Significance of cultural heritage practices in karst landscape management: 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

Preserving the Values of Mediterranean Enclosed Fields with Dry Stone Walls, an Example of Vulnerable Natural and Rural Heritage

“…In addition to the patrimony associated with traditional practices, there is a cultural heritage of undeniable value, which, despite pertaining to the area of study, is not recognized or managed beyond its inclusion in the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, in contrast to other Mediterranean sectors [46]. The proximity of Metropolitan Madrid to the Sierra de Guadarrama has for centuries made this an area of special scientific and artistic interest, contributing to the visibility and notoriety to these landscapes [97][98][99].…”

“…The second is a Mediterranean type that is characterized by the development of intense water stress during the summer and the best examples are located in areas with a higher soil humidity (annual rainfall between 600 and 800 mm). This subtype is found in several countries of the Mediterranean basin, including Croatia, Cyprus, southern France, Greece, Italy, Slovenia, southern Portugal, and Spain, and aspects of these landscapes have been studied in some depth in Italy [40], Greece [41], Croatia [42][43][44], Slovenia [45,46], and Portugal [31]. To date, most of the studies carried out in the Spanish Mediterranean area have focused on the northwest [47,48] and northeast areas of the peninsula [49], although some research in the central territories has been carried out from an ecological standpoint [50], or focusing on the historical evolution, natural and cultural features, and their territorial dynamics [16,21,[51][52][53][54][55][56].…”