Schwilch, G. et al. 2014. Documented and evaluated natural resource management practices. CASCADE Project Deliverable 7.1. CASCADE Report 05. 10 pp.

While the overall aim of CASCADE is the formulation of effective and sustainable natural resource management options, before inventing new measures it is worthwhile identifying existing practices which are already preventing (or reversing) dramatic ecosystem shifts.

In each of the six study sites, CASCADE partners worked with the following local stakeholders

• land users and land owners: animal farmers, crop farmers, owners of forest patches
• land managers: forestry service workers, firemen, agricultural advisors/technicians
• local administrators: mayors, water authority directors, forest management directors
• other stakeholders: former land users, inhabitants of the area, experts in land use related topics or local history.

They identified land use-related problems (as perceived by the stakeholders) and the sustainable land management practices they are already using. The method used to structure the discussions, identify and describe practices has been developed, tested and used worldwide by WOCAT, and is fully described on the »WOCAT website.

This process led to the identification and description of 20 sustainable land management technologies and 3 approaches that are already use in the CASCADE study sites.

1. Sustainable land management technologies are agronomic, vegetative, structural and management measures (or combinations of measures) that control land degradation and enhance productivity in the field.

Study Site		Technology (click on the name to see the full description on the WOCAT website)
Várzea, Portugal		Primary strip network system for fuel management (fire breaks)
Várzea, Portugal		Post-fire forest residue mulch
Várzea, Portugal		Post-fire natural mulching
Várzea, Portugal		Hydromulching for reducing runoff and soil erosion
Albatera, Spain		Multi-specific plantation of semiarid woody species on slopes
Ayora, Spain		Cleared strip network for fire prevention (fire breaks)
Ayora, Spain		Selective forest clearing to prevent large forest fires
Ayora, Spain		Selective clearing and planting experiment to promote shrubland fire resilience
Ayora, Spain		Afforestation with Pinus halepensis after the fire of 1979 (La Molinera)
Ayora, Spain		Multi-specific plantation of semiarid woody species on terraces with stone walls in ravines and gullies
Castelsaraceno, Italy		Pasture manuring (application of manure from shelter)
Castelsaraceno, Italy		Ploughing and seeding of fodder species to recover degraded grazing areas
Castelsaraceno, Italy		Metallic fences to prevent damage to pastures from wild boars
Castelsaraceno, Italy		Cutting of Ferns in degraded pastures to use as litter and fodder
Castelsaraceno, Italy		Unvegetated strips to reduce fire expansion
Castelsaraceno, Italy		Selective cutting
Messara, Greece		Graze land forestation with Ceratonia siliqua (carob) in the Mediterranean
Messara, Greece		Integrated water-harvesting and livestock water-point system
Randi Forest, Cyprus		Fodder provision to goats and sheep to reduce grazing pressure on natural vegetation
Randi Forest, Cyprus		Carob tree protection from rats

2. Sustainable land management approaches involves many participants (policy-makers, administrators, experts, technicians, land users), inputs and means (financial, material, legislative) and know-how (technical, scientific, practical)

Study site		Approach (click on the name to see the full description on the WOCAT website)
Várzea, Portugal		Forest Intervention Area (ZIF)
Ayora, Spain		Plan of preventive silviculture (PSP): implementation of firebreak network with a forest intervention area (ZAU)
Castelsaraceno, Italy		Municipal Forest Management Plan (Decade 2010-2019)