Dehesa Australis: Productive Oak Savannah in Australia’s Mediterranean-Climate Regions

Byron Joel

Published May 2026 in International Oaks No. 37: 259–264

Abstract

This article explores how the traditional Iberian dehesa, an oak-based agro-silvo-pastoral system of extraordinary ecological and cultural sophistication, offers design inspiration for regenerative land use in Australia’s Mediterranean-climate regions. The first section examines the ecological, agricultural, and cultural dimensions of the dehesa as a time-tested model of the coevolution of humans and trees. The second introduces Dehesa Australis, an emerging initiative seeking to adapt these principles to Australian conditions through the integration of oaks, perennial pastures, and livestock within a framework of regenerative agriculture. The paper concludes by reflecting on the aesthetic, ethical, and spiritual dimensions of working landscapes that nourish both land and people.

Keywords

Iberia, agro-silvo-pastoral, climatic analogue, regenerative agriculture

References

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