Tècniques de gestió de closes empordaneses: manteniment, millora i restauració de prats de dall de terra baixa

Abstract

Traditional enclosures of meadowland for hay-growing, popularly known in the Empordà district by their Catalan name closes, constitute semicultivated plant communities of considerable importance, both agriculturally in terms of supplying hay and ecologically as a refuge for numerous species that are now rare in Catalonia and other areas of the north-western Mediterranean. Man has created and maintained these meadows since ancient times on drained wetlands that still remain under water for several months a year and are not suitable for the cultivation of grains. In recent decades, changes in land use have considerably reduced their surface area, which means that today they represent an endangered wetland habitat of great biological value. Recently various articles have been published and a number of symposia have been held to publicise both their intrinsic value and the problems they pose, but too little attention has been paid to technical aspects of how to manage them, vital for their conservation. For this reason, we propose a practical guide, listing the main agricultural techniques for maintaining, improving or rehabilitating such meadows. The aim of this document is to help both farmers and environmental technicians manage these meadows successfully and thus contribute to the conservation of biological diversity in the lowlands of Catalonia.