The role of large companies in the cork exploitation of dehesas and montados

Companies are one of the main players in the governance of the montado and dehesa, as main actors related to market integration – especially for a unique product that is not covered by public policies and with high market value, the cork. In this chapter we provide an historical perspective to the role of such companies, how they have evolved until today, and the present role in particular of the large corporations. Other sector companies are also relevant – therefore we present one example of a meat processor company, in the text box.