After centuries of grazing, felling and charcoal extraction, coupled with the more recent expansion of cities and transportation infrastructures, many of the forests once thriving in the Community of Madrid have either vanished or deteriorated considerably. This has harmed wildlife, cut away at plant diversity, damaged the climate, and depleted the storage capacity of reservoirs. To help offset these impacts, GMV has collaborated with the Reforesta association to improve the La Barranca Valley ecosystem in Madrid’s Sierra de Guadarrama mountain range, setting up individual tree guards and carrying out forestry maintenance.

One of the problems that trees face in their first years of life is being grazed by livestock and wild herbivores, which feed on their bark, shoots, leaves, and buds. To prevent this, the trees planted by Reforesta are sheltered in guards measuring 60 to 90 centimeters in height. Over time, however, the tree surrounds deteriorate and the photodegradable plastic guards placed around the saplings often fall away, break apart, or simply disappear.

GMV’s team has assisted in setting up additional protectors made of wooden posts and livestock mesh to prevent damage caused by herbivores to trees that have already outgrown the first guard. It has also sown acorns and planted wild rose bushes.

Overall, the activities carried out by GMV have benefitted the environment by:

• Fostering biodiversity among plant life in the La Barranca Valley, thus improving the ecosystem as a whole.
• Preserving and protecting specimens of various native species, offering more opportunities for shelter and food for wildlife using the fruits they bear.
• Supporting the fight against climate change thanks to the fixation of atmospheric CO2 carried out by the trees.

In short, Reforesta and GMV have joined forces to carry out environmental volunteering activities and raise awareness about caring for the planet, highlighting their commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals. This is in addition to the other social responsibility initiatives that both organizations carry out on a regular basis.

About Reforesta

Reforesta is a non-profit association. It was founded in 1991 and has been declared in the public interest, having planted more than 53,000 trees since 2009. It is dedicated to promoting sustainable development. Within this broad scope and under the framework of the United Nations 2030 Agenda, it pays special attention to Sustainable Development Goals 13 (climate action) and 15 (life on land), prioritizing vegetation recovery and the fight against desertification.