The Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO)in collaboration with the General Secretariat of Demographic Challenge, has resolved the call for aid to promote the forest bioeconomy and the contribution to the ecological transition corresponding to 2023, with the selection of 56 projects from among the 163 candidates that had been presented. The initiatives selected in a call that has 77 million euros of endowment They will have aid of between 100,000 and 2 million euros per project, with a maximum of 95% co-financing. All these projects must have been completed by December 31, 2025, extensions included.
95% of the selected projects have been presented as a group (with a maximum of six entities), the leading entities of the groups being the local administrationsas well as other public sector entities and non-profit organizations mainly.
Projects to promote the forest bioeconomy in 47 provinces
The 56 selected projects will operate in 47 provinces. Additionally, some of the projects address challenges at the national levelsuch as the creation of a State Network of Public Forests (REMP) and the identification and communication with forest owners to share forest management.
Regarding the demographic challenge aspects, almost two thirds of the selected projects (37) take place in municipalities or provinces with population densities equal to or less than 30 inhabitants/km2. Small town councils also have a relevant role, being beneficiaries of 14 of the 56 projects.
Of the 56 projects, 35 are focused on the development and diversification of forestry exploitation and uses14 are comprehensive projects that promote multifunctionality and more resilient landscapes, 6 focus on sustainable forest management and 1 on ecological restoration.
For example, projects that promote the industry associated with first and second transformation wood through planning, sustainable forest management and its certification, the characterization of new products and prototypes, such as cross-laminated wood; the optimization of the value chain, as well as the start-up and creation of local businesses.
Other forest products with high added value such as resin, cork, fruits, mushrooms, biochar or essential oils will also be promoted, studying their uses and launching workshops or new products, promoting marketing, identifying new markets and creating quality seals.
97 million euros to promote the forest bioeconomy
The 77 million euros of this call They add to the 20 million euros allocated in 2021 to the call for aid to promote bioeconomy and the ecological transition published by the Biodiversity Foundation and that have allowed the launch of 14 projects, currently in execution (five for extensive livestock farming, three for agriculture-agroecological transition, two for habitat restoration, two for forest use and management and two for comprehensive bioeconomy over the territory).
This new call, which is part of investment 4 (sustainable forest management) of component 4 (conservation and restoration of ecosystems and their biodiversity) of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan, funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEUseeks to support projects aligned with the new Spanish Forest Strategy horizon 2050 (EFE) and the Spanish Forest Plan 2022-2032 (PFE).