In the cross-border area of Arribes and Alto Douro, NBS measures to improve IV will be implemented in the vineyards of Bodegas Pascual Fernández in Fermoselle (Zamora) and Bodega Duorum in Foz Côa and the surrounding lands. These areas face challenges such as:
-Fragmentation of plots, rugged topography, and high cultivation costs.
-Soils with low organic matter and uneven fertility.
-Lack of crop diversity and increasing water stress.
-Hotter and drier summers.
-Risk of erosion on slopes.
-Water scarcity and competition for resources.
-Increased erosion due to extreme weather events.
-Soils with low organic matter.
-Risk of fires and depopulation/desertification.
In both regions, the project aims to address agricultural and environmental challenges while promoting biodiversity and the conservation of cultural heritage, contributing to climate change resilience.
In the Mariñas – Betanzos area, work will be done on plots belonging to Bodega Pagos de Brigante. The challenges in this region include:
-Small farms and wineries, with businesses on the edge of profitability.
-Numerous vineyards abandoned in recent decades.
-Planting of tree species (eucalyptus) in abandoned vineyard estates.
-Difficulty in supplying local grapes.
-Recurring crop damage caused by wildlife due to the abandonment of land near vineyards.
This pilot project aims to capitalize on the learnings from Pilot 1 developed in France to implement NBS that enhance ecosystem services (ESS).
In all these areas, the project seeks to address agricultural and environmental challenges while promoting biodiversity and the conservation of natural and cultural heritage, contributing to climate change resilience and preventing depopulation.
