in the Mediterranean region are starting to manage abandoned land. • Multi-actor arrangements can mobilize land avoiding transaction and agency costs. • Empirical evidences show that there is wide potential for these arrangements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • One hundred and seventy farmers were interviewed in a region of southeast Spain. • Farmers were asked about diffuse pollution mitigation measures and their willingness to be compensated. • The perceived and real costs of the measures are compared by cost effectiveness ratios. • The policy should take into account the differences between crops, impact of the measures and farmers' aptitude. Diffuse water pollution is a major problem in many agroecosystems, especially in irrigated areas linked to ecosystems of high ecological value. Pollution abatement policies imply the modification of agricultural measures and are usually rejected by farmers because of their impact on farm profitability. This paper aims to design an assessment procedure for an implementation programme of agricultural measures aimed at mitigating diffuse pollution, by combining relative effectiveness across measures with the perceived and real cost of the measures. Measures proposed by a law intended to mitigate diffuse pollution and thereby the degradation of the Mar Menor lagoon, a unique natural space in the southeast of Spain, have been used as a case study. The real cost was obtained from the market, and the perceived cost of the measures was obtained from a representative sample of the farmers involved. This work has allowed comparative real and perceived evaluations of the cost-effectiveness of the proposed measures to prioritise them and to reduce information bias, aimed to favours measures adoption. Results show that banning crops less than 100 m from the coast is the most cost-effective measure, followed by the adoption of a nitrate reduction system in desalinated effluent. Divergences between real and perceived cost-effectiveness indicates that good agricultural practices code adoption would require specific actions to reduce these subjective gap. Finally, increasing the acceptability of the policy would imply translating to the farmers information required to reduce the gap between real and perceived cost of the specific agricultural measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We study the territorial impact of High Speed rail in Spain between 1990 and 2025. • We look at changes in potential accessibility and structural habitat connectivity. • We assess the effects of High Speed Rail corridors at the strategic level. • We study the relationship between accessibility gains and connectivity loss. High Speed Rail (HSR) in Spain began in 1992 and curently has a network of about 3400 km. In this 25-year period, accessibility has progressively increased, and its spatial distribution has changed throughout the territory. This has had important implications for territorial cohesion, which is a strategic planning objective of transport infrastructures in the European Union. However, this increase in HSR has environmental impacts; among other effects, new transport infrastructures imply a loss of landscape structural connectivity. This paper has two objectives: to study the distribution and development of the changes across the territory produced by the arrival of HSR in Spain between 1990 and 2025, by looking at changes in potential accessibility and structural habitat connectivity at the national scale; and to study – at the same scale – the relationship between both variables through the cost of accessibility improvements (socioeconomic variable) in terms of the loss of structural connectivity (environmental variable). All the analyses were done using GIS-based indicators, reported in the literature to be useful at the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) scale. The methodology is applied in different horizon years, namely 1990, 2007, 2016, and new proposed HSR lines to 2025 in Spain. The results show that throughout the whole period (1990−2025), accessibility improved by 74.7 % due to the extension of HSR. The most important period was 1990−2007, when the main socio-economic centres were connected by HSR, while connectivity, the environmental variable, declined by −3.4 %. The greatest connectivity loss was concentrated in 2007−2016, when the areas with the highest connectivity values in 1990 were the most affected. Our results show that a 1 % increase in accessibility implied a loss of connectivity of 0.03 % in the interval 1990−2007, while in the second period, the same 1 % increase entailed a 0.17 % loss; in the 2016−2025 scenario the value is intermediate (0.08). Our work contributes to adapting connectivity studies to the environmental assessment tiers in the transportation sector (i.e. plans, programmes and projects). Each stage has its limitations due to the lack of specific data or problems of spatial scale which must be publicly reported during environmental assessment processes. We also highlight the need for new research to establish a reliable spatial scale to assess the different effects of HSR corridors at the strategic level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Land abandonment is an opportunity for re-considering environmental policies in rural areas. • Restoration of cultural landscapes enhances biodiversity and sustainability. • Clearing the