Actuality

The NATUR-SMART project presents the results and conclusions of the actions carried out in Piñor and Folgoso do Courel.

The project NATUR-SMART comes to an end after two years of work and research into the new opportunities that agroforestry activities can generate in the rural environment. Under this heading: conservation of biodiversity through comprehensive agroforestry management models and the creation of digital networks of associative fabric with a gender perspective, the project achieved its main objective: to conserve and mobilise agroforestry ecosystem services by creating a comprehensive and sustainable management model that increases biodiversity, the resistance and resilience of agroforestal masses, activate the rural bioeconomy from a gender perspective and create associative fabric among the key actors in the territory, linking supply with demand through a digital network to strengthen the market for goods and services offered by natural ecosystems.

The results highlight the enormous opportunities in rural areas for addressing biodiversity conservation and the development of the rural bioeconomy, with particular emphasis on supporting rural and agroforestry women managers, owners and entrepreneurs.

These results were presented at three events: one in Segovia (11 December), another in Cuenca (12 December) and a third in Piñor and Amoeiro on 17 December. The latter was attended by around fifty landowners who took part in the day's three activities: a visit to the Entreoslameiros Lousado of Piñor joint management forest group, the Maderas Rubén company in Vilamarín, and the project results presentation at Pazo San Damián in Amoeiro.

Multifunctional models and ecosystem services

Over the past two years, the Forestry Association of Galicia has worked in the pilot areas of Piñor in Ourense and Folgoso do Courel in Lugo to establish some multifunctional models that can be implemented by the agroforestry managers or owners in those areas. Specifically, in the Vilar pilot area in Folgoso do Courel, Lugo, which is made up of community and private woodland, several measures were carried out to regenerate the forest stand cut down after a fire and to promote multifunctional use through various types of forest harvesting. Among other things, work was carried out to recover an old track, clearings were made, shoots were selected and pruned, the recovery mowing and ploughing of a pasture was carried out, and a small plantation of aromatic and medicinal plants was established.

In Piñor, Ourense, a joint management association for private woodlands, Entreoslameiros, was established in the parish of Lousado. The woodland is dominated by a stand of native pine (Pine maritime) of natural regeneration in which preventive and multifunctional silviculture was carried out, enhancing the intercalated granite outcrops and the stone walls that separate the plots. It also has a stand of deciduous broadleaves, where invasive species have been removed, scrub has been controlled to reduce the risk of wildfire spread, and the area's mushroom production and nature tourism have been promoted. This stand may be subject to firewood harvesting for domestic use. This area has a significant protective interest for biodiversity and the water resource, and will seek certification as a biodiversity ecosystem service.

All these actions were compiled into a technical management plan, which was submitted to the Forestry Administration, ensuring the long-term sustainability and viability of the proposed interventions.

For these pilot areas, assessments were also carried out of the ecosystem services regulating the global climate and controlling erosion. The ecosystem services of pollination, the maintenance of breeding populations and habitats, and recreation were also economically valued using the benefit transfer method.

The University of Salamanca carried out a systematic analysis of 16 key ecosystem services (provisioning, regulating, maintenance and cultural), identifying ecological, management and use factors, as well as biophysical indicators and methods for economic valuation.

Sociological study

The main conclusions of the sociological study carried out by the University of Valladolid point to the lesser presence of women in the villages of both areas and their greater difficulties in finding a livelihood on which to base their rural projects. Nevertheless, some associative networks were identified on which to rely and grow. The sociological study gathers sociodemographic data, territorial characterisation and the results of the analysis of the interviews, focus groups and surveys carried out in the region.

The educational entity held various meetings with associations and social actors linked to the forestry sector in Ourense and Lugo, and the Agroecosystem Foundation delivered training on digital marketing aimed at the area's associations.

Business opportunities in rural areas

The Agroecosystem Foundation has identified five job opportunities in rural areas for entrepreneurial individuals: forest work professionals to whom NATUR-SMART has provided, through online training, business planning and economic sustainability with technical expertise and a commitment to the territory. Extensive livestock farmer. Management of grazing in an efficient and sustainable way, without needing to own the land, taking advantage of the profitability of quality meat and the growing demand for local and sustainable products. Agricultural Land Manager. Agricultural land managers restore land to production, combining small plots to create profitable and sustainable farms. Their work combines technical knowledge, the use of new technologies, organisation and the ability to access grants or carbon credits. Territorial Animator. Territorial managers collaborate with local councils and companies to organise fairs, events, campaigns or rural digitalisation projects. Sustainability Manager. The future lies in integrating economy and conservation. This profile develops projects linked to carbon credits, land stewardship or environmental offsets. From NATUR-SMART, webinars have been designed for each of these roles.

Al(i)dea web platform

The Confederation of Forest Growers' Organisations of Spain (COSE) has designed a digital tool called Al(i)dea's agroforestry green pages. A meeting point and a virtual marketplace designed to efficiently connect the supply of goods and services among rural and agroforestry businesses and self-employed individuals with the specific demand of the public and professionals in the sector, thereby strengthening the socio-economic fabric of rural areas. It is divided into two sectors according to the user's interests: the agroforestry sector and the agritourism sector. https://alidea.natursmart.org

NATUR-SMART is funded by the Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO) as part of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (PRTR), funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU.