Land use agreemnts in Spain: Legal framework and degree of implementation

Abstract

Land Use Agreements are a recent legal entity aimed at promoting rural sustainable development, through which agricultural and livestock exploitation potential is sought in order to provide certain (non-traditional) social and environmental functions which may further rural sustainable development. Agricultural and livestock exploitation is compensated in exchange of these positive externalities. Land Use Agreements have been born in Spain in the light of two different pragmatic aspects: under EU legislation as well as local regulations issued in connection with it, on the one hand, and, on the other, under strictly national regulations. For the time being, only six autonomous communities have had the courage to implement this type of agreement; however, in view of the new Royal Decree 1336/2011 which regulates land use agreement common foundations, wider coherence, efficiency and use of such tool is expected.