A new model of land stewardship

The European Nature Trust is partnered with the Pioneers of Our Time Foundation, whose goal is to regenerate the Muga Valley in Catalonia. Through an ecosystem-based approach supported by local communities, Pioneers aims to create a new model of land stewardship for replication to other European valleys.

As partners, TENT provides support to help drive the increasing scale of the foundation’s operations. Active across a 100,000 hectare area that has become threatened by the impacts of climate change, Pioneers of Our Time is establishing new principles of low-intervention forest management, river stewardship and restoration, keystone species recovery efforts, and natural capital approaches to environmental restoration. TENT is strategically providing support for the project’s communications arms, helping to strengthen the communication with local and international stakeholders, activate press engagement and support key media projects to ultimately expand the vision of a regenerating Muga Valley.

Amplifying a range of environmental programmes

Low-intervention forest management is essential for healthy, resilient forests and soils. In the Muga Valley, Pioneers is enhancing the forest’s ability to store carbon, regulate water, and support wildlife. Management also reduces wildfire risk – an increasing impact of climate change and land-use change. These practices ensure forests stay vibrant and sustainable for future generations. Increasingly, novel forms of financing are needed to engage the private sector with conservation outcomes, from which there are broad benefits. A new ‘climate credit’ has been created by Pioneers, which verifiably enhances water quality, sequesters carbon, and supports the protection of native wildlife. The interventions underpinning these credits ensure a steady water supply for Costa Brava North, which is crucial under the increasing periods of drought experienced in the region. Businesses and individuals can use them to offset their environmental impact and help increase the resilience of their local landscape. Protected areas form a core part of the foundation’s work: Pioneers manages 3 Natura 2000 sites of 5000 hectares: Massís de les Salines, Penya-segats de la Muga and Garriga d’Empordà. Their work ensures the conservation of these vital landscapes, benefiting wildlife and local communities. In the river corridor stewardship program, Pioneers collaborates with more than 40 local stakeholders to restore and protect 23 kilometers of the Muga River. This effort enhances water quality, ensures reliable water supply, supports wildlife, and promotes healthier ecosystems. Integrated with forest management, our activities stabilize riverbanks, reduce erosion, and filter pollutants. Critically, plans are already in motion to explore further reintroductions of missing keystone species to the Muga Valley region; the work has already begun with the reintroduction of Egyptian, Black and Bearded vultures, species that had experienced a century-long absence.