The Serra de Collserola Natural Park, considered the great green lung of Barcelona, faces intense human pressure and the growing effects of climate change. Therefore, the LIFE MetroForest project will test new ways to manage the more than 8,000 hectares of forest, trails, and agricultural estates to ensure their future readiness.
“"to innovate in the search for new systems of territory management, nature promotion, and maximization of ecosystem services."
The project, presented on Tuesday, February 3, in a working session, has a planned duration of five years and receives 60 % European co-financing through the European Commission's LIFE program. This initiative seeks to promote new instruments for agroforestry management planning to improve the resilience of forest systems.
The actions will be deployed across six estates selected as laboratories. In addition to the pilot experiences at Can Coll (public ownership) and Can Catà (private) in Cerdanyola del Vallès, Can Montmany and Torre Abadal (public) in Sant Cugat del Vallès and Sant Feliu de Llobregat, respectively, and the private estates Can Busquets (Sant Cugat del Vallès) and Can Planes (Molins de Rei) are also participating.
Given that nearly 60 % of the park's surface is privately owned, LIFE MetroForest aims to strengthen co-management between administrations and forest owners. The project plans to develop a multi-criteria monitoring tool, a massif-scale forest management plan, and specific estate management plans.
