100 Places To Remember: Zahara de la Sierra, Andalusia, Spain
Geschreven op 14-2-2010 - Erik van Erne. Geplaatst in Natuur
Olive Orchards in a Moorish Landscape. Below the remains of a medieval Moorish castle in the southern Spanish county of Andalusia, surrounded by fertile green pastures and olive orchards, lies the small town of Zahara de la Sierra, one of Andalusias famous pueblos blancos or white towns.
Olives are the most important crop in the region, covering 1.6 million hectares of land in the valleys and on the hilly slopes of the mountainous landscape.
The forests and mountains are rich in animal and plant life, including many rare species, and the area has been inhabited by man since the dawn of recorded history, as witnessed by the famous cave paintings at Pileta.
Due to global climate change, annual rainfall in the south of Spain is projected to fall by up to 40%, while the temperature is projected to rise by up to 4°C by the end of the century. In other words, Andalusia and other parts of the Iberian Peninsula face a significant risk of desertification, with olive orchards disappearing, green pastures degenerating into bleak deserts and agricultural production dwindling.
