First steps for the goat herd of the Plataforma pola Defensa do Monte
Since the start of this year, a herd of more than 40 goats has been helping to control the resurgence of invasive species in the common land of Rianxo, restoring biodiversity and contributing to fire prevention.
The restoration of extensive livestock farming in the Rianxo common lands is part of a broader environmental restoration effort coordinated by the Plataforma pola Defensa do Monte (PDM) and part of the Barbanza Ecosocial Laboratory.
October 17, 2024 — So far this year, the PDM has maintained a herd of more than 40 native Galician and mixed-breed goats. Managed jointly and strategically by the six participating common land comunities, the project is taking further steps toward multifunctional and sustainable management of the Rianxo common land.
Currently, one farmer herds the goats, overseeing their joint management with the aid of a trailer and a mobile fence system, purchased by the PDM as part of this call for proposals. Herd management rotates between the different areas, complementing the forestry work tendered by the PDM for the elimination of invasive species.
It is expected that by the end of the call for proposals (December 2025), the herd will reach 200 goats and that two farmers will be employed. The PDM’s work with extensive stockbreeding will also open up new economic opportunities aimed at diversifying the local economy, such as the production of goat meat.
Cooperation with the Baroña CMVMC, which makes its food processing center available to the Laboratory, will enable the exploration and viability assesment of different recipes using these meat products.
The new herd is part of a broader environmental regeneration strategy being coordinated by the PDM and part of the collaborative and multidisciplinary project of the Barbanza Ecosocial Laboratory. Following its selection in the Biodiversity Foundation’s forest bioeconomy open call last February, the Barbanza Ecosocial Laboratory has received a grant of almost €2 million, which is promoting actions that will change the paradigm of forest management in the region.
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.
