Replanting Trees to Combat Desertification

At ECS, we use the money we make from selling timber to fund our forestry projects. Our main goal is to plant trees that can resist pests and bugs. This is crucial for fighting desertification (when land turns into desert) in southern Spain.

Working with Landowners

We’ve started many projects to work closely with local councils, but often they don’t seem interested. We team up with landowners to take care of unused land and forests. We lease the land and make sure it’s looked after properly. At the same time, we’re planting a wider variety of trees that can handle drought and pests. Over the next 10 years, we plan to plant 100,000 trees ourselves. With more help, we could plant over 1 million!

The Importance of Forests

Did you know that well-kept natural forests often don’t make much money? This leads to landowners leaving their forests alone. But with water getting scarce and more wildfires, it’s crucial to look after forests properly. Otherwise, pests and fires could destroy them completely.

Helping Landowners Make Money

In the dry, hot parts of southern Spain, where desertification is a big problem, landowners need help to stop their land from getting worse. We can do this by helping them make money from their forests again. We’re bringing back old crafts, building with natural materials, and encouraging people to visit well-managed land.

Selecting Resilient Trees

We carefully choose tree species that can handle drought and pests. These trees are more likely to survive in the tough southern Spanish climate. This helps fight desertification and provides seeds for replanting areas that might be lost to pests in the next 20 years.

Collaborating with Local Councils

We’re working with local councils to boost their limited reforestation efforts. By teaming up, we can get more land to plant on and work together to restore the environment. So far, only private landowners who see the benefits have shown interest.

Empowering Local Communities

We’re trying to help local communities and landowners take responsibility for their surroundings. We’re leasing land to plant on, which will give us a big supply of young trees for future projects. We can then share these trees with others to help them replant areas damaged by pests, drought, and fire. This will protect the whole ecosystem.