The LIFE Stewardship project brings together experts to design new training courses on land stewardship

One of the objectives of the LIFE Stewardship project is to strengthen the professional capacities of all stakeholders involved in land stewardship across various sectors. To this end, it plans to develop training strategies and carry out several pilot training initiatives.

To achieve this objective, Fundación Fernando González Bernáldez/EUROPARC-Spain, a partner in the project, has brought together experts from diverse organisations in two think tanks aimed at developing new training modules on land stewardship. These meetings, held in February and March 2026 at the CENEAM facilities in Valsaín (Segovia), have enabled progress to be made in defining five thematic courses focusing on key aspects of stewardship, such as the legal framework, funding opportunities, conservation, communication and a general introduction to this land management tool.

Experts from public and private organisations at national, regional and local levels, including representatives of landowners, have worked together to develop training content and approaches designed to strengthen the capabilities of those involved in land stewardship.

The first workshop focused on developing training proposals related to the legal framework and available funding opportunities. The second meeting explored issues related to conservation and communication, two essential pillars for consolidating effective stewardship initiatives. Both workshops also devoted time on designing an introductory course on land stewardship.

A key area of interest during the meetings has been the need to develop communication skills tailored to land stewardship. Participants have emphasised that the sustainability of stewardship agreements depends largely on the quality of dialogue with landowners, the ability to convey mutual benefits, and the use of tools that facilitate their long-term involvement.

This training module has addressed the design of messages adapted to different stakeholder profiles, the role of communication in conflict resolution, and the importance of enhancing the social visibility of stewardship as an effective conservation strategy. Collaborative work has enabled the formulation of proposals that will serve as the basis for a robust and practical training module, aimed at improving organisations’ ability to build trust and foster lasting relationships within the territory.

LIFE STEWARDSHIP 

The overall aim of the LIFE Stewardship project is to use land stewardship-based approaches to boost collaboration involving public and private entities as well as civil society for nature conservation and restoration in Spain, in the framework of the Europe Biodiversity Strategy 2030 and international agreements.

The project is coordinated by the Biodiversity Foundation of the Spanish Ministry of Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, with the participation of Eurosite, the Forum of Land Stewardship Networks and Entities (FRECT), Global Nature Foundation (FGN), Fernando González Bernáldez/ Europarc-Spain Foundation, SEO/BirdLife and Nature Conservation Network (XCN) as partners. It has the financial contribution of the LIFE Programme of the European Union.