2024-03-29 09:03:45
The municipalities that surround the forests of Alto Tajo, Montes Universales and the Serranía Alta de Cuenca, in Castilla-La Mancha and Aragón, have an average population density of less than 2 inhabitants/km², making this territory one of the least populated. from all over Europe. The lack of population in rural areas leads to the abandonment of traditional activities, promoting the transformation of the stable landscapes that we know today into areas vulnerable to natural disturbances, which are increasingly aggressive and frequent, as a result of the climate change we are experiencing.
Aware of this, the COPADE Foundation launches the Bosque Innova project; a proposal focused on reverse depopulation with a holistic and gender approach. Thanks to this project, opportunities linked to forests will be created, also taking into account the preservation and improvement of biodiversity. The project promotes economic, social and environmental sustainability directly in Cobeta and Orea and in all the municipalities belonging to the Alto Tajo Commonwealth: Arbeteta, Peralveche, Armallones, Poveda de la Sierra, El Recuenco, Peñalén, Villanueva de Alcorón and Zaorejas with its districts (Villar de Cobeta and Huertapelayo). Work will also be done to promote a platform that covers municipalities in the province of Cuenca and Aragón.
Bosque Innova, which has the support of the Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO) within the framework of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (PRTR), financed by the European Union – NextGenerationEU, foresees manage landscape restoration in a total area of 81,126 hectares. Actions to improve, develop and diversify forestry use will be implemented in a territory with great biodiversity, but with clear rural abandonment and a lack of management.
Therefore, one of the objectives of the project is the generation of resilient landscapes through key strategies. Forest conservation measures will be implemented, promoting sustainable forest management, mycological restoration, the recovery of resin pine forests and the identification of possible forest areas free of human intervention.
Reduce the biomass volume Not only is it essential for protection against forest fires, but it also allows light to enter the substrate, enhancing its biodiversity. Consequently, mycological areas will be restored in pilot plots. This action will be carried out in the municipality of Orea, the highest altitude, which has special water conditions. The success of this pilot project will allow its replicability to other municipalities and associations.
Currently, the lack of light, water stress caused by climate change, pressure from herbivores and unregulated harvesting of mycological resources has caused a decrease in the production of mushrooms in these mountains. The regulation of mycological collection, the reproduction of mycelia in areas suitable for collection and the training of the local population to carry out responsible collection, promoting entrepreneurship linked to this resource, are just some of the actions that will be implemented to maintain and improve the current situation of the mycological sector, which will also promote its market.
On the other hand, we will search recover wooded areas of rodeno pine in the town of Cobeta, traditionally linked to resin production, thanks to a management system that improves resin production and increases the resilience of pine forests against forest fires. Type plots will also be selected to investigate the natural evolution of the spaces. To promote sustainable forest management, a platform will be created that reflects the actions carried out in the Commonwealth of Alto Tajo, also extending to other municipalities of Guadalajara, Cuenca and Teruel.
It is expected to contribute directly and indirectly to the conservation of threatened species in the Alto Tajo Natural Park, preserving in certain areas of action, more than 60% of the rare and very rare species in the entire park. In addition to protecting and promoting all the benefits of the environment, this initiative promotes establishing a solid bond with the local inhabitants, who are the main protagonists of the actions that will be carried out.
Bosque Innova will address the challenges of climate change creating economic opportunities derived from the sustainable management of the landscape and will facilitate the permanence of local communities, with their essential role of stewardship of the territory. By supporting the bioeconomy entrepreneurship, it is expected to generate a significant number of jobs, direct and indirect, within the framework of green employment, such as those related to the timber sector, ecosystem services and rural entrepreneurship.
A priori, the project will try to identify the 1,000 hectares of forest most naturalized (potential mature stands), manage more than 46,000 hectares of forest, carry out forest fire prevention planning in 80,000 hectares, certify 5,000 hectares of wooded area (thus ensuring both the quality of its management and that of the products) and double the 14,000 m3 of wood until now sold in the territory. As well as providing training in resin and mycology to nearly 500 people and informing and raising awareness among the inhabitants of the territory on environmental matters.
In order to promote innovation in the forestry sector, the General CSIC Foundation will contribute its experience and means to create an Open Lab aimed at resource valorization of the mountains and forest heritage. The implementation of business technological projects and the implementation of knowledge transfer actions will be promoted. All of this will be carried out based on technological surveillance and competitive intelligence studies, which will facilitate the viability of the actions undertaken and the business opportunities identified.
The reindustrialization of the forestry sector in a high-quality wood producing environment (as typified in the laboratory by Cesefor, through a project called Go Prorural, in 2023, also led by COPADE) is essential, both for the local communities linked to it , as for society as a whole. This will allow the raw materials necessary to carry out an ecological, fair and sustainable transition to be put on the market.
The COPADE Foundation promotes the sustainability of Value chains of the forestry environment through its Fair Wood and Social Footprint and Sustainability Commitment certifications. Madera Justa ensures compliance with the principles of Fair Trade, while the Social Footprint and Sustainability Commitment certification facilitates the measurement of the impact of organizations, from any sector, including forestry, promoting its improvement, within the framework of the 2030 Agenda.
Collaborating entities
COPADE leads Bosque Innova, a project in which the Spanish Rewilding Foundation – Rewilding Spain collaborates for the renaturalization of landscapes, the General CSIC Foundation for the promotion of innovation and transfer of knowledge, FSC® Spain for the promotion of responsible forest management and sustainable, and the Ecometro Association to disseminate ecology and sustainable architecture.
Source: Copade Foundation
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