The partners of the ECOSPHEREWINES project gathered for two consecutive workdays to celebrate the launch of this international project, whose goal is to improve the ecosystem of vineyards located in high ecological value areas through the implementation of a green infrastructure network for their conservation and sustainable management.
This means launching a planned and interconnected system of natural elements in vineyard areas to enhance the natural capital and biodiversity of vineyards, thus increasing their resilience to climate change.
To address this challenge, the project will rely on two pilot sites in the Gaillac-Tarn area in southern France and another in Spain-Portugal with three experimental zones. In these vineyards, a methodology will be implemented to select, calculate, and map the most relevant ecosystem services, establishing future scenarios that facilitate decision-making and allow for the transfer and replication of tested solutions on an international scale.
A total of 13 entities from Spain, France, and Portugal will work under the coordination of the Juana de Vega Foundation over the next three years on this initiative, which has a budget of €1,622,891.04, co-financed at 75% by the Interreg Sudoe Program with FEDER funds.
During the first workday, the Juana de Vega Foundation, the event host, welcomed attendees with remarks from its Innovation Director, Alfonso Ribas, who expressed his gratitude to the other project partners. Ribas emphasized that “this project represents an opportunity for the development of the wine sector in southern Europe to incorporate aspects related to landscape care, biodiversity, water, soil, and cultural, material, and immaterial heritage.”
The meeting also featured Gloria Lázaro, project manager of the Interreg Sudoe Joint Secretariat, who highlighted that “initiatives like ECOSPHEREWINES help address transnational challenges and seek common solutions where collaboration becomes essential.”
Institutional Presentation and Field Visits
The second workday began with an institutional presentation of the project through a hybrid event aimed at various stakeholders and wine industry experts.
The session was opened by José Manuel Andrade Calvo, Director of the Juana de Vega Foundation; Isabel González Siso, Deputy Director of the CICA at the University of La Coruña; and Sergio Platas, Vice President of the Mariñas Coruñesas Biosphere Reserve. They all agreed on the important role that European R&D&I projects like ECOSPHEREWINES play in promoting sustainability and enhancing the international standing of Galicia’s agriculture through the wine sector.
After the presentation of ECOSPHEREWINES by Tania Gesto, Innovation and Research Project Technician at the Juana de Vega Foundation, attendees visited the Mariñas Coruñesas Biosphere Reserve, as well as the vineyards and winery of Pagos de Brigante, which is involved in the project’s trials.
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.
