At the Siruela Communal Farm, a livestock pond has been naturalised, selecting a reservoir that holds water throughout the year, which is unusual in an area where many ponds dry up in summer. Visits to the site revealed significant degradation of the slope that acts as a retaining wall, with sparse vegetation cover and the appearance of gullies due to the continuous passage of livestock.
To reverse this situation, various actions were implemented:
Protection and spatial planning
• Installation of a perimeter fence of approximately 250 linear metres with mesh to protect the areas under rehabilitation.
• Creation of a side access for maintenance personnel.
• Installation of interior fences delimiting one-third of the pond’s surface area, allowing livestock access only to the shallowest areas while protecting the areas under restoration.
Stratified revegetation
• First line (pond banks): 100 aquatic and marsh plants, including Carex pseudocyperus, Eleocharis palustris, Cyperus longus, Scirpoides holoschoenus, Iris pseudacorus, Mentha aquatica, Mentha pulegium and Phalaris tuberosa.
• Second line (slope and perimeter): 100 specimens of shrubs such as Nerium oleander, Frangula tinctoria and Rosa canina.
Regeneration of the tree layer
Fifty holm oak acorns from the estate itself were planted using encapsulation techniques in the areas near the pond drainage system.
Infrastructure for biodiversity
An insect hotel was installed to encourage auxiliary and pollinating fauna.
The main objective of this measure is to recover the pond, stabilise the slope and restore the ecological corridor associated with the drainage, creating a functional ecosystem that combines livestock use with the conservation of aquatic and riparian biodiversity.
