Changes at "Shared Governance of Abandoned, Forested or Marginal Lands"
Body (English)
-Summary of the challenge- +Summary of the challenge
- +Across many rural, forested, and mountainous regions, agricultural lands, forests, or natural areas are being abandoned, left without care or long-term vision. Whether public or private, these lands often fall into a governance vacuum — becoming invisible, underused, or disconnected from local dynamics.
- +Detailed description
- +This abandonment brings multiple risks: ecological degradation, soil erosion, loss of biodiversity, increased wildfire risk, especially in unmanaged forest or hillside areas, and a weakened connection between local communities and their land. At the same time, many citizen groups, young farmers, associations, or forest workers are seeking access to land to regenerate, cultivate, steward, or inhabit in new ways. But due to a lack of suitable legal or institutional frameworks, these needs and potentials rarely meet. How can we build fair, democratic, and shared governance of abandoned, underused, or forested lands — including in mountainous areas — to bring them back to life collectively and reduce ecological risks such as wildfires?
- +Which SoilTribes priority area(s) does your challenge address?
- +Soil Democracy
- +Territorial Justice
- +Commons Stewardship
- +Regenerative Transitions
- +How does your challenge respond to the selected SoilTribes priority area(s)?
- +Our challenge addresses several key SoilTribes priority areas, particularly: Commons Stewardship, Territorial Justice, and Regenerative Transitions. By focusing on abandoned, forested, or mountainous lands, we tackle an urgent issue: the growing number of unused or neglected spaces that could otherwise serve collective ecological and social functions. These areas, often left unmanaged, present fire risks, ecological degradation, and lost opportunities for local communities. We propose to explore models of shared governance—through charters, commons-based management, or co-decision platforms—to reclaim these lands as common goods, accessible to local actors committed to regeneration. This directly supports Commons Stewardship by framing land as a collective responsibility. The project also responds to Territorial Justice, as many of these lands are located in remote or marginalized regions, where access to land and resources is deeply unequal. By involving diverse stakeholders (citizens, farmers, municipalities, landowners), we aim to rebalance power over land access and land use. Finally, the challenge supports Regenerative Transitions, by connecting abandoned land to projects focused on soil care, biodiversity, fire prevention, and community resilience.
- +Which EU Soil Mission goal(s) does your challenge contribute to?
- +Prevent erosion
- +Reduce soil sealing / reuse urban soils
- +Conserve soil organic carbon
- +Reduce desertification
- +Enhance soil biodiversity
- +Challenge typology
- +Roots (deep structural transformation)
- +Expected outputs / actions
- +Awareness-raising / communications
- +Capacity-building (training, guides, mentorship)
- +Policy or advocacy initiatives
- +Participatory processes
- +Who is involved or affected by the challenge?
- +This challenge involves a diverse range of stakeholders across both rural and peri-urban areas: Local communities and citizen groups who live near or around abandoned, forested, or mountainous lands and are directly affected by land neglect and wildfire risks. Young farmers, land stewards, and agroecological cooperatives seeking access to land for regenerative projects. Municipalities and public landowners responsible for managing underused public lands but often lacking the tools or capacity to do so inclusively. Private landowners who may be open to alternative models of land stewardship but need guidance and incentives. Environmental NGOs and fire prevention actors working on biodiversity, forest management, and climate resilience. Policy and legal experts supporting experimentation with commons-based governance or land use frameworks. The challenge creates a space for collaboration across these groups to co-create fair, durable, and replicable governance models that address ecological and social needs.
- +Where is your challenge located?
- +Parc Natural dels Ports, Terres de l’Ebre, Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain — a mountainous and forested area facing increasing wildfire risk, land abandonment, and depopulation. The region includes many underused or privately owned parcels, and there is growing local interest in community-led land stewardship and ecological regeneration.
- +Which SoilTribes pillar(s) are you connected to?
- +Public Sector
- +Civil Society
- +What public policies or institutional frameworks does your challenge engage with or seek to change?
- +Our challenge engages with and seeks to influence several public policies and institutional frameworks at local, regional, and EU levels: The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), particularly its rural development and land management measures, which currently have gaps regarding support for regenerative land stewardship on abandoned or marginal lands. The EU Forest Strategy and Fire Prevention Policies, aiming to reduce wildfire risks but often lacking community-based governance models and local stewardship incentives. Regional land-use planning and environmental regulations (e.g., Catalonia’s land planning laws and Parc Natural dels Ports management plans), which govern land abandonment, forest management, and ecological protection but need more inclusive, participatory governance tools. EU Soil Strategy and Soil Monitoring Frameworks, which promote soil conservation and restoration but are under-implemented in marginal and forested territories. Legislation related to commons and shared land governance at the municipal or regional level, where innovation is needed to recognize and support collective stewardship arrangements. By co-designing governance models, we seek to bridge policy gaps, promote multi-stakeholder collaboration, and enable legal recognition of community-led land stewardship, contributing to stronger, more regenerative land policies.
- +How do you imagine the Bootcamp will benefit your initiative — and others?
- +We imagine the SoilTribes Bootcamp as a unique opportunity to co-develop innovative governance models for shared stewardship of abandoned and forested lands, especially in fire-prone mountainous areas like Parc Natural dels Ports. Through the Bootcamp, we hope to: Learn from diverse European experiences on soil democracy, commons governance, and regenerative transitions. Prototype practical tools such as charters, co-management agreements, and participatory decision-making processes adapted to our local context. Strengthen collaboration between civil society, public authorities, and technical experts like forest agents and fire services. In return, we bring: Deep local knowledge of land abandonment, wildfire risk, and community needs in Catalonia. Experience working across sectors — from grassroots associations to regional fire prevention bodies. A commitment to creating replicable, just, and democratic governance models that can inspire other territories facing similar challenges. We believe this mutual exchange will accelerate soil stewardship and territorial justice across Europe.
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