have repopulated the area according to landowner’s personal communication. In April 2016,
the Spanish government nominated this project
as the first ‘private area of ecologic interest’ in
Extremadura (Vivencia Dehesa 2016). The
landowner is developing regenerative agriculture
(keyline design) and is reintroducing traditional
animal husbandry (cattle and pork) whilst
establishing bird watching as ecotourism.
Both Tamera and Vivencia Dehesa may be
considered more successful in harvesting water
and retaining it in the landscape than what can
currently be said for Gibraleón, where so far WH
has been limited. On the one hand, catchments at
Gibraleón are relatively small, situated essentially on a hill rather than within a valley (Fig. 3),
with no connection to catchments outside its
boundaries. On the other hand, Tamera and
Vivencia Dehesa may be benefiting from higher
annual precipitation, lower annual temperature
and reduced evapotranspiration (Table 8). While
average annual precipitation (1901–2015) for
Gibraleón (533 [151] mm/year) lies between
Vivencia Dehesa (491 [103] mm/year) and
Tamera (639 [167] mm/year), annual average
temperature and thus potential evapotranspiration
is highest for the Gibraleón site, indicating higher
aridity here.
In terms of water balance, the Krameterhof
clearly benefits from a humid and cool climate.
Trending for both Gibraleón and Vivencia
Dehesa gives an indication towards dryer climate
and a negative water balance since 2000; Tamera’s water balance, although negative, seems
stable since that year.
4.6 Implications
Permaculture initiatives often start small and
locally before spreading virtually within social
networks as well as geographically with real land
projects around the world. They intend to produce
social, economic and environmental change to
mitigate current and future challenges, such as
land degradation and loss of natural capital
(Lockyer and Veteto 2015). Given the increasing
interest in more sustainable farming practices,
permaculture has been considered for upscaling
by commercial producers in Europe (Wezel et al.
2009; Fiebrig and Buley 2017), including WH in
agreement with the European Commission’s
‘Blueprint to Safeguard Europe’s Water Resources’ (EC 2012). Assessments as to the sustainability and regenerative capacity of such farming
systems are in their infancy. The current study
intends to contribute to such assessments in a
constructive manner. It is intended to help discern
between the realistic and the idealistic, posing the
overarching question about what practices are
currently useful in a commercial setting to contribute to the ethics of Earth Care whilst taking
into account the very real limits set by nature.
Overall, producing crops that demand intensive
irrigation within an arid climate can be considered
as contentious in terms of sustainability, regeneration and the permaculture approach.
Although not dealt with in this study,
upscaling permaculture should also adequately
address the ethics regarding People Care and Fair
Share (Holmgren 2011), implying changes in
enterprise management within the food value
chain together with a transformation of consumption patterns and economic as well as
political power structures.
5 Conclusions and Outlook
Under the current climate conditions and farm
management practices, two of the study site’s
reservoirs may fulfil a function as wildlife habitat
as a result of the constant influx of rinsing
waters, which can be viewed as beneficial
wastewater cycling on the land (e.g. amphibians
such as frogs have been sighted in the immediate
vicinity of the reservoirs); the other two are
partially filled during some months, even in the
summer, and contribute to retaining rainwater on
the land. All four reservoirs may play a future
role in mitigating soil erosion during severe
precipitation events in conjunction with keyline
plantation design. However, the expectation of
water being retained in the reservoirs to a considerable level throughout the year is currently
not being met.
Usefulness of Surface Water Retention Reservoirs …
75
the Spanish government nominated this project
as the first ‘private area of ecologic interest’ in
Extremadura (Vivencia Dehesa 2016). The
landowner is developing regenerative agriculture
(keyline design) and is reintroducing traditional
animal husbandry (cattle and pork) whilst
establishing bird watching as ecotourism.
Both Tamera and Vivencia Dehesa may be
considered more successful in harvesting water
and retaining it in the landscape than what can
currently be said for Gibraleón, where so far WH
has been limited. On the one hand, catchments at
Gibraleón are relatively small, situated essentially on a hill rather than within a valley (Fig. 3),
with no connection to catchments outside its
boundaries. On the other hand, Tamera and
Vivencia Dehesa may be benefiting from higher
annual precipitation, lower annual temperature
and reduced evapotranspiration (Table 8). While
average annual precipitation (1901–2015) for
Gibraleón (533 [151] mm/year) lies between
Vivencia Dehesa (491 [103] mm/year) and
Tamera (639 [167] mm/year), annual average
temperature and thus potential evapotranspiration
is highest for the Gibraleón site, indicating higher
aridity here.
In terms of water balance, the Krameterhof
clearly benefits from a humid and cool climate.
Trending for both Gibraleón and Vivencia
Dehesa gives an indication towards dryer climate
and a negative water balance since 2000; Tamera’s water balance, although negative, seems
stable since that year.
4.6 Implications
Permaculture initiatives often start small and
locally before spreading virtually within social
networks as well as geographically with real land
projects around the world. They intend to produce
social, economic and environmental change to
mitigate current and future challenges, such as
land degradation and loss of natural capital
(Lockyer and Veteto 2015). Given the increasing
interest in more sustainable farming practices,
permaculture has been considered for upscaling
by commercial producers in Europe (Wezel et al.
2009; Fiebrig and Buley 2017), including WH in
agreement with the European Commission’s
‘Blueprint to Safeguard Europe’s Water Resources’ (EC 2012). Assessments as to the sustainability and regenerative capacity of such farming
systems are in their infancy. The current study
intends to contribute to such assessments in a
constructive manner. It is intended to help discern
between the realistic and the idealistic, posing the
overarching question about what practices are
currently useful in a commercial setting to contribute to the ethics of Earth Care whilst taking
into account the very real limits set by nature.
Overall, producing crops that demand intensive
irrigation within an arid climate can be considered
as contentious in terms of sustainability, regeneration and the permaculture approach.
Although not dealt with in this study,
upscaling permaculture should also adequately
address the ethics regarding People Care and Fair
Share (Holmgren 2011), implying changes in
enterprise management within the food value
chain together with a transformation of consumption patterns and economic as well as
political power structures.
5 Conclusions and Outlook
Under the current climate conditions and farm
management practices, two of the study site’s
reservoirs may fulfil a function as wildlife habitat
as a result of the constant influx of rinsing
waters, which can be viewed as beneficial
wastewater cycling on the land (e.g. amphibians
such as frogs have been sighted in the immediate
vicinity of the reservoirs); the other two are
partially filled during some months, even in the
summer, and contribute to retaining rainwater on
the land. All four reservoirs may play a future
role in mitigating soil erosion during severe
precipitation events in conjunction with keyline
plantation design. However, the expectation of
water being retained in the reservoirs to a considerable level throughout the year is currently
not being met.
Usefulness of Surface Water Retention Reservoirs …
75