First GIFT Regional Stakeholder Meeting in Galicia, Spain
In the framework of the Green Infrastructure for Forest and Trees (GIFT) project, the first meeting between the lead partner, the Instituto de Estudios del Territorio (IET) and the stakeholder group of the region of Galicia (Spain) was held on 25 April 2023.
The event was chaired by the Regional Minister of Environment, Territory and Housing, who stressed the importance of being able to lead an interregional cooperation project to promote cohesion policy, the exchange of experiences, the transfer of good practices and learning between partners. In addition to favouring the search for solutions to combat climate change, contributing to the conservation of biodiversity, benefiting the surrounding populations and designing a common methodology to incorporate green infrastructure in the planning of the Galician territory.
On the other hand, the importance of valuing the role of Galician stakeholders, as the main experts on the territory and its dynamics, to improve the tools for the protection, management and conservation of the landscape has also been highlighted.
Likewise, and with the aim of explaining the project in detail to the Galician stakeholders, the participants were informed of the activities to be developed, as well as the importance of detecting good practices, both Galician and from the rest of the partners, which can be used to influence territorial policy and the Landscape Law.
At the end of the event, various stakeholders (As Mariñas Coruñesas and Terras do Mandeo Biosphere Reserve, University of A Coruña, Lourizán Forestry Research Centre, Galician Agricultural Guarantee Fund, Directorate General for Forestry Planning and Management, Galician Association of Forest Nurseries, Directorate General for External Relations and the European Union and the Galician Rural Development Agency) took the floor to thank and accept the invitation to actively participate in the project and highlight those aspects that they could contribute to it.