Esker in the International Year of Biodiversity: raising awareness and getting down to work
Posted: Tue Dec 17, 2024 5:27 am
“All citizens have the duty to protect and the right to enjoy the rich and extensive natural heritage.”
Josep Puxeu, Secretary of State for Rural Environment and Water. President of the Biodiversity Foundation .
In this International Year of Biodiversity, many governmental and private organisations, journalists, associations and individuals have tried, on the one hand, to raise awareness in society about the importance of respecting the environment and its fragile balance, and on the other, they have carried out a series of actions. Actions of all kinds and sizes, each and every one of them of equal value. From educating our children to transmit to them everything we know about Planet Earth, its amazon data inhabitants and its habitats, to the action of environmental NGOs that work every day to protect or restore the natural environments of protected species, promoting biodiversity.
Recovery of forests and mountains.
Mountains are places where many species live and where action in favour of biodiversity makes a lot of sense. However, they are ecosystems that are very vulnerable to the effects of deforestation, soil degradation, fires and climate change. In Galicia, mountains are home to 70% of the tree and plant species, and a large part of the animal species in Spain. For example, the natural area of Os Ancares – O Courel (Lugo) is home to 625 species of macromycete fungi spread across 71 families, and 280 types of lichens from 45 families.
In the area of the Os Ancares – O Courel Protected Natural Space , the action of the non-profit organization Acciónatura consists of returning to this valuable area its original forest composed of oaks, birches, cherry trees, sessile oaks, beeches and holly. This natural biodiversity was replaced by crop areas, pastures for livestock and, more recently, by plantations of exotic pines and eucalyptus, mainly intended for paper production. In addition to impoverishing biodiversity, these operations make the mountain more vulnerable to fires. To combat this, there are two main lines of action: the environmental restoration of the native forest and the implementation of awareness-raising actions aimed at improving the perception that the local population has of it.
Josep Puxeu, Secretary of State for Rural Environment and Water. President of the Biodiversity Foundation .
In this International Year of Biodiversity, many governmental and private organisations, journalists, associations and individuals have tried, on the one hand, to raise awareness in society about the importance of respecting the environment and its fragile balance, and on the other, they have carried out a series of actions. Actions of all kinds and sizes, each and every one of them of equal value. From educating our children to transmit to them everything we know about Planet Earth, its amazon data inhabitants and its habitats, to the action of environmental NGOs that work every day to protect or restore the natural environments of protected species, promoting biodiversity.
Recovery of forests and mountains.
Mountains are places where many species live and where action in favour of biodiversity makes a lot of sense. However, they are ecosystems that are very vulnerable to the effects of deforestation, soil degradation, fires and climate change. In Galicia, mountains are home to 70% of the tree and plant species, and a large part of the animal species in Spain. For example, the natural area of Os Ancares – O Courel (Lugo) is home to 625 species of macromycete fungi spread across 71 families, and 280 types of lichens from 45 families.
In the area of the Os Ancares – O Courel Protected Natural Space , the action of the non-profit organization Acciónatura consists of returning to this valuable area its original forest composed of oaks, birches, cherry trees, sessile oaks, beeches and holly. This natural biodiversity was replaced by crop areas, pastures for livestock and, more recently, by plantations of exotic pines and eucalyptus, mainly intended for paper production. In addition to impoverishing biodiversity, these operations make the mountain more vulnerable to fires. To combat this, there are two main lines of action: the environmental restoration of the native forest and the implementation of awareness-raising actions aimed at improving the perception that the local population has of it.