Alicante, Spain
City population: 331770
Duration: 2017 – ongoing
Implementation status: Ongoing
Scale: Micro-scale: District/neighbourhood level
Project area: 0 m2
Type of area: Public Greenspace Area
Last updated: October 2021

The action proposed by the Municipal Technical Service of Parks and Gardens at the Department of the Environment, aims at the regeneration of the forest with the repopulation of pines of different ages, to imitate a mountain in a natural state with the plantation of the Cartagena Cypress and Tetraclinex articulata, which has a good adaptation to the environment. Several plots (Plots 3, 5, 6, 8 and 12 of the project) have been repopulated with shrubs and trees such as cypress, esparto, rosemary, tomillos, lentiscos, tetraclinex and palmito, in the solana area, deciduous and riparian species, and to other silvicultural treatments, which increases the variety of existing vegetation. (Ref. 1) In addition, the project contemplates the construction of two viewpoints (Ref 1, 3). A new irrigation system is put in place for the re-use of water for sustainable use and water savings. (Ref. 7)

Overview

Nature-based solution

  • Parks and urban forests
  • Large urban parks or forests

Key challenges

  • Water management (SDG 6)
  • Improvements to water quality
  • Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
  • Habitat and biodiversity restoration
  • Habitat and biodiversity conservation
  • Green space creation and/or management
  • Regeneration, land-use and urban development
  • Promote natural styles of landscape design for urban development
  • Health and well-being (SDG 3)
  • Enabling opportunities for physical activity
  • Creation of opportunities for recreation
  • Economic development and employment (SDG 8)
  • Tourism support
  • Cultural heritage and cultural diversity
  • Protection of historic and cultural landscape/infrastructure

Focus

Maintenance and management of urban nature, Ecological restoration of ecosystems, Protection of natural ecosystems, Knowledge creation and awareness raising

Project objectives

- To restore the vegetation of the Benacantil Forest (Ref. 4) - Preservation of the ecological and cultural value of the Benacantil Forest (Ref. 4) - To make compatible the social use of the forest with its conservation (Ref. 4) - To encourage hiking and valorization activities in the population through nature appreciation (Ref. 4) -To introduce nature into the urban landscape: "is a natural space that plays an important ecological role, but also landscape, since its relief turns it into a formidable viewpoint over the city and introduces nature into the urban landscape." (Ref. 1) -"the project contemplates the construction of two viewpoints from which one can observe the landscape of the forest" (Ref. 1) -"The action aims at the artificial regeneration of the forest mass with the repopulation of pines of different ages, to imitate a mountain in a natural state - irregular mass" (Ref. 1) -Increase of the environmental awareness among the citizens (Ref. 1) - Water savings from the installation of an irrigation system that will supply the new vegetation (Ref. 7)

Implementation activities

-"several plots (Plots 3, 5, 6, 8 and 12 of the project) have been repopulated with shrubs and trees such as cupressus, esparto, rosemary, tomillos, lentiscos, tetraclinex and palmito, in the solana area, Deciduous and riparian species, and to other silvicultural treatments, which increases the variety of existing vegetation." (Ref. 1) -"the runoff area has been corrected by building small stone walls " (Ref.1) - adaptation of the pedestrian access from Sant Caietà street (Ref. 7) - reconstruction of walls and improvement of plantations (Ref. 7) - removal of dry pines and invasive plant species (Ref. 7) - installation of a protection fence (Ref. 7) - reconstruction of walls (Ref. 7) - conditioning of trails, graffiti removal (Ref. 7) - restoration of canalization for river water conduction (Ref. 7) - demolition and removal of works debris, plants and materials (Ref. 7) - signal the access to the Parque de la Ereta and the Wall that surrounds the complex (Ref. 7)

Biodiversity conservation or restoration-focused activities

Biodiversity conservation:

