The Biodiversity Foundation has participated this week in the IV State Conference on Land Stewardship, which was closed yesterday afternoon, in Benia de Onís, Asturias, by the Director of Natural Environment and Forest Policy of the MARM, José Jiménez; the Director General of Biodiversity and Landscape of the Principality of Asturias, José Félix García Gaona, and the President of the Fund for the Protection of Wild Animals (FAPAS), Roberto Hartasánchez.

The meeting, organized by FAPAS in collaboration with the Biodiversity Foundation and the Ministry of the Environment, Territorial Planning and Infrastructures of the Government of the Principality of Asturias, was attended by more than 120 people, including representatives of NGOs, farm owners, hunters, farmers, ranchers, administrations and other actors involved in nature conservation.

Throughout the day, participants will have the opportunity to enjoy two field trips to learn about some experiences of Land Stewardship in Asturias, specifically the project to improve the habitat of the brown bear and Cantabrian capercaillie in Asturias led by FAPAS and the Pilot Project “Innovation and Sustainable Development through the recovery of endangered species” led by the Foundation for the Conservation of the Bearded Vulture (FCQ).

Land Stewardship is a tool for the conservation of natural, landscape and cultural heritage through the involvement of the social agents themselves. It is based on a set of agreements, always voluntary, between the owners of the land and the public or private custodian entities, to work together for the conservation of the environmental values of the farms, guaranteeing uses or activities (forestry, agriculture, livestock, hunting, fishing, leisure, tourism, etc.) compatible with the biodiversity they host.

Some of the conclusions reached by the participants in these Conferences refer to the future challenges around land stewardship. Among them: that of adaptation to the regional level in the aspects of land stewardship recognized in state law and its regulations, as well as the regulatory development of the figure of ‘private nature reserve’ to link, in the long term, conservation projects.

The Biodiversity Foundation, through the Stewardship Platform, continues with actions in this line of work, such as the 2nd inventory of land stewardship initiatives, which reflects an increase in land stewardship activity throughout the Spanish State, and the legal study on land stewardship and its role as an interlocutor with other associated sectors.

In this sense, 21 experiences have been presented in Benia de Onís that demonstrate the versatility and ability of the custody to adapt to different realities. The commitment of farmers and hunters to conservation and the added value that their sustainable activity represents for the competitiveness of their products in the market were also discussed.

The possibility of creating regional and international biodiversity forums was also discussed, and among other proposals for financing conservation actions, ‘landscape auctions’ were highlighted as tools to generate additional funds and as a means of communication.