National Parks
Picos de Europa National Park: straddling Asturias, Cantabria and Castilla y León, it is home to the highest peaks of the Cantabrian mountain range. These mountains with their picturesque landscapes are also classified as Man and Biosphere reserves by UNESCO and protect a remarkable biodiversity, including the Iberian bear and wolf.
Atlantic Islands National Park: off the coast of Galicia, the Rías Baixas, it protects an archipelago of islands of great beauty. Accessible only by boat, they are home to an exceptional terrestrial and marine biodiversity, and numerous bird colonies. Cortegada has a remarkable laurel forest.
Muniellos-Fuentes del Narcea Nature Reserve: classified as a Man and Biosphere reserve by UNESCO, it has a rich biodiversity including magnificent and ancient oak and beech forests.
The pitfalls of industrial forestry
The area is being reforested, with eucalyptus being planted in Galicia. It is important not to confuse forests with tree plantations. Forests are the result of a natural and slow process and contain a rich biodiversity, whereas plantations are the result of human activity, mainly for commercial purposes, and are often poor in biodiversity. This is the case in Galicia, where we are witnessing an increase in industrial forestry, subsidised by the regional government. The stakes are economic, since the wood is mainly intended for paper production. The problem lies in the environmental aspect and the choice of eucalyptus. Plantations of this exogenous species would have the disadvantage of drawing a lot of water from the soil, of creating "green deserts", and of being a vector for the spread of flames during fires. These plantations also contribute to agricultural abandonment, since it seems more profitable to plant eucalyptus than to cultivate the fields. To face this situation, some elected officials have set up alternatives on their territory such as planting local species adapted to the environment.
The territory facing climate change
Climate change is already impacting the territory. It is reflected in the multiplication and intensity of extreme phenomena, notably storms, floods, but also droughts and heat waves, and their corollary fires. Rising temperatures also contribute to the establishment of disease-carrying species, such as mosquitoes. A report by the Spanish Meteorological Agency published in 2019 indicates that 70% of the Spanish population would be impacted by climate change, in a country where scientists also note an increase in the length of summers, of the order of 9 days in 10 years. In the summer of 2018 and then again in 2022, Galicia has been subject to water restrictions, in Vigo, Lugo or Orense. The drought has also affected other cities in Castilla y León and Cantabria where mayors have had to make water cuts.
In the face of ongoing climate change, mitigation and adaptation actions are being implemented. As has happened in France and other European countries, NGOs took the Spanish government to court in 2020 for climate inaction, particularly for the inadequacy of the targets set and the delay in implementing actions. A law on climate change and ecological transition was passed in 2021. Among other things, it calls for the elimination of the diesel and gasoline car fleet by 2040, the abandonment of coal and the development of renewable energy. The country closed half of its coal-fired power plants in 2020, most of which are located in Castilla y León and Asturias. Some have been replaced in the same regions by solar and wind farms. The country has also pledged to stop subsidizing fossil fuels and to stop prospecting for and exploiting them.
Soft mobility and slow-life
The regions of Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria and Castilla y León are accessible by train and can also be explored by foot, just like the many pilgrims who hike the roads to Santiago de Compostela every year, some of whom come on foot or by bicycle from very far away. Other walking or cycling routes also allow you to discover these territories, their land and to meet their inhabitants, combining the active mobility approach with ecotourism structures, and food from short and local circuits. The Slowfood movement promotes approaches for "clean, fair and good" food. Do not hesitate to meet the members of this network in order to reconcile the pleasure of taste buds and respect for the living. We will also invite the traveler to reduce his water and energy consumption, as well as his waste, through actions of reduction at the source (for a zero waste approach: www.zerowastefrance.org). We can all act, both in our travels and in our daily lives, to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. To measure your carbon footprint and find out what you can do, take the test with the ADEME simulator: https: //nosgestesclimat.fr/simulateur/bilan.
Pontevedra or the successful experience of a car-free city
This Galician city of over 80,000 inhabitants has banned cars from its city center since 2001. This initiative was born of the will of the mayor, who implemented a transport policy based on the development of active mobility, with investments in accessibility, park-and-ride facilities, and tools such as a "metrominuto" plan that indicates travel times on foot. In addition, the ban on the construction of commercial premises on the outskirts of the city is a factor that favors life and businesses in the city center. This approach has been a success, with 70% of trips made on foot, a renewed quality of life, less noise, less air pollution and 67% less greenhouse gas emissions.
