Alava Provincial Council completes regeneration work on a native forest in Lantarón
29/12/2022
Alava Provincial Council has completed work on regenerating a native forest in the municipality of Lantarón in Alava as part of the LIFE IP Urban Klima 2050 project. The action is one of the C.5.1. Nature-based solutions (NBS) in river basins, a line of work that implements actions aimed at managing the risk of flooding along stretches of rivers in the Basque Country and helping to both mitigate and adapt to climate change.
The initiative, which has a budget of 38,489 euros (including VAT), involves restoring 3.6 hectares of original woodland along the riverbank, where a total of 3,130 trees have been planted. As far as the species used are concerned, the plot is divided into two sub-zones: one that borders the River Ebro more closely, where riverside species (Populus alba, Alnus glutinosa, Fraxinus angustifolia and Salix) have been planted, and the other where the original copse of Pinus pinea has been restored in combination with other species such as gall oak.
This will contribute to the conservation and recovery of the corridor of the River Ebro's special area of conservation (SAC) and its natural habitats, thereby ensuring the connectivity of the riverbanks and facilitating the movement and presence of fauna of interest such as European minks, Eurasian otters, kingfishers, sand martins, the fish community, freshwater mussels, Spanish pond turtles, spadefoot toads and Bechstein's bats.
The proposed revegetation is expected to provide significant benefits by preventing surface runoff and re-establishing an ecological river corridor of native species. Furthermore, as well as contributing to carbon fixing, the work will help to create a screen of vegetation to protect the River Ebro and act as a green filter against leachates. In short, “they will improve the environmental, landscape and habitat characteristics of this area, and contribute to an effective and efficient response to the challenge of climate change with nature-based solutions through green infrastructures”, explained the Regional Minister for the Environment, Josean Galera.
Although the work carried out in November and December consisted mainly of preparing the land and planting, it is expected that during the coming year the maintenance work will focus on irrigation, weeding and replanting.
