Promoted by Fragas do Mandeo, the first work session on land stewardship in Galicia was held today. The meeting was held by the groups most involved with stewardship for the preservation of biodiversity in terrestrial ecosystems, with the objective of sharing our knowledge on its implementation in Galicia, outline a roadmap and reach a consensus with regard to requests of regulatory and financial support from the administration.
During the long morning session we reviewed the legislation for stewardship promotion. We also analyzed the regulations that affect it directly or indirectly, such as the Bantegal regulation, the Woods Act, the volunteering regulation or that of environmental compensation. We also devoted some time to discuss the casuistry of land stewardship in publicly-owned water systems, coastal areas, military property and communal woods. The problems of identification and location of owners, and the whole land acquisition process, took quite some time. Finally, we also dealt with topics like citizens’ involvement, environmental recovery techniques and declarations of wildlife reserves.
In the afternoon we visited some areas safeguarded by the Ridimoas Cultural-Environmental Association. Guided by Pablo Rodríguez, we got to know in more detail what is the pioneering and biggest initiative in Galicia. Its history and everyday existence serve us as an inspiration to us, with its more than two decades of experience being a priceless source of information.
We agreed on meeting again in the I Galician Land Stewardship Conference, scheduled for 29 and 30 October, which will gather virtually all stewardship initiatives which are under way in Galicia.
