Land Matters. Taking Stock and Looking Ahead

“What should we do with the land we have? With this question Rafael Crecente inspired an entire community of researchers, practitioners and policy makers. His mission? To build bridges between scientific fields as well as research and action in order to approach land management in a holistic and inclusive way. His vision motivated and influenced multiple projects and initiatives in Galicia, Europe and South America. Founder and director of the Land Laboratory (LaboraTe) and Masterterra at the University of Santiago de Compostela, to name but a few achievements, he was considered one of the great land management experts in Galicia. His curiosity, passion, leadership and determination attracted both young students and senior researchers alike. This helped establish Rafa’s most valuable legacy – a collective of knowledge and practice dealing with the biophysical, institutional, social, economic and spatial realities of land. A group of people dedicated to working towards a more sustainable future both at a local and global level. As Rafa would often say, in order to improve the learning experience, one should: Integrate and transcend. Part of that community has graciously contributed to this book. They were all given one brief – to summarize the most valuable knowledge and wisdom gathered throughout their academic careers. The land management wisdom they would like to transfer to future generations. That Rafa’s legacy has inspired these observations and will help to meet individual and collective land challenges is somehow the most fitting tribute.