Land stewardship agreements increase by 49%, reaching 4,632

The 7th Inventory of Land Stewardship Initiatives in Spain (2020–2023), published by the Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO) through the Land Stewardship Platform, highlights the remarkable growth of this tool for nature conservation and restoration in Spain.
The latest data reveal a significant increase in the number of voluntary agreements, the entities promoting them, and the total area covered.

Specifically, the 4,632 active agreements recorded in 2023 represent a 49% increase on the 3,100 recorded in 2019, with 1,688 new agreements added.
One of the strengths of this conservation tool is that the agreements are voluntary. These agreements are promoted by non-profit organisations, whose number has also grown — from 218 in 2019 to 268, a 23% increase.

The total area under land stewardship agreements now covers 708,191 hectares, also up by 23% from the previous inventory. This area represents approximately 1.4% of Spain’s total surface.

The growth of land stewardship in Spain reflects decades of progress in consolidating it as a key tool for the conservation of habitats, ecosystems, species, landscapes and sites of special value.
Its great potential lies in the direct involvement of people and civil society in conserving and restoring nature. This approach brings together public administrations, landowners, businesses, universities, NGOs and other organisations, adding even greater value through voluntary participation.

As in previous editions, the 7th Inventory of Land Stewardship Initiatives was made possible thanks to the voluntary data contributions of participating organisations and the collaboration of regional stewardship networks.

Most stewardship entities are associations (63%), followed by foundations (17%) and public entities (13%).
They are present throughout the national territory, with a particularly strong presence in Catalonia (28% of all entities), the Canary Islands (13%) and Andalusia (10%). All autonomous communities, however, have at least some active land stewardship agreements in place.

The main land uses under stewardship agreements are forestry (35% of agreements, 37% of area), and agriculture (32% of agreements,11% of area).

In terms of ownership, 79% of agreements are on private land, 17% on public  land, and 4% to communal land.
By surface area, 61% corresponds to private land, 23% to public land, and 16% to communal land.

CONSERVATION OBJETIVES AND FUNDING

Regarding conservation goals, the most frequent are habitat conservation (43% of agreements, 52% of area), ecosystem conservation (41% of agreements, 52% of area), and species conservation (36% of agreements, 78% of area).
Key strategies include habitat restoration (40% of agreements), maintenance of traditional land management (28%), and promotion of drought-resilient systems (22%).

Over half of all agreements (51% ) are located within Natura 2000 sites, covering 57% of the total stewardship area.

In terms of funding sources, 20% of agreements are supported by private funding alone, 17% by public funding alone, and 12% by mixed financing mechanisms.

METHODOLOGICAL IMPROVEMENTS

Since 2008, the Biodiversity Foundation, has been publishing the Inventory of Land Stewardship Initiatives in Spain through the Land Stewardship Platform (an initiative it coordinates). The aim is to document the status and development of all stewardship initiatives in the country, as well as the entities implementing them.

Since its inception, inventories have been published in 2010, 2013, 2015, 2017 and 2019.
For the first time, the 7th Inventory covers a four-year period (2020–2023) instead of two, following the recommendations of the Land Stewardship Platform’s Participation Committee.

Another innovation is the enhanced characterisation of conservation objectives, with greater focus on identifying the species and habitats targeted.
Furthermore, almost 70% of initiatives have now been georeferenced and new data has been collected on various parameters including funding sources used in agreements, products and services derived from stewarded properties, and the presence of management plans.

LIFE STEWARDSHIP

Spain has made significant progress in promoting land stewardship in recent years. Alongside the work carried out through the Land Stewardship Platform, new initiatives and European projects have been launched, such as LIFE STEWARDSHIP. Environmental Governance: an innovative mission to enhance biodiversity conservation through land stewardship.

From October 2024 to 2028, the Biodiversity Foundation of MITECO will coordinate this project, whose main objective is to boost land stewardship as a tool for nature conservation through innovation and collaboration among public administrations, landowners, businesses, NGOs and other organisations.

Co-funded by the European Union’s LIFE Programme, the project partners include Eurosite, the Forum of Land Stewardship Networks and Entities (FRECT), the Global Nature Foundation (FGN), the Fernando González Bernáldez Foundation / Europarc-Spain (FUNGOBE), SEO/BirdLife, and the Nature Conservation Network (XCN).