Francesc Giró – The Contribution of Private Landownership to Nature Conservation

Francesc Giró holds a degree in biological sciences and pursued further studies in the United Kingdom with a Master’s in Nature Conservation and in California with studies in wildlife management and conservation. He worked at the Aiguamolls de l’Empordà Natural Park at the time of its creation and later at the Department of Environment of the Catalan Government. He is the founder and was the director of Fundació Natura for nearly 20 years and currently works on a personal and family project dedicated to the restoration and conservation of biodiversity in Tiana (Maresme).

In Catalonia, over 70% of the forested land area—which includes wooded areas, scrublands, and pastures—is privately owned. Unlike other parts of Spain, land ownership here is quite fragmented, and there are few large estates of more than 1000 hectares. Traditionally, most of these properties have not been fenced, and public access has remained open.

We often believe that nature conservation is solely the responsibility of public administrations, which manage it in Natural Parks and other specially protected areas. In recent years, however, many conservation organizations have also become involved through stewardship agreements. The truth is that despite public conservation policies and the efforts of many organizations, biodiversity loss in our region remains unstoppable. According to the report “State of Nature in Catalonia 2020,” biodiversity losses range from 12% in forest systems, 34% in agricultural areas and grasslands, to as much as 54% in inland waters. The situation within natural parks is not particularly good either, and moreover, we do not have an effective system for assessing the real impact of conservation policies in these parks.

With the new Nature Restoration Regulation of 2024 and other tools such as carbon credits, biodiversity credits, and compensatory measures for certain economic activities, a range of opportunities is opening up for private landowners to play an active and decisive role in nature conservation.

In this talk, we will discuss the tools we have at our disposal—which, despite being foreseen in the 1985 Natural Areas Act (40 years ago!), have yet to be fully implemented—such as the creation of private nature reserves and the use of the Natural Heritage Fund. Until recently, the management of this fund has been rather opaque, and it is still unclear whether it has truly been used “to promote actions related to the conservation, management, improvement, and enhancement of natural heritage and biodiversity.” The establishment of the Association of Landowners for Nature Conservation is an important step towards involving this sector and working together in the conservation of nature.