The AGROFORes project was born as an innovative response model to two urgent challenges: the effects of climate change in wildfires and the rural depopulation suffered by the localities of Castile and León and Extremadura, which are the autonomous communities concerned.
AGROFORes was born as an alternative for landscape management and conservation, an initiative that responds to the world's most pressing challenges. climate change, rural depopulation and forest fires. AGROFORes was created with a clear objective: to transform degraded lands into multifunctional spaces combining environmental conservation, economic activity and social well-being.
The AGROFORES project
Roberto Rubio, Cesefor operations director, underlines: “we are committed to integration of agroforestry systems offering innovative and sustainable solutions. “This is a commitment to a comprehensive and sustainable rural development model that must be integrated into annual forest fire prevention, monitoring and suppression plans. »
AGROFORes aims to recover unproductive land; restore vulnerable ecosystems; reduce the risk of forest fires, promote biodiversity and stimulate employment in rural areas. All this will be done through active collaboration between local agents, using sustainable management standards and innovative technologies.
It is planned to carry out interventions on almost 300 hectares distributed in Castilla y León: Babia-Luna, Merindades, El Bierzo, Sierra de La Culebra and Nava de la Asunción; and Extremadura: Sierra de Gata and Las Villuercas. In each zone, degraded and reference zones have been identified, develop strategic actions that serve as a replicable model for the rest of the territory.
The project is supported by NextGenerationEU European funds, managed by the Biodiversity Foundation as part of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (PRTR), and a total budget of €1,559,098.32.
AGROFORes Activities
Some of the main activities include:
- Identification and analysis of current and potential agroforestry systems to design suitable proposals.
- Reforestation and forest management over more than 200 hectares, prioritizing areas affected by abandoned forest fires.
- Participation and training of local communities through field days, seminars and participatory processes.
- Promotion of group management through cooperatives and associations, to guarantee the continuity of actions.
- Evaluation and transfer of results to share our experiences and models with other territories.
AGROFORes is a project in which they provide their support and collaboration: the CESEFOR Foundation, the National Center for Agri-Food Technology CTAEX, the University of León and the Natural Heritage Foundation of Castilla y León.
