Good practice

Spain PEPAC Eco-scheme for Dehesa & Agroforestry Systems (2023-2027)

Spain's CAP Strategic Plan (PEPAC 2023-2027) pays farmers in dehesa and agroforestry systems—~3.5 million ha of Extremadura, Andalusia and Castilla y León—for maintaining biodiversity-rich open woodlands that store carbon, protect watersheds and reduce wildfire risk.

~3.5M ha

Dehesa / agroforestry area

Spain PEPAC Eco-scheme for Dehesa & Agroforestry Systems (2023-2027)

Details

Maturity: Scaling
Promoter: Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación (MAPA) / FEGA
Period: 2023-2027
Keywords: Dehesa, agroforestry, Mediterranean landscape, biodiversity, montado

Context

Spain's CAP Strategic Plan (PEPAC 2023–2027) includes an eco-scheme that pays farmers in dehesa and agroforestry systems to maintain biodiversity-rich open woodlands that store carbon, protect watersheds and reduce wildfire risk, across roughly 3.5 million ha of Extremadura, Andalusia and Castilla y León.

Implementation

Implementation detail (cost, timeline, staffing, conditions for success) is not yet available for this practice.

Data sources

Where this practice's information was retrieved from, and when.

C-NAPSE web research — accessed 2026-06-21
Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación (MAPA) / FEGA — accessed 2026-06-21
FEGA – PEPAC 2023-2027 Eco-schemes (eco-regímenes) — accessed 2026-06-21
EU Commission – CAP Strategic Plan Spain — accessed 2026-06-21
La Moncloa – Spain CAP 2023 direct payments announcement — accessed 2026-06-21

Attachments

Source image

Quality score: 67/100

How is this calculated?

Evidence: Descriptive / self-reported

Top 8% in this catalogue (335 scored practices)

Scores cluster high, so position within the catalogue is often more telling than the number alone.

Evaluation

Evaluated by C-NAPSE

Score profile — the dimensions behind the score — how it's computed

Carbon — sequestration / storage, evidenced1/3

Dehesa oaks and soils store significant carbon; PEPAC eco-scheme targets HNV farming including dehesa, but no scheme-specific carbon accounting or verification is tied to individual eco-scheme payments.

Biodiversity — conservation / improvement, evidenced2/3

Dehesa is an EU-listed HNV farming system with Natura 2000 coverage hosting >80 IUCN-listed species; PEPAC explicitly targets it for biodiversity; but PEPAC 2023 outcome data are not yet published as the scheme began only in 2023.

Water & soil — retention, infiltration, erosion control2/3

Deep-rooting oaks and extensive grass cover documented in European literature to reduce erosion and maintain water infiltration; PEPAC eco-schemes incentivise these practices, but no PEPAC-specific water or soil outcome metrics have been published.

Fire resilience — risk reduction, evidenced2/3

Open dehesa woodland-pasture structure with patchy fuel continuity is documented in Iberian wildfire literature to reduce fire spread intensity compared to dense shrubland; PEPAC eco-scheme maintenance conditions support this structure, though no scheme-specific fire outcomes are yet reported.

Governance, certification & transferability3/3

Established under EU Regulation 2021/2115; EC-approved CAP Strategic Plan; annual payment verification by FEGA; cross-compliance requirements; 5-year commitment periods 2023-2027 with mandatory mid-term review.

Cite this

Evidoria. Spain PEPAC Eco-scheme for Dehesa & Agroforestry Systems (2023-2027). Persistent ID: 8bf99626-4b05-4625-ac0b-f27de1256449.

Export as decision brief (PDF)

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