A year full of objectives achieved for the forest bioeconomy in the Pyrenees

The Empresa Clima Private Foundation is a partner in the Bio For Piri project, which seeks to turn the threat of large fires into an opportunity for rural development and conservation of natural heritage.
Led by the Fundació Catalunya La Pedrera, the project has the participation of the CTFC, the Foundation for the Conservation of the Bearded Vulture, the Business and Climate Foundation, the Integra Pirineus Foundation and the Pau Costa Foundation.

It’s been a year since the inception of Bio For Piri. Now that we have passed the halfway point of the project, we want to take stock of the goals we have achieved throughout this first stage. It gives us great satisfaction to see how a good part of our objectives have materialized, and we are looking forward to the second half of the project. For another year, we will continue to work on promoting the forest bioeconomy in the Pyrenees.

Bio For Piri is an initiative that works to turn the threat of large forest fires in the Pyrenees into an opportunity for rural development and conservation of natural heritage through forest management. Led by the Fundació Catalunya La Pedrera, in coordination with the Private Business and Climate Foundation and four other entities, the project has received nearly two million euros from the European Next Generation funds.

Actions promoted during the first year of Bio For Piri

The project focuses on three main lines of action: the prevention of forest fires through sustainable forest management, the promotion of the forest bioeconomy and the transfer of knowledge.

The different actions promoted by the project seek to generate local employment, conserve biodiversity and promote economic development in the rural areas of the Pyrenees. In this way, Bio For Piri not only addresses fire prevention, but also contributes to the ecological transition and the strengthening of rural communities in the Pyrenees, offering comprehensive solutions that combine environmental conservation with economic and social development.

Below is a list of the specific actions that have been carried out so far within the framework of the project:

• We have prepared a technical guide of planning criteria for the prevention of large forest fires, aligned with the values of the territory.
• We have managed 28 ha of strategic areas to prevent forest fires.
• We have managed 40 ha of forest following naturalistic forest management criteria.
• We have started the creation of a stable forestry brigade on the Alinyà mountain with the hiring of 1 foreman and 2 forestry laborers.
• We have increased the number of people trained to be forest workers: 6 people have obtained the European chainsaw card.
• We have organised 3 telematic training sessions to introduce the business sector to the forest bioeconomy.
• We have increased the number of people who are dedicated to extensive livestock farming in the Aínsa area, with the incorporation of 1 new person who has registered in 2024.
• We have recovered 6 water points to water the livestock.
• We have recovered 12 ha of pasture area.
• We have opened new clearing tracks and we have conditioned 15 kilometers of existing tracks, which represents 70% of the planned track adaptation works.
• We have analysed the potential for the production and marketing of wood products derived from forest management (biomass) in Aínsa.
• We have drawn up a map of typologies for the characterisation of the public mountains in the municipality of Aínsa-Sobrarbe.
• We have organised several volunteer days to raise awareness among citizens, in which 24 people have participated.

Final objectives of the project

The Bio For Piri project has a duration of two years and will conclude in December 2025. Until then, the following actions are planned:

• Management of 52 ha of strategic areas to prevent forest fires.
• Construction of a water tank for the prevention of forest fires
• Management of another 40 ha of forest following naturalistic management criteria
• Hiring of 2 more laborers for the forestry brigade. On this occasion, we hope to be able to solve the lack of contrast of women that has existed so far due to the lack of female applicants during the previous call.
• Training of 8 more people to obtain the European chainsaw card.
• Organization of a new training session to introduce the business sector to the forest bioeconomy.
• Incorporation of a new person who is dedicated to extensive livestock farming.
• Recovery of 2 other water points.
• Recovery of a total of 39 ha of pasture area.
• Organization of 3 naturalistic management seminars to train professionals in the sector.
• Celebration of new volunteer days, with the aim of attracting more than 120 volunteers in the total of the activities.
• Celebration of 2 BioBlitz, a participatory citizen science event open to anyone who wants to learn about nature and biodiversity.
• Creation of interpreted trails that will increase the offer of ecotourism in the area.
• Design and construction of a prototype of a rural bio-construction house using local wood.
• Drafting and publication of 8 environmental packages linked to sustainable forest management for companies that want to invest in active forest conservation.

Project partners

Behind Bio For Piri is a team of more than 60 people, belonging to the six different entities that collaborate to make this work possible. The collaboration of various entities, each one a benchmark in its field of expertise, is undoubtedly one of the strengths of this project.

Bio For Piri is promoted by the Fundació Catalunya La Pedrera in coordination with the Centre de Ciència i Tecnologia Forestal de Catalunya, the Foundation for the Conservation of the Bearded Vulture, the Business and Climate Foundation, the Fundació Integra Pirineus and the Fundació Pau Costa.

Bio For Piri is supported by the Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministerio para la Transición Ecológica y el Reto Demográfico (MITECO) within the framework of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (RTRP), funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU.