The initiative aims to recover traditional crops (specifically olive trees and cereal fields) in forest areas, in the provinces of Tarragona and Castellón, in order to increase the availability of water resources and promote the heterogeneity of the landscape (mosaic effect) in terrestrial ecosystems. In addition, it seeks to curb the effects of erosion thanks to the recovery of traditional dry stone terraces.

The application of agro-forestry management is one of the strategies to mitigate the effects of climate change in this part of the Mediterranean region. Patterns of land-use change in the Mediterranean region are developing at a rapid pace. In the north of the region, agricultural crops have been replaced by poorly managed young forests that accumulate biomass, with the consequent risk of fire. This initiative aims to reverse this situation.

Developed by the Natura Freixe Group, the project has the support of the Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries and the Environment through its call for grants.

To achieve the objective of the project, the evolution of agricultural activity in the last 60 years in the areas covered by the initiative will be evaluated and the change in forest and agricultural land uses between 1956 and 2015 will be quantified. Pilot areas will also be characterised and located where, thanks to land stewardship agreements with the owners, agro-forestry management will be carried out through the extraction of forest resources and the recovery of traditional crops and terraces (olive trees or cereal fields). In Tarragona, native olive trees will be recovered, while in Castellón cereal fields will be restored.

Finally, an awareness campaign will be launched aimed at the population about the objective of the project and climate change in the municipalities of Flix, Riba-roja d’Ebre (Tarragona) and La Pobla de Benifassà (Castellón).