Line of action:

Terrestrial ecosystems

Status:

En ejecución

Location:

Barcelona, Lleida, Tarragona, Girona (Catalonia), Huesca (Aragon), Asturias (Principality of Asturias), Las Palmas, Santa Cruz de Tenerife (Canary Islands), Valencia, Castellón (Valencian Community), Balearic Islands (Balearic Islands)

Geographic scope:

España

Execution date:

2024

Duration:

01/01/2024 - 31/12/2025

Typology:

Development and diversification of forestry uses and harvests

Total budget:

1,179,287.61 euros

Amount of aid from the Biodiversity Foundation:

1,120,323.23 euros

In Spain there are 6,827 municipalities with less than 5,000 inhabitants, which concentrate 5.7 million people, 12% of the total. Of these, 5677 municipalities have lost population in the last decade. The dynamizing potential of biodiversity and natural heritage are of vital importance, since in municipalities that are part of protected natural areas, the percentage of municipalities that lose population (30%) is lower than the rural average (83.3%). One of the main objectives of the demographic challenge is to fix the population in rural areas that are depopulated or at risk of depopulation, but unplanned tourism can lead to uses that can generate environmental damage, as well as affect the quality of life of the people who live there, generating the opposite effect to the one intended. In addition, a high frequency or even overcrowding of forest stands can have adverse effects on biodiversity, compromising the conservation status of the habitat and species, also resulting in the reduction of their landscape values. Therefore, this project will take into account the compatibility of public use with nature conservation.

This project will address the demographic challenge through sustainable forest tourism, generating the tools to design a methodology for analysis and management of public use that takes into account the compatibility of public use with nature conservation, as well as adaptation to climate change and fire prevention. With this methodology, planning instruments will be created and management will be unified and replicated in other autonomous communities. In addition, this project will have an important component of landscape transformation, investing in improving its conservation status, generating landscapes that are resilient to public use and climate change, all through the scientific results of the environmental assessment. FLOW4BIO also aims to promote the bioeconomy of rural areas through the design of strategies, the creation of a labor profile and green jobs, training, knowledge transfer, citizen participation and communication.

Promote a sustainable forestry tourism model that responds to the demographic challenge, positioning rural areas as sustainable tourist destinations, promoting their economic and social development in a way that is compatible with biodiversity conservation through planning methodologies and instruments, forest management for habitat recovery, adaptation to climate change and improvement of biodiversity, and training and generation of green jobs.

• Creation of the database.
• Environmental assessment of forests with public use.
• Adaptation to climate change of frequented forest habitats.
• Sustainable forest management and habitat enhancement to promote biodiversity.
• Evaluation of the visitor’s tourism experience and resident’s perception.
• Creation of a sustainable tourism strategy in frequented forests.
• Creation of a job profile and green occupation.
• Adaptation and validation of the systematized model in forestry.
• Implementation of the methodology in areas of other autonomous communities.
• Education and training in public use of natural forest areas.
• Knowledge transfer.
• Promoting the replicability of the project.
• Governance and socio-political advocacy.
• Citizen participation.
• Communication plan.
• Internal governance and coordination plan.
• Gender integration sheet.