Abstract The dehesa is a high-value agro-silvopastoral system characteristic of the Iberian Peninsula. It is notable for its multifunctionality and capacity to provide Ecosystem Services (ES). Currently, it faces a dual process of intensification in the most productive areas and abandonment in the least productive ones, threatening its sustainability and disrupting the positive flow of ES. In this context, Nature-Based Solutions (NbS) are promising responses, but their adoption and effectiveness require a deep understanding of the system dynamics and the socio-ecological processes that sustain them. While the scientific literature on dehesa ES is extensive, the crucial perspective of farmers is often overlooked, and systemic approaches are still lacking. This study addresses this gap by analysing the ES provisioning process from the viewpoint of dehesa farmers to identify pathways for promoting NbS. Using the Drivers-Pressures-State-Impact-Responses (DPSIR) framework, we conducted and qualitatively analysed 75 in-depth, semi-structured interviews using Atlas.ti. The results revealed a complex socio-ecological system where the Common Agricultural Policy is the principal driver, and key pressures include overgrazing, adverse climatic conditions, and farm abandonment. Farmers identified 15 ES: 4 provisioning services, 6 regulating services, and 5 socio-cultural services. The analysis revealed 28 potential responses, with the adaptation of livestock stocking rates and management to productive capacity and pasture condition emerging as the most widely agreed-upon strategy. This farmer-proposed response aligns with NbS principles. Our findings highlight farmers’ tacit knowledge and show that implementing NbS requires political, organisational, technological, and capacity-building support to ensure the provisioning of ES in these agroforestry landscapes.
López-Domínguez et al. (Tue,) studied this question.