Line of action:

Terrestrial ecosystems

Status:

En ejecución

Location:

Cuenca and Guadalajara (Castilla-La Mancha)

Geographic scope:

España

Execution date:

2026

End date:

2028

Duration:

18/02/2026 - 01/05/2028

Total budget:

€1,899,847.60

Amount of aid from the Biodiversity Foundation:

€1,614,870.46

It will encourage the creation of new green entrepreneurship initiatives around the sustainable use of local forest resources, building on previous experiences and existing structures. To promote the environmental and economic valorisation of the territory’s ecosystem services, facilitating new ways of financing and conservation. Consolidate an ecosystem to support rural entrepreneurship, equipped with physical spaces, territorial agents, training and accessible tools. To reinforce territorial identity through a nature tourism model based on passive education and interpretation of the landscape. Generate learning, materials and conditions to replicate and transfer the model to other rural territories with similar characteristics.

To promote a resilient, regenerative and sustainable rural development model in the Alto Tajo-Serranía de Cuenca region, promoting entrepreneurship and culture in the region around forest, timber and non-timber resources, and promoting ecosystem services and social innovation from a locally-based bioeconomy.

The BosqueEmprende+ project deploys a coherent set of actions that comprehensively address the main obstacles to green entrepreneurship in the Alto Tajo and the Serranía de Cuenca. Each action is designed to be complementary, generating synergies and strengthening the territorial ecosystem.

• Forest incubation spaces for the promotion of green entrepreneurship and the sustainable use of timber resources: an industrial forestry incubator will be set up in Orea and two rural co-working spaces, with common equipment and access to machinery that will host incubation processes, training, testing of prototypes and development of productive pilots.
• Support for timber and non-timber forestry entrepreneurship: a network of territorial agents will be activated to detect entrepreneurial talent and accompany business ideas linked to forest, food and cosmetic products. Feasibility tools, specialized training and connection with the market will be put in place.
• Entrepreneurship in forestry work: a forestry crew will be formed and hired to carry out restoration, fire prevention and biomass management work. This gang will later be constituted as an autonomous micro-enterprise, strengthening green employment and active management of the forest.
• Forest routes and viewpoints: four interpretive routes will be designed with educational panels (between 5 and 10 per route) and a lookout tower. These infrastructures will allow the passive education of the visitor, the revaluation of the forest heritage and the promotion of sustainable nature tourism.
• Compensation for ecosystem services: forest area will be certified for its ecosystem value (carbon, biodiversity, fire prevention), forest maturity reserves will be created and financing mechanisms such as sponsorships or credit sales will be activated. Local actors will be involved, area with compensation potential will be analysed and investments will be mobilised towards the improvement and conservation of forests.
• Replicability and evaluation: good practices, learning, impact indicators and replicable materials will be systematized. Technical reports, manuals and dissemination materials will be prepared. In addition, a final event will be organized to present results, promoting the scalability of the model.

24 products will be tested and 3 new companies will be generated, 8 entrepreneurs will be accompanied and 3 territorial agents will be involved. 10 feasibility studies and prototype testing, training for 50 entrepreneurs and 10 marketed products are planned. A forestry crew will be hired for biomass management, silvicultural treatments, clearing and restoration that will be trained and accompanied until it becomes a micro-enterprise; They will work on 200 ha.

In addition, 4 interpretive routes will be designed with panels and a tower-viewpoint to inform about forest resources, their value in bioeconomy and rural development and the ecosystem services they provide. A model of compensation for ecosystem services will be promoted with at least 2,000 credits sold, 3,000 ha will be certified and 600 ha of biodiversity reserves will be created in collaboration with owners and managers. The impact of the project will be evaluated, collecting good practices to replicate the model.