October 4, 2024 — On October 2, the Barbanza Ecosocial Laboratory organized a meeting with the O Carballo common land community (Friol, Lugo). It was chosen by the University of Santiago de Compostela (through the Histagra group and CISPAC) and the Pablo de Olavide University, for being a model of multifunctional land management in Galicia.

The purpose of the meeting was to present the Laboratory’s Action 1 and its methodology. This line of action was formed with the intention of creating a methodological framework applicable to other ‘comunidades de montes’ in Galicia, with a special focus on the communities of Rianxo. During the meeting, participatory dynamics and interviews were conducted to gather information on the multifunctional management of their territory and their short- and long-term vision for the ‘monte vecinal’.

Taking advantage of the proximity, a technical visit was made beforehand by the group from the University of Santiago de Compostela, accompanied by the president of the O Carballo community, José Manuel Iglesias. During the visit, they learned about the various areas where silvopastoral management is practiced, including pastures and forest plantations where different kinds of livestock graze: sheep, pigs, and goats, as well as areas for mushroom harvesting.

Among the productive activities carried out by the O Carballo common land community is the silvopastoral management of forest farms through extensive stockbreeding of goats, purebred Galician horses, and Celtic pigs, whose meat is marketed to community members. Tools used include electric shepherds to move the livestock between plots and an automated feeder to feed the Celtic pigs.

The forest area consists of pine plantations (Pinus pinaster and Pinus radiata) and copses of native hardwood trees in the protected areas. They also carry out beekeeping and have a mushroom reserve, which provides additional resources. Mushroom harvesting is carried out both by the community (which markets it with organic certifications) and by amateurs (with prior authorization).

Involving the parish in forest activities is a key goal for the ‘comunidades de montes’. They organize events and gastronomic festivals throughout the year. Of particular note is the ‘Rapa das Bestas de O Carballo’, held every summer at the community’s ‘curro’ (fenced enclosure where free-range horses are temporarily contained).

The O Carballo common land community seeks to establish synergies with other local livestock farmers. Their goat herd is managed in collaboration with a goat farm. A total of 710 hectares are managed by the community, some of which are ceded to community members with livestock farms (20 of the 40 community members have cattle farms) to maintain the meadows.

Barbanza Ecosocial Lab has the support of the Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO) of the Government of Spain, within the framework of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (PRTR), funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU.

Coordinated by Fundación RIA, the Barbanza Ecosocial Lab is a project dedicated to promoting the transition towards environmental sustainability and strengthening resilience in the territorial management of the Barbanza common land.