WWF Cork oak landscapes programme

Mediterranean landscapes, traditionally rich in cork oak forests, have for centuries maintained a balance between people and nature. Spread across Portugal, Spain, Italy, France, Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria, these landscapes play a vital role. From species such as the Iberian lynx to local rural communities, the cork oak forests have provided shelter and a way of life for all. Launched in July 2004, WWF's five-year Cork Oak Landscapes Programme aims to protect, manage, and restore the natural wealth of cork oak forests by influencing the policies, practices and markets that affect them. The programme addresses key challenges by promoting sustainable markets, improving governance, changing policy, building capacity at local, national and international levels, and demonstrating solutions through field projects. It will focus first on Portugal, Spain, Morocco, and Tunisia, and is based on four inter-related pillars including capacity building, good practices establishment, market support, and policy/advocacy.

Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus). "Morena", the oldest female (13 years old) of the captive breeding program of the Iberian Lynx (Doñana National Park), Spain.

Having decreased steadily in population numbers over the last two centuries, the Iberian lynx may soon be the first cat species to become extinct for at least 2,000 years. The species is classified by the World Union for the Nature (IUCN) as the world's most endangered feline species. Habitat loss and degradation, as well as the disappearance of food resources (rabbits) are contributing to this declining trend. Today, there are no more than 38 breeding females in the wild.

The Iberian lynx is found only in isolated pockets of Spain and Portugal. It is thought that the species experienced an 80 per cent range loss between 1960 and 1990. The last studies carried out on its population in 1988 estimated fewer than 1,150 animals in Spain and around 50 in Portugal. Currently, it is estimated that the population in Spain totals no more than 600, many existing in tiny, fragmented populations.

Urgent action is needed. WWF is calling for the Spanish National Government and the Regional Government of Andalucia to implement the captive breeding programme as a matter of urgency, and work with others to ensure the protection and appropriate management of the habitat and prey conditions for the Iberian lynx.

Cork harvester and his mule carrying harvested cork out of the forest, Andalucia, Spain.

Cork trees can live up to 500 years. Although the cork can be stripped every nine years, it takes at least 40 for the bark to become commercially viable. That is why most cork farms are passed down to the next generation, hoping they will eventually benefit from this unique forest product.

Cork harvester, Coruche, Ribatejo region, Portugal.

Sunrise on cork oak landscape landscape, Portugal.

Processed cork oak barks. Amorim Cork processing factory (biggest cork processor in the world) in Coruche, Ribatejo region, Portugal.

The worlds biggest cork processor, Amorim, has agreed that for next summer's harvest they will supply the market with FSC products from two of its factories in Portugal.

Portrait of male Barbary deer (Cervus elaphus barbaricus). The only deer species indigenous of Africa, El Feidja National Park, Tunisia.

Barbary deer were once widespread in the Maghreb forests of North Africa, but have seen a dramatic reduction in recent years, mainly due to loss and degradation of their habitat. The only two locations where they are found, in the wild, are in the Kroumerie-Mogod forests of northwest Tunisia, and in an extension of the forest in Algeria, near the Tunisian border.

Cork harvesting in Coruche, Ribatejo region, Portugal.

Contrary to some propaganda, not a single tree is cut down to get the cork - cork extraction is one of the most environmentally friendly harvesting processes in the world. Harvesting cork is a highly skilled job: even the axes are specially designed. Cork cutters make precise incisions into the cork bark and then strip it off the trees — like peeling a skin away from a banana. An experienced worker can gather up to 600kg of cork each day.

Cork harvesting in Coruche, Ribatejo region, Portugal.

Cork labourer piling up cork oak barks in Coruche, Ribatejo region, Portugal.

Cork harvester, Kroumirie region, Tunisia.

Covering about 2.7 million hectares and extending across Portugal, Spain, Algeria, Morocco, Italy, Tunisia and France, the cork oak landscapes represent one of the best examples of the interaction between people and nature in the region. In these landscapes high conservation value forests alternate with farmland systems, which integrate extensive agriculture, forestry, grazing, hunting and other recreational uses.

In addition to providing a source of income for hundreds of thousands of people in the region, cork ecosystems support a rich biodiversity, including endangered species. But over the last decade, damaging policies, poor forest management and a change in the cork market have resulted in the degradation and loss of these unique habitats.

WWF is implementing a new programme to reverse damaging trends and to improve conditions for the environmental, social and economic balance of these landscapes.