The Dehesa as Landscape Heritage from the Perspective of the New Generation

Rebeca Guillén-Peñafiel, Ana-María Hernández-Carretero and José-Manuel Sánchez-Martín ()
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Rebeca Guillén-Peñafiel: Department of Social Sciences, Language and Literature, Faculty of Education, University of Extremadura, University Campus, Avenida de las Letras s/n, 10003 Cáceres, Spain
Ana-María Hernández-Carretero: Department of Social Sciences, Language and Literature, Faculty of Education, University of Extremadura, University Campus, Avenida de las Letras s/n, 10003 Cáceres, Spain
José-Manuel Sánchez-Martín: Department of Art and Territorial Sciences, University of Extremadura, University Campus, Avenida de las Letras s/n, 10003 Cáceres, Spain

Land, 2025, vol. 14, issue 11, 1-32

Abstract: The dehesa, as a socio-ecological system and cultural landscape, is a strategic resource for environmental education, territorial sustainability, and the intergenerational transmission of knowledge. This study analyzes the perception of primary school students in Extremadura regarding this environment, using a mixed methodology that combines statistical, semantic, and spatial analysis. The results show a generally positive assessment of the dehesa heritage, although accompanied by a disconnect between this symbolic assessment and direct experience of the territory, especially in urban contexts. It identifies significant differences between students from rural and urban environments in terms of their knowledge of trades, products, and dehesa spaces, as well as their preferred activities in the dehesa. While rural students show greater interest in operational activities and direct contact with the environment (such as feeding livestock and milking), urban students lean toward sensory or symbolic experiences (such as consuming products or occasional harvesting), reflecting different ways of connecting with the territory. Spatial analysis reveals that more than 80% of schools are located less than 5 km from well-preserved dehesa areas, which represents an opportunity to integrate these landscapes into formal education. However, inequalities in access from special education centers have been detected, posing challenges in terms of territorial and educational equity. This study concludes that the dehesa should be recognized as an open classroom, capable of fostering roots, ecological literacy, and cultural sustainability through contextualized and territory-sensitive pedagogical approaches.

Keywords: dehesa; environmental education; heritage education; cultural landscape; rural sustainability (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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