best old fields induces the recovery of extensive stockbreeding and local population. • A light human activity is compatible with rewilding, including reforestation and refaunation. Farmland abandonment and the decline of livestock activity in the Mediterranean mountains have resulted in dramatic landscape changes, including the generalized expansion of shrublands and forests, and the homogenization of the old cultural landscapes. This process has a variety of consequences from ecological, geomorphological and hydrological points of view, as well as from the perspectives of land management and public awareness. An intense debate currently surrounds the discussion and evaluation of rewilding (the process of passively allowing woody encroachment, as well as the reintroduction of large mammals) as an opportunity for enhancing biodiversity and restoring original landscapes after centuries of human activity versus ecological restoration (activities leading to the recovery of degraded ecosystems, including clearing and light human activity). There is no clear consensus regarding the best way to improve the ecological relationships and functioning within an ecosystem. Biodiversity and sustainability can be seen under different levels of human pressure and landscape transformation; total farmland abandonment is not always the best alternative, particularly when local inhabitants aim to sustain themselves using local resources. Many geographers and ecologists consider that extensive stockbreeding in a partially open landscape is a rational way to (i) improve landscape organization, (ii) increase flows and turnover within the ecosystems, (iii) increase the diversity of plants and animals that benefit from a relatively light human presence, and (iv) reduce wildfire risk. However, it has proven challenging for land managers and stockbreeders to clear the best old abandoned fields and "construct" a sustainable, balanced landscape that combines forests, shrublands and open lands. Private landowner involvement and support from the general public is crucial for both funding and the long-term maintenance of benefits. The best old fields should be cleared in the context of high-resolution knowledge of the topography, grassland characteristics, grassland cycles and livestock management. Such efforts are likely to be an excellent opportunity to introduce compatibility between light human activity and increases in biodiversity and sustainability for many marginal mountains, where land abandonment and general forest/shrub recovery are the inevitable tendencies. This paper examines some of the contrasting positions of the scientific community regarding the rewilding or ecological restoration of mountain landscapes, and briefly highlights some experiences in which intentional clearing of old abandoned fields has benefited stockbreeding, biodiversity, runoff generation and wildfire risks. Notably, we describe a sub-Mediterranean valley of the Iberian Range, Northern Spain, as an example. In the long term, we find that the intentional clearing of the best old fields allows the slow organization of a final landscape that will be more useful for local inhabitants, thereby helping to reverse human depopulation in these regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• AAS dehesas ´ environmental asset is 84 % of total opening capital. • AAS farmer dehesas ´ share the 61 % of total environmental asset. • AAS dehesas ´ ecosystem services are 45 % of final product consumption. • rSNA' ecosystem services are 41 % of AAS'. This research develops the novel concept of an economic ecosystem service sustainability index from the perspective of total income theory, and presents its empirical application at the spatial unit scale of the agroforestry farm. This paper compares the results accrued from applying the refined standard System of National Accounts (rSNA) and the authors' Agroforestry Accounting System (AAS). The AAS extends the rSNA to capture economic activities without manufactured production costs and substitutes the production cost valuations for exchange values revealed/stated by consumer willingness to pay for consumption of final products without market prices, the aim being to provide more comprehensive figures for total and environmental incomes of the agroforestry farms. Both accounting frameworks are applied to a case study of sixteen large, non-industrial, privately-owned holm oak dehesas (agroforestry farms) in Andalusia-Spain. This dehesa application provides estimates for the economic ecosystem service, total income factorial allocation, total capital and economic ecosystem service sustainability index for the aggregate and individual economic activities of the dehesa , distributed between accounts for the farmer and government institutional sector economic activities. The AAS explicit measurements of the hidden rSNA ecosystem services and environmental incomes of the dehesa allow us to further our scientific understanding of the current and future contributions of environmental income from nature to the total income of society as well as to provide information to the policy makers so that action can be taken to mitigate the depletion and degradation of environmental assets. This dehesa application reveals that environmental income measured by the AAS accounts for 67 % of total income in 2010. The dehesa AAS and rSNA ecosystem services share 34 % and 26 % of total