We will bring back the original forest in nature reserve Sierra de Maria-Los Veles in Andalusia. Together with our local partner Alvelal we will plant over 43,000 trees, such as holm oak, mulberry and juniper. In this way, we will bring nature back to life!
trees to be planted
hectares of ground
species of trees and shrubs
The bare terrain in Sierra de Maria-Los Veles Natural Park used to be tended as arable land. This has resulted in complete erosion, which means that only some grass grows there. Oak and juniper seed banks have disappeared, leaving it impossible for them to grow naturally.
We are going to bring about a change by means of this project. We will plant characteristic trees and shrubs which belong in this environment of old. As a result various animals will find a habitat in the area again, such as the midwife toad and other amphibians, but also birds and mammals.
The icing on the cake will be the return of the Iberian lynx, which has been spotted in the area already. This lynx has the status of ‘endangered species’ in the IUCN Red List.
In 2022 we will plant 43,800 trees on 100 hectares of bare terrain. In total, this will comprise fifteen different species of trees and shrubs that are endemic, such as holm oak, juniper and mulberry.
The soil in the area is stony and hard. It will have to be ploughed first, in order to give the young trees a better chance of survival. Each planting hole will be enriched with hydrogel so as to help the young trees to hold moisture. Besides, wide fire lanes will be laid out in order to protect the plantings from wildfire.
Furthermore, fifteen ponds will be dug. These will provide the trees with water in times of drought, but will also attract animals and plants. The rare Andalusian midwife toad, for instance, will find more habitat to procreate in.
Especially for the Iberian lynx we will create rabbit hills. This will cause an increase of the rabbit population, the prey for this endangered feline. The golden eagle and Bonelli’s eagle will also benefit.
Photos by AlVelAl
We cooperate with our partner AlVelAl. This is an association of farmers, entrepreneurs, researchers and residents who unite in order to make the landscape in the south-east of Spain sustainable. They restore the original landscape by means of reforestation and regenerative agriculture.
Alvelal is the first organisation certified by Preferred By Nature for sustainable restoration of the ecosystem. For our reforestation project, Alvelal works in close cooperation with the management of Sierra de Maria-Los Veles Natural Park.
We will plant trees on former farming land, now public soil. This region is known as Los Chaveses. It is situated in Sierra de Maria-Los Veles Natural Park, near Almerìa, in Andalusia.
