On 15 May, we held an Open Day at Dehesa San Francisco, in Santa Olalla del Cala (Huelva), within the Sierra de Aracena y Picos de Aroche Natura 2000 site.
The event brought together 16 participants, including livestock farmers from Huelva, Seville and Extremadura, members of the project consortium and students from the University of Córdoba. Organised by Innogestiona Ambiental in collaboration with ECOHÁBITAT, IRNAS-CSIC, UCO and with the support of FEDEHESA, the Open Day combined an introductory presentation of the project with a guided tour of three areas of the estate where conservation work has been carried out.
During the visit, attendees were able to see the implemented actions in situ: the restoration and renaturalisation of the small pond and its drainage channel, the mosaic shrub plantations and the biodiversity enhancement structures (stone piles, tarameros and aromatic rockeries) in the rabbit area, and the linear shrub plantings on slopes, designed to reduce erosion and improve water retention.
The event sparked a lively debate among the attending livestock farmers. The response was one of great satisfaction and interest: several participants acknowledged that the systematic clearing of scrub, a common practice on many farms, can be counterproductive to the long-term health of the pastureland. Some expressed their intention to abandon this practice on their farms and opt for a more selective management approach that preserves the ecological role of the shrub layer.
We will soon be holding further Open Days at the project’s other pilot farms. We’ll keep sharing the results!