Guara Somontano Promotes Sustainability and Tourism in 2024

The «Saborea Guara Somontano» project in the Somontano region is collaborating with SEO/Birdlife to promote sustainability techniques that benefit both the environment and the tourism sector. This initiative integrates agricultural and grazing techniques with methods for preventing wildfires, all funded by the European Next Generation EU funds.

The project, which has a funding of one million euros, highlights the implementation of «living olive groves,» perimeter gardens, and preventive grazing techniques. These initiatives aim not only to promote sustainable agricultural practices but also to create an effective system for wildfire prevention, which is crucial given the region’s vulnerability to such disasters.

The proposal for living olive groves consists of the recovery of ancient olive groves, fostering biodiversity and the use of traditional agricultural practices that respect the environment. A land stewardship model will be implemented with local owners to ensure the sustainability of these practices in the long term.

On the other hand, the perimeter gardens will be designed to act as natural fire barriers, while preventive grazing is projected to reduce fuel loads in strategic areas, thus directly contributing to the mitigation of wildfire risks.

In collaboration with SEO/Birdlife, the initiative also aims to develop studies that identify the most fire-prone areas, allowing for more targeted and effective action. By 2024, a detailed risk map is expected to be developed, promoting landscape management that integrates biodiversity conservation with agricultural and tourism activities.

The plan focuses not only on environmental sustainability but also on the tourism potential of the region. By integrating these sustainable practices, it is expected to benefit the local economy by attracting tourism that values an ecological and responsible approach to landscape management. The regional Tourism Councillor, Pilar Lleyda, has indicated that the project could serve as a model for other regions looking to balance environmental preservation with tourism development.