Land Stewardship Week in As Mariñas of Coruña and Lands of the River Mandeo is scheduled for the end of September, with several activities planned (talks, meetings and field trips). It was organized by the Rural Development Association Mariñas-Betanzos and Fragas do Mandeo. The objective of this event is to spread and promote nature preservation through land stewardship activities, in the framework of the European land stewardship week LandLife Week.
Conservation needs of the River Mandeo: This is the title of the lecture that will be given by Fernando Cobo Gradín, director of the Hydro Biological Station Encoro do Con, of the University of Santiago de Compostela. The preservation of river biodiversity requires a comprehensive approach, not only the conservation of the river itself, but also the protection of riparian woods and native forest in the river basin.
Date: September 7th at 8 p.m.
Place: Blue Hall at the Liceo, Irmáns García Naveira Square, Betanzos.
II Galician Conference on Land Stewardship: Following the first event last year in Santiago, 
we now welcome to As Mariñas the second conference with the aim of airing some of the hottest issues on land stewardship in Spain and trying to find a meeting point with potential patrons. The conference is organized around three round tables. The first, Opportunities and determining factors of land stewardship in Galicia, will be attended by representatives of stewardship entities, of the Galician University and Public Administration. Under the motto Meeting points between patronage and stewardship entities, prominent representatives of corporate patronage will take part, accompanied by an expert on this issue, Francesc Giró (Fundación Acciónatura). At the last roundtable, titled Moving towards stewardship in plots in the public domain or ownership this specific matter will be analyzed, as well as the future possibilities it offers.
Date: September 28th, from 9 a.m. to 2.30 p.m.
Place: Centro de Investigacións Agrarias de Mabegondo (Road AC-542, km 8, Mabegondo)
Visit to Ridimoas wood: Lead by Pablo Rodríguez, president and founder of the Cultural-Ecologic Association Ridimoas, we will visit the woods overseen by this group in Ribeiro de Avia (Ourense). Participants will get to know about in situ the first initiative of its kind in Galicia (it will soon be 25 years old) and the one that protects the biggest area (500 hectares, most of which is in ownership). Their experience shows that land stewardship is an effective mechanism that has also a future in Galicia.
Date: September 29th
Place: The bus will leave from the municipal swimming pool in Betanzos (Carregal Avenue) at 9 a.m. and it is scheduled to be back at 7 p.m. The visit price is 5 € per person, and includes a field notebook and one issue of the group’s bulletin. Meals are not included (there will be a stop at a restaurant for those who do not take their own lunch). We advise wearing suitable clothing and footwear. The number of bus seats is limited, so we strongly recommend reserving your place by calling +34 981 669541, or by writing to info@marinasbetanzos.org.
Birdwatching in the Betanzos estuary: To conclude the Land Stewardship Week, a team of naturalists with telescopes are going to spend the morning at the estuary; they will help anyone who would like to see some of the many bird species present at this wonderful site.
Date: September 30th, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Place: Bird hide of Souto (Paderne). Those going by car can park in front of Santa Maria’s Church. The way to the observatory is signposted.
You can find additional information by downloading the program. With respect to LandLife Week, you can consult the Press kit.
Other activities of the European Land Stewardship Week in Galicia:
Signing of the stewardship agreement for the land plot Curro de Saavedra, together with work by volunteers for the maintenance of the property’s enclosure and clearing vegetation from specific zones.
Organized by: Galician Association of Land Stewardship
Date: October 5th, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Place: Saavedra (Begonte, Lugo)
Cleaning up litter from rivers all around Galicia by volunteers (fifth event of this kind).
Organized by: Proxecto Ríos
Date: September 30th, throughout the whole day
Place: Rivers all around Galicia