product consumptions, respectively. Coupled with the AAS economic ecosystem service sustainability index of 0.5 and the rSNA economic ecosystem service sustainability index of 0.2, these figures indicate total product over-consumption in 2010. The dehesa case study shows that the AAS ecosystem services and environmental incomes are 2.5 and 8.4 times higher than those of the rSNA, respectively. Once the theoretic robustness of non-market product consumption simulated transaction value is accepted, as in the AAS methodology, the expected official economic ecosystem accounting framework will mainly depend on its ongoing standardization by the United Nations Statistical Division and implementation by individual governments. Thus, the challenge of standardizing and implementing such a framework is more closely linked to governmental policy measures than to the current scientific weakness of non-market product consumption valuations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• By flood scenarios for urban-rural transition zones are feeble in Extremadura, Spain, particularly on regulations. • Public-access information provides modelling flood scenarios, considering irregular housing in areas without territorial planning. • A multivariate and integrated system can strengthening territorial policies on irregular settlements in areas of rural predominance. The natural risks of flooding inherent to Mediterranean climates is a well-known fact, but one difficult to gauge and rarely accurately in terms of space, quantity and degree. Fortunately, in Spain the national Cartographic System for Flood Areas (SNCZI) partially compensates for the deficit, calculating the probability of these natural phenomena. The present paper describes the number, location and characteristics of the homes exposed to flooding in Extremadura. The methodology used in the study reveals in great detail the clandestine homes built on land not apt for urban development (via scans and visual detection techniques using the available series of ortho-rectified aerial photographs), particularly those at flood risk (determined by SNCZI cartography). This reveals deficiencies in risk management and land use. Also, the information leads to the conclusion that current action from the Administration is ineffective in preventing any risk of flooding, and that the risk is known, but ignored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Dehesa systems are characterised by their semi-arid and often marginal conditions. • Adequate management is based on the use of reduced stocking rates • The carbon footprint is calculated in the context of life cycle assessment. • There is a need to promote initiatives to reduce livestock emissions and analyse the effects of the changes in land use. In recent decades there have been significant changes in land use and production orientation in certain marginal agricultural areas in the southwest of Spain. The abandonment of rainfed cereal crops and their change of use as natural pastures grazed by milk sheep, have led to an improvement in the profitability of the farms, greater industrialisation and a positive impact on rural development. This paper calculates the carbon footprint (CF) of farms in the context of life cycle assessment with the objective to identify the system that accounts for the lowest CF while maintaining adequate levels of profitability and revitalising the rural environment. The data were obtained through surveys carried out on dairy sheep farms of different typologies, ranging from the semi-intensive farms with small grazing areas, to the extensive farms with large areas of natural pastures. Findings could help farmers evaluate the environmental impact of their activities, while at the same time provide consumers with valuable evidence to be used in further marketing actions. Greenhouse gas emissions vary from 1.77 to 4.09 Kg CO 2 eq/kg of milk, where the lowest values correspond to the most intensive farms and the highest values to the most extensive and least productive farms. Enteric fermentation, followed by feeding, are the emissions with the greatest impact. Enteric fermentation reaches its maximum value (52.22 % of the total emissions) in the most extensive farms. On other hand, this study found that carbon sequestration varies between 0.09 and 2.04 kg of CO 2 eq/kg of milk, a figure that can considerably reduce the carbon footprint calculation and justifies its inclusion in the Life Cycle Assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to present an empirical analysis of early retirement CAP (R. 2079/92) policy in Spain. The guidelines issued by the commission in 1985 (COM(85)750 last) emphasize the need to help young farmers to get started and describe the handicaps to be overcomeby young individuals seeking to start up as farmers on account of reduced mobility in ownership of arable land. The early retirement policy is a structural and rural development policy (installation of young farmers, modernization of agrarian structures). We explore the implementation of this process on a national and regional level in Spain and Castille and Leon, and review its inconsistencies and the interests of the parties involved. The early retirement scheme presents poorresults because of its extra-cultural nature, unconnected with the traditions of inheritance and the farmers' interests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]