February 17, 2025 – On February 13th, the Barbanza Ecosocial Laboratory organized a day dedicated to improving soil fertility in Rianxo, in collaboration with the University of Santiago de Compostela through the UXAFORES research group of Campus Terra, the entity responsible for soil improvement and restoration activities within the project. The initiative also had the support of the Plataforma pola Defensa do Monte (PDM), the Monte Vivo project of the Rianxo Secondary School, and the Rianxo City Council, which covered student travel expenses. The UXAFORES group is developing interventions within the Laboratory aimed at improving soil fertility through residue and byproduct-based fertilizers, as well as analyzing the potential for commercializing carbon credits through improved forest management.

The event was attended by 15 students from the Félix Muriel Secondary School in Rianxo, from their fourth year of secondary school and from their first year of the intermediate cycle of Care for People in Situations of Dependency. They were accompanied by Yolanda Paz Pereira, a Community Services teacher in the intermediate cycle of Care for People in Situations of Dependency and coordinator of the Monte Vivo project, and Jesús Luís Díaz Cadaveira, an economics teacher and member of the Bioculture and Bioeconomy working group of the Monte Vivo project.

The activity began at the Vicente Vidal Cultural Center in Rianxo with a presentation given by Esperanza Álvarez, professor in the Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry at the Lugo Campus and coordinator of the UXAFORES group. During this session, students learned in depth about the experimental plots project, reflecting on the importance of soil as a non-renewable resource, essential for environmental balance, food and fiber production, pollutant retention, and the fight against climate change, among many other ecosystem services.

Participants had the opportunity to understand the importance of soil conservation and sustainable management, rooted in the role that ‘montes’ play when providing goods and services. As Esperanza Álvarez emphasized, “the rehabilitation of degraded soils is key to the recovery of forest ecosystems, so these types of projects allow us to move toward favorable resource management based on scientific knowledge.”

After the theoretical session, the day continued with a chestnut tree plantation on ‘Monte Pena’, in the parish of Leiro, in an area located on the slope that descends toward the areas of Meiquiz and Or, where the PDM has planted 3,000 chestnut trees in recent months, an essential step toward forest rehabilitation and the consolidation of a more sustainable and resilient model. In the chestnut tree plantation carried out by the students of Félix Muriel, various fertilizer mixtures formulated by the UXAFORES scientific team were applied to evaluate their impact on soil properties and biodiversity. “Our goal is for these types of actions to serve as an example that other ‘monte’ management methods are possible, involving the local community and based on ecological criteria”, said Rafael Saco, president of the PDM.