Ecostystem Restauration of Alto Mijares, Spain

Project Story – Desert Leaves: Alto Mijares Ecorestoration In March 2023, a wildfire tore through the Alto Mijares region in the province of Castellón, Spain. Originating accidentally during maintenance work in Villanueva de Viver, the fire spread rapidly across 4,500 hectares of forest and scrubland, forcing the evacuation of entire villages — Montanejos, Fuente La Reina, Puebla de Arenoso, and others. The landscape that remained was one of charred trunks, eroded soil, and silence where birds, mammals, and reptiles once thrived. The Land We Are Restoring Fuente La Reina sits on the northern slopes of the Sierra de Montalgrao, between 800 and 1,100 meters above sea level, at the heart of one of the most biodiverse corners of the Valencian Community. The Alto Mijares is home to golden eagles, Bonelli's eagles, otters, Spanish ibex, and the endemic Turia nase fish. The village and its surroundings form part of the Natura 2000 Network — Europe's most important ecological protection framework. This is not just any forest. It is a living sanctuary, and it was devastated.

Our Response Desert Leaves was founded in 2021 by scientists, entrepreneurs and philanthropists united by one conviction: science-based forestry can answer some of the greatest challenges our planet faces — global warming, desertification, and habitat destruction. We focus on dryland forests specifically, because they are among the most vulnerable and most overlooked ecosystems in the world. When the Alto Mijares burned, we knew this was exactly the kind of situation we exist to respond to. In August 2024, Desert Leaves Foundation and the Town Council of Fuente La Reina signed a formal agreement to jointly restore the affected land — supported by the Consellería de Medio Ambiente de la Generalitat Valenciana. What We Are Doing The Alto Mijares Ecorestoration project is being carried out across three carefully selected plots, chosen for their soil conditions, accessibility, and current state of vegetation. Our approach is gradual, rigorous, and deeply rooted in ecological science. The first phase involves felling dangerous dead trees and using the burnt trunks themselves as barriers against runoff and erosion — letting the forest's own remains help protect its future. We are also constructing micro-basins, known locally as alcorques, to capture rainwater and improve conditions for newly planted trees. In total, we plan to plant 8,218 trees and shrubs across 7 native species: Portuguese oak, holm oak, whitebeam, strawberry tree, Aleppo pine, carob, and hawthorn. Mixed plantations are designed strategically — with less flammable species placed on the perimeter — to create a mosaic landscape that is both biodiverse and resilient to future fire. Over the thirty to forty years of their growth, these trees are expected to sequester approximately 1,356 tonnes of CO₂.

Our Goals This project is about more than planting trees. We are working to:

• Halt erosion and protect the soil and local aquifers
• Restore native wildlife habitat across a Natura 2000 protected zone
• Build a fire-resilient, structurally diverse forest ecosystem
• Recover the landscape and the tourism economy that depends on it
• Provide Spanish companies with a certified CO₂ compensation mechanism through the official Calculo-Reduzco-Compenso seal of the Ministry of Ecological Transition

How Funds Are Used Funding supports the full arc of the restoration: professional forestry crews, planting materials, erosion control infrastructure, protective guards for young trees, and two years of aftercare — including supportive irrigation and replanting of any trees that do not survive their first seasons. The Town Council contributes the land. The Generalitat Valenciana provides part of the plant stock. Desert Leaves coordinates, funds, and oversees the technical execution. Our Partners and Supporters We are proud to be an official partner of the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration and the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). Our project is supported by Universitat Politècnica de València, Fundación Ibercaja, Bioscore Sustainability, and several other companies committed to meaningful climate action. An Invitation The Alto Mijares is recovering — slowly, carefully, and with intention. Every tree planted is a declaration that this land still has a future. We invite you to be part of that future. Whether you are an individual who believes in the power of forests, or a company looking to make your environmental commitment real and visible, your support goes directly into the ground — into roots, into soil, into life returning to a place that lost so much. Join us in bringing the Alto Mijares back.