Educational and socio-economic strategies for the sustainability of Iberian Mediterranean grasslands

Abstract

In the study of Mediterranean grasslands, field students identified two large groups of grasses belonging to two phytosociological classes: Stellarietea mediae, of interest as a CO2 sink and as a pasture for cattle and horses, and Poetea bulbosae, of great importance for sheep farming. Coverage of the study plots is between 60-100%. Hordeum leporinum communities absorb high amounts of CO2 and can support 1.8 cows/ha/year, while Poa bulbosa communities can support 25 sheep/ha/year. Both classes are identified and studied in the field and in the laboratory by the students of the double master's degree Olive and Olive Oil and Teaching, ESO, Baccalaureate, Vocational Training or Language Teaching. The student in the field learns to take data, and then in an analytical phase in the laboratory to differentiate the inventories on the basis of floristic composition, so he has been able to differentiate the alliances of the two classes studied in depth, as is the case of Hordeion leporini and Trifolio subterranei-Periballion. An active didactic methodology is applied, in which the students assimilate 100% of the contents, and obtain a training that enables them to defend the conservation of Mediterranean grasslands.  In short, this work combines botany with education to achieve a sustainable current development, but also to ensure the future of the planet. Therefore, we have focused this work on grasslands and educational strategies to train future environmental managers, achieving 100% success.