Building the knowledge about HNV potential of Meriagos (Dehesa) in Sardinia: a systematical review

The recent Italian Map of Nature (ISPRA - Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale) identify among others the Sardinian Dehesa as semi-natural habitat. Even if the regional and subregional peculiarities of land-use and land-cover vary, this Habitat\land use could be considered like Portuguese Montado and Spanish Dehesa, here called by locals Meriagu. In the name the function: from the Sardinian verb “meriai” (to lie) reporting on the usual sheep flocks habitude to lie during the summer under the spot trees shadows of pasture lands. Woody coverage density per hectar could vary depending on the land use: high densities are registered for oak stands of Quercus ilex and Quercus suber. When extensively grazed, the multifunctional land use of cork oak stands could be considered an interesting study case of High Nature Value Meriagos, clustering meantime ecological services, low input agro-forestry (extensive grazing contribute to forest fire risk reducing, cork extraction increase the CO2 absorption potential as well as having economic value. Meriagos represent also one of the big expression of the traditional Sardinian landscape, landmark of the connected agricultural economies of Sardinian pecorino cheese and cork. Even if HNV concept has not yet acknowledged by the Regional Rural Development Programme, starting to assess the concept from Meriagos habitat of oak stands could be a chance in the next CAP greening measures to highlight environmental and ecological values and also the slow economies connected.