The international project ECOSPHEREWINES recently celebrated the first 6 months of its implementation in Vila Nova de Foz Côa (Portugal) during a consortium meeting. This project aims to improve the ecosystem of vineyards located in areas of high ecological value through the implementation of a green infrastructure network for their conservation and sustainable management. The project has a budget of €1,622,891.04, co-financed at 75% by the Interreg Sudoe Program with FEDER funds.
Since January, a total of 13 Spanish, French, and Portuguese entities have been working under the coordination of the Juana de Vega Foundation to establish a planned and interconnected system of natural elements in viticultural areas to improve the natural capital and biodiversity of the vineyards, thus increasing their resilience to climate change.
José Manuel Andrade, director of the Juana de Vega Foundation, emphasized the importance of the ECOSPHEREWINES project by adding that “it connects innovation in rural areas with landscape and territory management. It is a strategic commitment to the development of the wine sector, which, relying on quality and differentiation, is today one of the most dynamic and internationalized sectors of the Galician agrarian economy.”
During the consortium meeting, significant progress was made in each of the technical areas of the project, including the draft of the first report analyzing projects developed between 2014 and 2023 with characteristics similar to ECOSPHEREWINES in the Sudoe area. The Juana de Vega Foundation presented the work carried out so far in characterizing the landscapes of the pilot areas. The first step has been defining the Landscape Units considering public participation by organizing a Landscape Perception workshop in each work area to begin identifying issues in each experimental area. One key element will be a second public participation workshop, aimed at individuals related to the wine sector, to learn and analyze the problems they face in developing their work.
Landscape perception as a starting point
For its execution, the project relies on 4 experimental areas located in Spain, Portugal, and southern France. In Spain, the pilot is located in Galicia, specifically in the Mariñas Coruñesas and Tierras del Mandeo Biosphere Reserve, and in the cross-border Meseta Ibérica Biosphere Reserve (Los Arribes, in Fermoselle, Zamora). In France, it is located in Gaillac, Occitanie region, and in Portugal, in Vila Nova de Foz Côa, a Natura 2000 network area.
One of the actions carried out in each of these 4 experimental areas was the organization of 4 landscape perception workshops. The objective of these workshops was to gather participants’ perceptions, from diverse profiles, of the various landscapes in the study area and establish a framework for dialogue and exchange to expand knowledge of the landscape’s values; to characterize the landscape units that make up the study area; and to identify the ecosystem services of the landscape unit, which includes the experimental vineyard where interventions will later take place.
The first workshop was in Arribes by AECT Duero-Douro, where participants visited the Ermita de Pereña de la Ribera viewpoint and the Fermoselle viewpoint, followed by classroom training to characterize the Arribes landscape and vineyard and conduct an evaluation to identify the different ecosystem services. Nearly 20 people interested in viticulture, winemakers, and wine enthusiasts gathered to draw conclusions. Highlights from the first viewpoint included the landscape and human activity around the Duero and Tormes rivers and the restoration of terraces, which has restored former crops and emphasized the potential of minority varieties in Fermoselle. The quality of the landscape, its tourism potential, and the richness of Arribes’ flora and fauna were noted. The limiting factor was the aging population. In Fermoselle, its proximity to Portugal, its heritage wealth—both in terms of historical landmarks and underground wine cellars—and its urban integration with the natural surroundings were highlighted. The negative aspect noted was the abandonment of terraces and the lack of maintenance of natural tourist resources.
IVSO and IFV held the workshop with more than a dozen participants of various profiles to learn about their perception of the landscape and discuss the advantages and challenges of Gaillac’s landscape. They visited Domaine de Mas Pignou with panoramic views and Domaine du V’Innopôle Sud-ouest, an experimental vineyard where ECOSPHEREWINES interventions will take place. Participants learned to read the landscape and described the landscapes they observed according to their perceptions. The landscape was seen as diverse, wooded, open, and strongly influenced by nature and mixed farming. The experimental vineyard was perceived as representative of the Tarn plain, providing general ecosystem services.
The Juana de Vega Foundation gathered around 20 people interested in the sector at its landscape interpretation workshop for IGP Betanzos. They took a tour from the headquarters of the Mariñas Coruñesas and Tierras del Mandeo Biosphere Reserve (Abegondo) to the panoramic views from the Pena Furada viewpoint (Coirós) and explored the riverside landscape in Betanzos, navigating upstream along the Mandeo River. The information gathered during the day was key in identifying the ecosystem services of the area where the A Picha vineyard, owned by Pagos de Brigante winery, is located, and where one of the ECOSPHEREWINES experimental pilots in Galicia will be developed.
The final workshop was held by ADVID in Vila Nova de Foz Côa, where more than ten representatives of public and private organizations discussed the importance of landscape perception among local stakeholders. The basis of this workshop was the mapping of the Landscape Units defined within the scope of this project. Two local viewpoints were visited, where discussions focused on relevant Landscape Units and the essential diversity needed to maintain and improve the structure of local ecosystems. The economic exploitation of the region through primary activities and tourism, along with the balance between the area’s economic activity and environmental sustainability, was highlighted. The day concluded with a technical visit to the pilot project in the vineyards of Duorum Vinhos SA.
About the ECOSPHEREWINES consortium
The partners carrying out ECOSPHEREWINES activities comprise a total of 13 entities from 3 countries: Spain, France, and Portugal. All are coordinated by the Juana de Vega Foundation.
The Spanish partners include the Universidade da Coruña, ITER Investigación, the European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation Duero-Douro, the Mariñas Coruñesas Biosphere Reserve, the Wine Technology Platform, the Agricultural Technology Institute of Castilla y León (ITACyL), and the Pagos de Brigante winery.
Portugal is represented by the Associação para o Desenvolvimento da Viticultura Duriense (ADVID), the Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, and the Duorum Vinhos winery.
Finally, the French entities involved in the ECOSPHEREWINES project are the Institut Français de la Vigne et du Vin (IFV) and the Interprofession des Vins du Sud-ouest France.
