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  1. Fundación Lurgaia Fundazioa

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    LURGAIA was born in 2002 in Vizcaya, Basque Country, with the aim of WORKING for the environment.

    In Vizcaya, native forests have almost disappeared, replaced by industrial forestry crops.

    These monocultures, although necessary, have a negative impact and lack the biodiversity of a natural forest. Every so often, they are cut down to make short-term products, such as paper, immediately releasing the sequestered CO2. Intensive exploitation forces the use of fertilisers and phytosanitary products, impoverishing, polluting and eroding the soil. All the vegetation is eliminated and the cycle must start from scratch, making it impossible to reach the degree of maturity necessary for the health of the forest and, as we already know, for our health.

    In a privileged economic context like this, most plantations are in private hands and do not represent a way of life but an extraordinary contribution. More and more owners decide to take a step in favour of the planet and convert their land into forests without exploitation.

    The LURGAIA Foundation works to recover a part of this lost heritage so that there is a better balance between economy and conservation. And it does so by involving society.

    So far it has:

    • Grown its ‘U’ndabaso project’ from four hectares in 2008 to 170 hectares now.
    • Regenerated more than 600 hectares
    • Forged strong alliances with a range of stakeholders in the area
    • Developed a powerful volunteer network of more than 2,300 people
    • Involved small and medium-sized companies

  2. La Junquera

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    La Junquera is an organic farm and village that is being transformed into a beacon of regenerative agriculture in Southern Spain. At the heart of La Junquera farm is a community of entrepreneurs, dedicated growers, students and academics. The aim is to develop La Junquera into a regenerative farm by implementing regenerative practices, reviving the village and local community, generating economic activity, and restoring the degraded natural zones taking into account soil fertility, water management and biodiversity.

    The 1100 hectare farm of La Junquera and its Regeneration Academy (running workshops and courses) coexist in symbiosis: the farm facilitates land and infrastructure, while the Regeneration Academy helps the farm make better decisions on restoring landscape, biodiversity and sustainable profit.

    They have rebuilt the ruins in the village and make space for entrepreneurs and young people to live, learn and work to restore the degraded ecosystems both on the farm and in the neighbouring communities.

  3. GRAIN

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    GRAIN fights for a better global food system, based on biodiversity, agro-ecology and short circuits, and under control of local communities: a food system good for people and for the planet. It fights against the corporate-controlled industrial food systems, which destroy the environment and local communities.

    GRAIN began in the early 1990s, challenging the dramatic loss of seed diversity on farms. That work soon expanded into a larger programme including struggles for land, seeds, agroecology and climate in active collaboration with others.

    GRAIN now works in support of small farmers and social movements for community-controlled and biodiversity-based food systems. This takes the form of independent research and analysis, networking at local, regional and international levels, and fostering new forms of cooperation and alliance-building.

    Most of its work is oriented towards, and carried out in, Africa, Asia and Latin America, and it works directly with grass-roots partners in those regions.

    It has played a role in creating better understanding of issues such as land-grabbing, control over seed and the role of industrial food in the climate crisis.

  4. Ecosystem Restoration Camps Foundation

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    Ecosystem Restoration Camps (ERC) exist to regenerate our soils, souls and societies. Camps are built on or near land that is degraded, and ‘campers’ who seek to learn how to restore natural and agricultural ecosystems, economies and communities are welcomed.

    Restoration techniques learnt are then shared with land owners surrounding the camps.

    The ‘ERC’ idea arose in 2016 when ecosystem ambassador John D. Liu began discussing the concept. This galvanised people from around the world and resulted in the organisation’s launch in February 2017.

    The first camp was set up in the Murcian region of Spain where people have been living and learning how to restore the land around them since June 2017. This camp is now in its second phase: having built soil carbon and soil organic matter content, retained water and increased biodiversity, it is now creating an agroforestry system using plants that are commonly used in the region.

    The system was designed to inspire other local landowners to think about how they can still farm the same crops but in more regenerative ways.

    A second camp is about to open in Mexico, and there are plans for camps in California, the Netherlands, Australia and Brazil. The Foundation also organises Re-Generation Festivals, where mass land-restoration activities are run alongside performances from world class musicians, theatre makers and artists.

  5. Verdegaia

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    Verdegaia is based in Vigo, Galicia’s largest city. In late 2017, a catastrophic wave of forest fires desolated Galicia and Portugal, killing over 120 people and burning over half a million hectares. The “Brigadas deseucaliptizadoras” (or “De-eucalyptization Brigades”) is a grass-roots, environmental activism project that emerged after this.

    Eucalyptus is a highly invasive and pyrophile species that has been encouraged for decades by the pulp industry. Eucalyptus monocultures create a “green desert” with extremely reduced biodiversity, pushing back native forests to small fragmented patches.

    After the fires a sense emerged that direct action needed to be taken instead of waiting for the government to lead change. Over 400 volunteers have signed up as brigade members, participating in more than 25 interventions since April 2018.

    The “Brigadas” shows how people working together can bring about change in restoring landscapes and natural habitats and has transformed general pessimism regarding change into engaged participation.

  6. Sociedade Histórica e Cultural Coluna Sanfins

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    Sociedade Histórica e Cultural Coluna Sanfns was established in 2015 by commoners of the Froxán Common Woodlands Community as a tool to defend and engage local people and civil society with destructive mining, particularly the “San Finx” mine.

    The “Sociedade”, in partnership with groups such as Verdegaia, ContraMINAcción and Yes to Life No to Mining, temporarily brought mining operations to a standstill, by exercising social, administrative and legal pressure.

    To ensure long-term protection, the Froxán Commons and the “Sociedade” worked together to gain recognition by the UN Environment programme as the first “Indigenous and Community Conserved Area” in Spain. It also set up the “Montescola” programme for twinning common land communities with urban schools to restore woodlands threatened by degradation and extractivism.

  7. Ecosystem Restoration Camps

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    Ecosystem Restoration Camps aim to restore degraded land whilst training people in ecosystem restoration. They do this by building camps on degraded land; using the camps to house trainees that learn how to restore the land around them. The first camp is being set up in South-Eastern Spain, and has started the initial process of restoring the land: de-compacting the soil, planting the first 100 trees and building the camp’s initial structures.

    It has also planted 50,000 trees donated by Ecosia to restore the ecology of a local mountain and has partnered with a local farmers’ association to collaborate with local farmers in developing their regenerative agricultural practices. The camp’s education programme and business ideas are currently being developed.

  8. Regeneration Project: Granada

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    Regeneration Project: Granada (Spain) grew from Eroles Project’s 2016 Camp As If People Matter residency.

    We are a growing collective of refugees/migrants, local people and international participants who are working together to develop a project which seeks to find new ways to respond to migration.

    We aim to co-create small scale viable solutions, lifelong friendships, skill sharing, and ways of living as human to human.

    Together our vision is to repopulate a village in the province of Granada, Spain; collaboratively working the land and creating viable and sustainable livelihoods, to regenerate both the ecosystem and the economy of the area.

  9. MontBio (Montnegre Biochar)

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    MontBio promotes the intelligent use of carbon for ecological, economic and social regeneration; climate change adaption; and truly ethical consumerism.

    Our community project is bringing back the ancient tradition of making charcoal in the coastal mountains of Montnegre i El Corredor natural park.

    However, we intend to put carbon in the ground instead of the atmosphere – meanwhile regenerating the Mediterranean ecosystem, reducing wildfire risks, and building a circular economy among the mountain inhabitants.

    MontBio has permission to recover “waste” wood from forestry operations that would otherwise be burned, in order to create a high value, carbon negative product.

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