Los aprovechamientos del monte en el Suroeste Peninsularel corcho

Resum

The capabilities of the men and their own resources are the key feature of the processes and the economic, cultural and social dynamics of this geographical branch. In this context, a study of the region based on the Regional Geography is proposed so as to cast a suitable image contributing to its further development. From this point of view, this thesis tackles the analysis of the cork forest and cork in the south western area of our peninsula. As a region which is being formed, the Peninsula southwest area, at the end of the European Union, shows a certain economic lag due to a relative isolation as well as the long gap amongst the main cities downtowns, with the characteristics of marginalization and isolation of their boundaries areas. Within this geographical area the so called Primary Model Exporter, is the main one, mainly in those places with topographical or soil constrains, where the Mediterranean forest transformation into hilly meadows scattered with cork oaks or brushwood, have been the main outcomes in the absence of any other perspectives. Among these formations is the aforementioned meadows scattered with cork oaks, a cork oak forest with a long history and its own life is located. Cork oak and its bark cluster and evoke names as no other tree does: cork, tap, hive, virgin cork... From these ingredients, research in this thesis started by the scientific concern about the vast areas that the cork oak forest has and whose future is compromised due to sales plummeting of one of its main products: cork. This crisis was to be foreseen decades ago due to wrong forestry techniques, forest burning, disastrous public policies, botanic diseases, heavy grazing because of cattle, poor tree regeneration...Substitute products breaking-in should also be taken into account which are more contaminant and cheaper, based in plastic culture and which are threatening the cork oak trees survival, which means important negative impact in the environment and ways of living of a region with deep knowledge on handling and conservation of Mediterranean forest. Against this background, cork advocates speak out in favor of cork as a natural, renewable, recyclable and biodegradable product, where consumers have much to say. . In this context, the strategy needs to provide visible environmental values associated with cork oak forests as a differentiating factor compared to synthetic substitutes. Thus, the cork industry reacted by implementing codes of practice to let the people know about the authenticity and quality of cork and their products as well as the cultural values that the Mediterranean forest ecosystem growth implies. All in a sustainable integrated economy model, "green� economy that manages the cork trees forest responsibly. The problems are exacerbated by observing how skilled labor becomes inexorably reduced, and aged: cork punches, cutters, choosers... without a generational change that preserves the traditional know-how caused by the widespread depopulation of rural areas, breaking the transmission of traditional knowledge. In short, the research proposes a series of actions to mitigate the gloomy outlook hanging over the masses of cork and the work associated with them who managed to perpetuate a model of sustainable development rooted in the Mediterranean culture.