Promoting agricultural activity and biodiversity in Bardenas Reales de Navarra

Together with the Agrupación de Sociedades de Bardenas Reales, ASOBAR, and the Community of Bardenas Reales, we have designed a strategy against the abandonment of the agrarian activity in this high nature value area, with the main objective of differentiating the territory and its productions through biodiversity criteria.

Bardenas (declared as Natural Park and Biosphere Reserve) is a site of 42,000 ha located in Natura 2000 where the agrarian activity shapes one of the most representative semi-arid steppe habitats in Spain. Cereal and livestock farming systems, impressive landscapes resulting from erosion processes and very important steppe and scavenger bird’s populations make it a territory of high value.

However, the agrarian activity is threatened due to climate change and to the low yields obtained in such arid lands, and yet this activity is essential for the conservation of populations of steppe birds such as the little bustard, the great bustard, the Dupont’s lark or the pin-tailed sandgrouse.

That is why with the participation of stakeholders we have created a strategy to promote a sustainable agrarian activity that implements measures to protect steppe birds and to enhance the value of raw materials from Bardenas, through differentiated marketing.