Line of action:

Terrestrial ecosystems

Status:

En ejecución

Location:

Málaga, Huelva (Andalucía), Ávila (Castilla y León), Lugo, A Coruña (Galicia), Asturias (Principado de Asturias)

Geographic scope:

España

Execution date:

2024

Duration:

01/01/2024 - 31/12/2025

Total budget:

1,259,322.77 euros

Amount of aid from the Biodiversity Foundation:

1,196,356.63 euros

Intensive models have been adopted for chestnut production in Spain, simplifying the system and generating environmental impacts, presenting a low structural diversity that compromises its capacity to host biodiversity, to cope with pests and diseases, as well as its ability to adapt to climate change and, therefore, its persistence. On the other hand, in the Cantabrian mountain range, hazelnuts are still harvested in the traditional way, but due to marketing difficulties and the depopulation of rural areas, this resource is not used as an engine of the local economy.

The abandonment of the rural environment, the biodiversity crisis and the effects of climate change generate the need to apply new management models that make it possible to make the production of environmental goods and services compatible in a sustainable manner, while improving their conservation status and their capacity to adapt to climate change.

Non-timber forest products globally represent 95% of the value of the goods and services they generate, including their role as an ecosystem and as mitigators of climate change, which represents a great opportunity for the promotion of rural economies based on sustainable models.

To contribute to the implementation of the European Biodiversity Strategies, from the Field to the Table, and the European Forestry Strategy through the development of demonstrative experiences for a management of chestnut and hazelnut groves based on the production of non-timber forest products and increasing their capacity to produce other environmental services, currently limited, but with transforming potential to provide multiple positive externalities to society, contributing to improve adaptation and greater resilience of these formations to climate change, favoring their biodiversity and making compatible the maintenance of their productive, environmental and social functions, boosting employment and the bioeconomy at the local level.

• Communication and dissemination.
• Identification, selection and collaboration agreements with pilot farms.
• Design of demonstrative actions for the promotion of biodiversity and multifunctionality, based on BNS, biological pest control and elaboration of Management Plans.
• Definition of actions supported by BNS and traditional practices to increase ecological connectivity.
• Execution and follow-up of the Management Plans to implement the demonstrative actions.
• Monitoring of biodiversity recovery in selected plots.
• Identifying opportunities, promoting the goods and services generated and boosting the local economy.
• Program for the promotion of sustainable tourism.
• Awareness and training program.
• Identification of financing mechanisms applicable to the model.
• Final report of results, conclusions and recommendations.
• Scientific Committee.
• Integration of gender aspects.
• Management and coordination.