Gipuzkoa fosters the green infrastructure network to increase ecological connectivity and territorial resilience
08/04/2025
Gipuzkoa Provincial Council has carried out environmental restoration work in five areas of the territory, covering a total area of 21.7 hectares.
These actions are part of the LIFE IP Urban Klima 2050 project under “Key green infrastructure for the improvement of urban-rural connection and the resilience of the territory”.
Aware of the potential of green infrastructure, Gipuzkoa Provincial Council’s Department of Sustainability proposed defining a green infrastructure network and identifying areas for improvement in which it would be necessary to carry out ecological restoration actions that would enable the ecological functionality of the network to be increased, within the framework of the European Urban Klima 2050 project. Although the proposal initially focused on the Debabarrena area, it has finally been extended to the whole of Gipuzkoa.
Once the ecological functionality of the territory had been determined and the areas of the territory that should be connected to each other had been identified, the connections between them were defined with the aim of extending the Basque Autonomous Community Infrastructure Network to a regional and municipal level, enabling connections to be established between the areas of greatest interest. The 103 areas identified have been called Zones of Interest for Ecological Functionality (ZIFE), which as a whole make up the proposed Green Infrastructure Network of Gipuzkoa.
In addition to defining the proposed Green Infrastructure Network of Gipuzkoa, restoration work has been carried out in 5 areas, covering a surface area of 21.704 hectares. These actions have enhanced, native forests, the elimination of invasive species, soil protection and the fight against climate change, among other things.
Muskiritzu Mountain Range (Soraluze)
Three woodland areas located on the southern slopes of the Muskiritzu mountain range in Soraluze have been recovered as part of the proposed Green Infrastructure Network of Gipuzkoa. These areas spanning 2.88 hectares used to be covered with forest plantations for timber production (Larix sp. and Pinus radiata) until they were felled in 2020-2021.
The restored areas have been reforested with 1,880 native trees, characteristic of beech and mixed oak-forest, namely: Fagus sylvatica, Quercus robur and Fraxinus excelsior as the main species and sorbus aucuparia as accompanying species.
Santa Catalina (Deba)
The lands of Santa Catalina are home to the hermitage of the same name, listed as an element of interest that forms part of the built heritage of the Way of St. James; the GR-121 (part of the Way of St. James), and an extensive cattle farm.
The objectives of the defined actions sought to make educational, recreational and leisure use compatible with extensive livestock farming; extend and improve the functionality and ecological multifunctionality of the green infrastructure network; enhance native woodland in areas currently occupied by non-native species or degraded vegetation and increase soil protection in the particularly important location of the steep slopes.
To do so, the GR-121 route has been adapted and improved, invasive species such as Robinia pseudoacacia have been eliminated and 1,974 native trees (Malus sylvestris, Betula pendula and Quercus robur, among others) and shrubs (Prunus spinosa, Ilex aquifolium, Cornus sanguínea...) have been planted.
Muskiritzu Mountain Range (Soraluze). Second Action
Two woodland areas located on the southern slopes of the Muskiritzu mountain range in Soraluze in the vicinity of the proposed Green Infrastructure Network of Gipuzkoa have been recovered. These areas used to be covered with forest plantations for timber production until they were felled, after which no restoration work was carried out.
The objective of the renaturalisation work carried out was to accelerate the ecological succession towards a mixed forest, in line with the vegetation of the area, enabling the surface area occupied by natural habitats in and around the proposed Green Infrastructure Network to be increased and contributing to the territory’s adaptation and resilience to the effects of climate change by protecting the soil in a particularly important location, such as the steep slopes.
Reforestation has been carried out by planting 3,773 plants of species that are characteristic of beech and mixed oak forest, namely: Beech (Fagus sylvatica), Oak (Quercus robur) and Ash (Fraxinus excelsior) as the main species and Birch (Betula pubescens), Lime (Tilia sp.), Maple (Acer campestre), Wild Cherry (Prunus avium), Blackberry (Sorbus aucuparia), Holly (Ilex aquifolium) and Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) as accompanying species.
Aizkorri-Aratz Natural Park (Zegama)
In early April 2020, there was a major earth movement of approximately 3 hectares on the northern slope of the Aizkorri mountain range, in the municipality of Zegama.
In the medium and long term, the aim of the reforestation work is to minimise the damage caused by the landslide and to stabilise the terrain by accelerating the ecological process of establishing woodland, reducing the risk to people travelling along the PR GI-70 path and reducing the impact on the landscape.
The species used in the reforestation were those characteristic of beech and mixed oak forest, namely: Beech (Fagus sylvatica), Oak (Quercus robur) and Birch (Betural alba) as the main species and Hazel (Corylus avellana), Willow (Salix sp) and Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) as accompanying species.
Arrola area (Antzuola)
An area in Antzuola which was felled in 2016 and is located within the proposed Green Infrastructure Network of Gipuzkoa has been reforested.
Reforestation has been carried out using species characteristic of beech and mixed oak forest, namely: Oak (Quercus petraea), Ash (Fraxinus excelsior) and Alder (Alnus glutinosa) as the main species and Birch (Betula pubescens), Holly (Ilex aquifolium), Yew (Taxus baccata) and Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) as accompanying species.
