Last updated: November 2021
The intervention is a project of historic memory, it seeks to pay tribute to those individuals who were taken and assassinated as part of the resistance movement during the Civil War and the Franco dictatorship by planting a forest with Mediterranean species. In the forest, each tree represents one of these persons, thus combining aspects of recent history with the natural environment. (ref 1) Each tree represents real people, as the project collaborated with the families of the victims (Ref 1), to create a space of conscience about what happened in the Franco's period, as well as a memorial for them.
Overview
Nature-based solution
- Parks and urban forests
- Large urban parks or forests
Key challenges
- Climate action for adaptation, resilience and mitigation (SDG 13)
- Climate change adaptation
- Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
- Green space creation and/or management
- Environmental quality
- Soil quality improvement
- Air quality improvement
- Regeneration, land-use and urban development
- Promote natural styles of landscape design for urban development
- Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
- Social cohesion
- Social justice and equity
- Health and well-being (SDG 3)
- Improving mental health
- Cultural heritage and cultural diversity
- Protection of historic and cultural landscape/infrastructure
- Preservation of historic traditions
Focus
Creation of new green areas
Project objectives
The main goal of the NBS is to create a memory and tribute to all those people from the Peninsular Raising which suffered reprisals and were assassinated during the Spanish Civil War and Franco's dictatorship for having defended freedom, human rights and a government democratically chosen. (ref 1) This was carried out by planting trees, each with name and surname, as well as species name.
Moreover, the project will contribute to (ref 1):
- Aiding with desertification through the planting of native species of forest and undergrowth.(ref 1).
- Take measures to tackle the vulnerability of climate change.
- Increase green space in the face of growing desert-like conditions due to illnesses of trees in the area.
- “Mobilize the youth of the municipality so that through this environmental and historical-cultural activity, they know their past and contribute to improving the present.” (ref 1)
-Pay homage to the memory of murdered people by planting trees for each individual.
-Add a space of commemoration for the victims of the fascist regime, as there are not many in the area.
Implementation activities
-Contact and involve the families of those victims with the project, in order to make them active participants of the action (Ref 1).
- Community engagement activities that create conscience about the repression of Franco's period (Ref 6)
- Planting of trees (Ref 1).
Climate-focused activities
Climate change adaptation:
- Implement measures that prevent/manage desertification, soil erosion and landslides
Main beneficiaries
- Citizens or community groups
- Marginalized groups: Other
- Other
Governance
Management set-up
- Led by non-government actors
Type of initiating organisation
- Non-government organisation/civil society
- Citizens or community group
- Other
Participatory approaches/ community involvement
- Dissemination of information and education
- Joint implementation (e.g. tree planting)
Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project
The project is organized by the Asociación ‘El Taller de la Memoria’ de Santomera (Association The Memory Workshop of Santomera) and it includes the participation of community groups such as ecologists in action, citizens, and numerous members of historical memory collectives for planting the trees. Also, there are the families of the assassinated people that will be involved to put a name on each of the trees. Moreover, the costs for the intervention will be funded by the local government. (ref 1)
Project implemented in response to ...
... an EU policy or strategy?
Unknown
... a national policy or strategy?
Yes
(The intervention is a response to the lack of memorialization of Civil War and Franco-regime victims as per the Law of Memory (2007). (ref 1)
)
... a local policy or strategy?
Yes
(Impulsa program, which is a budget given to the regional deputees to pay for social initiatives (Ref 2).)
Financing
Total cost
Less than €10,000
Source(s) of funding
- Public local authority budget
- Funds provided by non-governmental organization (NGO)
Type of funding
- Direct funding (grants, subsidies, or self-financed projects by private entities)
Non-financial contribution
Type of non-financial contribution
- Provision of land
- Provision of labour
- Other
Who provided the non-financial contribution?
- Public authorities (e.g. land, utility services)
- Citizens (e.g. volunteering)
Impacts and Monitoring
Environmental impacts
- Climate change
- Lowered local temperature
- Strengthened capacity to address climate hazards/natural disasters
- Enhanced carbon sequestration
- Environmental quality
- Improved air quality
- Green space and habitat
- Increased green space area
- Increased conversion of degraded land or soil
- Reduced biodiversity loss
Economic impacts
- Unknown
Socio-cultural impacts
- Health and wellbeing
- Improved mental health
- Cultural heritage and sense of place
- Protection of historic and cultural landscape / infrastructure
- Preserved spiritual and religious values
- Increased sense of place identity, memory and belonging
Type of reported impacts
Expected impacts, Achieved impacts
Presence of formal monitoring system
Unknown
Presence of indicators used in reporting
No evidence in public records
Presence of monitoring/ evaluation reports
No evidence in public records
Availability of a web-based monitoring tool
No evidence in public records
References
1. La Cronica. (2016). ‘Donde los árboles recuerdan’, un proyecto que une memoria histórica y medio ambiente. Murcia: La Cronica de Murcia. Available at: Source link (Accessed: 1 August 2020)
2. La Opinion de Murcia. (2015). Arboles para la memoria. Murcia: La Opinion de Murcia. Available at: Source link (Accessed: 1 August 2020)
3. La Cronica. (2017). El Taller de la Memoria de Santomera planta un árbol por cada persona represaliada o asesinada por el franquismo. Murcia: La Cronica de Murcia. 17th february. Available at: Source link (Accessed: 1 August 2020)
4. Búscame en el ciclo de la vida. (2015). 1712 - Donde los árboles recuerdan. Murcia: Available at: Source link (Accessed: 1 August 2020)
5. Tropel Comunicación Social. (2016). Donde los arboles recuerdan. Murcia: Tropel Comunicación Social. Available at: Source link (Accessed: 1 August 2020)
2. La Opinion de Murcia. (2015). Arboles para la memoria. Murcia: La Opinion de Murcia. Available at: Source link (Accessed: 1 August 2020)
3. La Cronica. (2017). El Taller de la Memoria de Santomera planta un árbol por cada persona represaliada o asesinada por el franquismo. Murcia: La Cronica de Murcia. 17th february. Available at: Source link (Accessed: 1 August 2020)
4. Búscame en el ciclo de la vida. (2015). 1712 - Donde los árboles recuerdan. Murcia: Available at: Source link (Accessed: 1 August 2020)
5. Tropel Comunicación Social. (2016). Donde los arboles recuerdan. Murcia: Tropel Comunicación Social. Available at: Source link (Accessed: 1 August 2020)