XCN is glad to announce the publication of the latest Xarxa per a la Conservació de la Natura (XCN) -Nature Conservation Network- report on land stewardship initiatives. This is the eighth inventory in a series that has been published since 2003. This report collects together current land stewardship initiatives in Catalonia.

Land Stewardship Inventory 2019

• 700 land stewardship initiatives covering 1.23% of the total area of Catalonia.
• 76 new initiatives started between January 2018 and September 2019.
• 63 active land stewardship organisations.

 

Land property and location

• Almost 75% of the initiatives are located on private land, corresponding to 56% of land under stewardship.
• 73% of land under stewardship forms part of Natura 2000 (European network of protected areas).
• 49% of the initiatives concern threatened species.
• Most of the initiatives are located in forests, followed by wetlands and rivers, and then farmlands.

 

Objectives and monitoring

• The main objective of land stewardship initiatives is habitat conservation.
• Environmental awareness and education, habitat restoration and control of invasive species are the most common strategies.
• 43% of the initiatives have a management plan, while monitoring occurs in 89% of the initiatives.

 

Socio-economic aspects

• 85% of the initiatives are formalised by means of a contract, and 1% are conservation easements (with a limitation of 99 years duration, as stated in the Catalan Civil Code).
• 39% of the agreements are signed for an initial period of 10 years, the most common period. They are followed by 25-year agreements (14%) and 5-year agreements (12.5%).
• 27% of the land stewardship initiatives, offer products or services to society.
• 68% of the initiatives involve other actors in land management, such as public bodies, farmers or other conservation NGOs.

 

Finally, to facilitate the access to data, XCN created an on-line Land Stewardship Viewer. Information on land stewardship organisations and initiatives is displayed on a map and several interactive graphics. You can check this web-app here: www.xcn.cat/inventari (available in Catalan only).

For more information about the inventory, the viewer or about land stewardship initiatives in Catalonia, please do not hesitate to contact XCN directly.