As a general objective, the project seeks to improve ecosystem services and green infrastructures in wine-growing areas of high ecological value. The project will be developed through the following specific objectives:
1. Understand the state of the art of vineyard landscapes both from the point of view of landscape assessment and characterization as well as green infrastructures; identify the legal aspects, barriers, and existing limitations for their implementation by winegrowers and wineries, and design a methodology to evaluate ecosystem services in two compared models of wine-growing landscape (traditional and green), which allows determining the best practices for their management.
2. Increase the provision of multiple ecosystem services in wine-growing landscapes of high ecological value in the SUDOE territory by implementing and testing nature-based solutions and green infrastructure elements that contribute to increasing biodiversity, conserving natural and cultural heritage, and improving the territory’s resilience to climate change.
3. Develop a Strategy and an Action Plan for the implementation of a network of green infrastructures in vineyard landscapes of high ecological value that jointly ensures ecological, productive (economic), and cultural functions.
The dissemination and sustainability of the strategy and the Action Plan will be promoted through awareness-raising, knowledge transfer, and training of the sectors and social agents involved. Pilot areas will be established with studies of the characteristics of each area at a territorial scale (geology, climate, vegetation, soil, land use planning, agricultural practices, farm characteristics) taking into account their singularities, problems, and challenges of climate change. Actions will be defined for each area, at a detailed level, taking into account the project objectives and the needs of winegrowers, viticulturists, and other stakeholders. Innovative and sustainable agricultural practices will be applied, such as the implementation of green infrastructure elements.
Detailed monitoring of the results obtained will be carried out, both of the new green infrastructure installed and of the existing one in the vineyards, including productive aspects, sociocultural aspects, environmental impact, profitability, and contribution to climate change mitigation and adaptation in Spain. The project will focus on the northwest of the country (Galicia and Castilla y León) with actions in the Mariñas Coruñesas and Terras do Mandeo Biosphere Reserve and in Zamora (Fermoselle) – Meseta Ibérica Transboundary Biosphere Reserve.
Within our Reserve, we will collaborate with the Pagos de Brigante winery, a company adhering to the Reserve’s quality brand, whose plots will be the pilot area where different actions will be carried out.
