Sustainable management of the Ordunte SCI for the natural conservation of the area and use of its resources.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

BACKGROUND

The Ordunte Mountains in the Basque Autonomous Region have been designated a Natura 2000 protected area because of their wealth of important habitat types, including:

The only active blanket bog in the Basque region, representing the southern boundary for this type of habitat in Europe and the eastern boundary for the Iberian Peninsula;

The largest area of peatland enclaves in the Basque region;

A matrix of pastures formed by mountain grasslands with matgrass (Nardus stricta ) and dry moors used by bovine and equine livestock;

Natural woodlands containing acidophilic beech and Pyrenean oak forest characteristic of a fundamentally siliceous location; and

Alders on ravines and banks hosting populations of paleotropical ferns of community interest: Woodwardia radicans and Trichomanes speciosum .

However, several negative pressures are seriously threatening the conservation and permanence of the most characteristic habitats in this SCI, particularly extensive unregulated farming. Changes to sheep management practices and the use of heavier species have caused trampling and shepherding patterns that are difficult to withstand in certain enclaves. The traditional use of fires to create pasture has diminished woodland and bush areas, leading to ground deterioration and impoverishment. A major fire in the 1980s significantly damaged the blanket bog (Zalama bog), completely burning 40% of the peat. Such fires have caused two major negative effects:

Increased speed of erosive processes washing peat and water down the mountain slopes. These processes were already strong because of the sandy substratum, high precipitation, constant wind, and trampling by livestock and hikers; and

Homogenisation of indigenous woodlands, reducing their capacity for regeneration. More recently, a rapid expansion in exotic forest species has decreased the area of natural woodland.

OBJECTIVES

The Ordunte Sostenible project aimed to maintain and/or restore the “favourable” conservation status of habitats and species of Community importance in the Ordunte SCI. It seeked to work together with different specialists to improve long-term sustainable management of the area, also attending to socio-economic needs. Specific actions would focus on:

• Restoring the blanket bog habitat, by stabilising its perimeter area; bank regeneration; and the correction of certain impacts on the channels through which it drains;
• Promoting sustainable pasture use, by introducing livestock management guidelines; and protecting the fens-Sphagnum habitats in the Salduero-Pozonegro pastureland;
• Promoting natural woodland recovery, by eliminating pine and eucalyptus plantations with less production use, to allow the recovery of acidophilic beech; improving the structural complexity of the Pyrenean oak forest and its resilience, favouring the passage from "scrubland" to "selection forest", with high and vigorous trees, different age classes and seed regeneration; eliminating pine trees from the shores according to the needs of each stretch to enable the natural recovery of riverside alder groves; and creating an inventory of populations of Woodwardia radicans and Trichomanes speciosum present at the Ordunte SCI and establishing basic criteria for the restoration and maintenance of their habitat; and
• Promoting the socio-economic development of the area, by boosting public use of the area, in ways compatible with the conservation of the SCIs natural resources; and raising awareness about the natural values of the location and what is involved in becoming part of the Natura 2000 network.

RESULTS

The Ordunte Sostenible project team implemented a programme of sustainable management in the Natura 2000 site ‘Ordunte’ (SCI), within the province of Bizkaia in Spain, between 2012 and 2017, to restore this singularly valuable site. The project team restored the Zalama peat bog, recovered terrain previously covered by commercial forestry plantations for natural forests, established guidelines for livestock handling to conjointly attain sustainable pasture use and protect valuable habitats included in the pasture network, promoted sustainable public use, and lastly, encouraged the involvement of the local population in the conservation of nature areas.

Main project accomplishments were:

• Mitigation of the erosion process and loss of peat in the Zalama blanket bog (Habitats Directive habitat type 7130*);
• Reduction in livestock pressure on the Salduero mires and wet heaths and grasslands (habitats 7140, 4020*, 4030 and 6230*);
• Restoration of 206 ha with native trees (habitat 9120), and commitment to maintain them as areas of conservation;
• Structural improvement of 51 ha of Pyrenean oak forest (habitat 9230);
• Contribution to the recovery of 10 500 m of riverside alder grove (habitat 91E0*);
• Mapping and characterising of populations of the fern species Woodwardia radicans and Trichomanes speciosum;
• Collaborations and exchanges with conservation institutions and projects: University of Nottingham Trent, BirdLife International, Europarc, the Government of Cantabria, the Council of Castilla y León, LIFE+ Tremedal, LIFE+ Miera, LIFE+ Coast Benefit, LIFE+ Making Good Natura, LIFE+ Econnect, LIFE+ Viva Grass and LIFE RedBosques;
• Increased technical and scientific knowledge of peat bogs: establishment and monitoring of indicators at Zalama, and monographic publication on peat bogs;
• Raised public awareness through an interpretive pathway, video and educational resources, education unit for schoolchildren, merchandising, Natura 2000 day, and campaigns at fairs, children's workshops, nature outings, contests and talks.

Further information on the project can be found in the project's layman report and After-LIFE Conservation Plan (see "Read more" section).