  • Protect and enhance urban habitats
  • Preserve and strengthen existing habitats and ecosystems
  • Preserve and strengthen habitat connectivity
  • Reduce negative impacts and avoid the alteration/damage of ecosystem
  • Protect species
  • Undertake specific measures to protect species
  • Undertake specific measures to protect native species
  • Undertake specific measures to protect valued species
  • Control and clean invasive alien species
  • Means for conservation governance
  • Manage biological resources for conservation and sustainable use
  • Public engagement
  • Create and use scientific knowledge for conservation

Biodiversity restoration:

  • Rehabilitate and restore damaged or destroyed ecosystems
  • Restore species (native, endangered, or unspecified)
  • Restore native species
  • Restore valued species
  • Clear and control invasive alien species
  • Restore ecological connectivity
  • Public engagement

Main beneficiaries

  • Local government/Municipality
  • Citizens or community groups

Governance

Management set-up

  • Government-led

Type of initiating organisation

  • Local government/municipality

Participatory approaches/ community involvement

  • Unknown

Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project

The Alicante municipality is conducting the restoration and improvement of the forest. The civil society and citizens are key stakeholders since they contribute and benefit from the main goals of the project (Ref. 4)

Project implemented in response to ...

... an EU policy or strategy? Unknown
... a national policy or strategy? Unknown
... a local policy or strategy? Yes ("The Department of Environment has undertaken the Phase I of the Plan for Restoration of Mount Benacantil, within the Plan for Plant Restoration of Urban Forest Areas of Alicante" (Ref. 1))

Financing

Total cost

€500,000 - €2,000,000

Source(s) of funding

  • Public local authority budget

Type of funding

  • Other

Non-financial contribution

Unknown

Impacts and Monitoring

Environmental impacts

  • Climate change
  • Enhanced carbon sequestration
  • Green space and habitat
  • Increased conservation or restoration of ecosystems
  • Increase in protected green space areas
  • Reduced biodiversity loss
  • Increased number of species present
  • Increased ecological connectivity across regeneration sites and scales

Economic impacts

  • More sustainable tourism

Socio-cultural impacts

  • Social justice and cohesion
  • Improved liveability
  • Improved access to urban green space
  • Health and wellbeing
  • Improved physical health
  • Gain in activities for recreation and exercise
  • Cultural heritage and sense of place
  • Improvement in people’s connection to nature
  • Protection of historic and cultural landscape / infrastructure
  • Increased sense of place identity, memory and belonging
  • Increased awareness of flora and fauna as culturally and historically meaningful
  • Increased appreciation for natural spaces
  • Education
  • Increased support for education and scientific research
  • Increased knowledge of locals about local nature
  • Increased awareness of NBS and their benefits
  • Other

Type of reported impacts

Expected impacts, Achieved impacts

Presence of formal monitoring system

Unknown

Presence of indicators used in reporting

Yes

Presence of monitoring/ evaluation reports

No evidence in public records

Availability of a web-based monitoring tool

No evidence in public records

References

1. Alicante Municipality (2017). Environmental Department finishes Phase I of vegetation restoration of Benacantil Forest. [Medio Ambiente finaliza la I Fase de la Restauración Vegetal del Benacantil]. Source link. Available at: Source link (Accessed: 09 July 2020)
2. Ayuntamiento de Alicante (2015). Agenda 21. Source link. Source link (website not available in 2020)
3. Asociación medioambiental, Repoblautoctona (n.d). "Portada". Source link (website not available in 2020)
4. Alicante Plaza. (2018). Alicante assigns 485.000 euros for Benacantil Forest restoration. [Alicante destina 485.000 euros para reforestar el monte Benacantil]. Available at: Source link (Accessed: 09 July 2020)
5. Vivir Alicante (no date). "Monte Benacantil Alicante". Available at: Source link (Accessed: 15 July 2020)
6. Alicante City and Beach (no date). "Sendero natural 2. Monte Benacantil". Available at:
Source link (Accessed: 15 July 2020)
7. DoceEnDigital (2018). "El Monte Benacantil de Alicante se convertirá en el primer bosque metropolitano". Available at: https://12Source link (Accessed: 6 August, 2020)