C1 Herbaceous canopy management in demonstration olive groves
Description
Progress achieved
In the stewardship contracts signed with the olive growers, they undertook to manage the vegetation cover on their farms in an appropriate manner.
Throughout the project, actions have been taken to improve the biodiversity of these canopies:
Changes in the general canopy management system. It has been proposed to abandon tillage and the application of herbicides and to adopt a management system based on mechanical weeding.
Shallow ploughing in some olive grove alleys, thus allowing species to germinate that would otherwise remain dormant.
Maintenance of small patches without ploughing, mowing or grazing. Late-seeded species reach the end of their cycle and produce seeds that can be dispersed around the farm.
Maintenance of arvense vegetation on some olive trees.
Sowing of native herbaceous species in the productive area of the olive grove. The herbaceous cover is enriched with groups of species that provide different ecological functions depending on the deficiencies observed in each olive grove, such as soil retaining species, pollinator attractors, pest controllers, species of interest to birds, etc.
Band sowing of cereals in olive grove lanes. This activity has been limited to a single demonstration olive grove (Cortijo Guadiana «extensive»). The farm is in an area traditionally suitable for steppe birds. This favours the habitat of these species, which despite the generalised changes in crops in the region, still maintain interesting populations in the area.
Status
Completed.
The work carried out consisted of the design of tools for the management of herbaceous cover that would significantly improve biodiversity. The objective was to have herbaceous cover in the olive grove for most of the year. This herbaceous cover should contribute, both in agronomic and ecological terms, to a profitable olive growing model, maintaining and recovering biodiversity. To this end, and in agreement with the managers of the demonstration olive groves, a series of experimental management techniques were implemented:
- Changes in the management of the herbaceous cover.
- Shallow ploughing in certain areas.
- Maintaining certain patches without clearing, ploughing or grazing.
- Maintaining grasses under some olive trees.
- Planting native grasses in productive areas of the olive grove.
- Sow native species in olive grove borders.
- Sow cereal strips in olive grove lanes.
C2 Creation of landscape diversification units in the demonstration olive groves.
Description
This action is creating landscape diversification units by planting, recovering and restoring natural vegetation in the demonstration olive groves.
These units have been created in unproductive areas of the olive grove, so that they do not interfere with the usual agricultural work on the farm. These are areas that maintained a varied plant community in structure and composition, but which with the mechanisation and intensification of the field were relegated to increasingly smaller spaces and in many cases disappeared as a result of a dynamic that became obsessed with «cleaning» the field, based on erroneous ideas such as these areas being a refuge for harmful animals (vermin) or that they were the breeding habitat and shelter for species that are a pest for the crop. The main unproductive areas to be found in the demonstration olive groves consist of boundaries between farms, boundaries between areas of the same farm with different planting patterns, roadsides, slopes and stream banks, slopes, steeply sloping areas, rocky formations unsuitable for cultivation, the immediate vicinity of houses or huts and strips along walls or fences. On some farms there are still small patches of uncultivated woodland, both high and low woodland.
These units have been planted with shrub species, fruit trees, herbaceous plants or regeneration and restoration of existing vegetation.
Specifically, the following actions are being carried out:
- Recovery of boundaries with herbaceous species.
- Restoration of boundaries with woody species.
- Planting hedges.
- Planting of copses.
- Restoration of habitats in patches of natural vegetation.
These units are the basis for the establishment of an important faunal community: insects, spiders and other arthropods, reptiles, amphibians, birds and mammals will find shelter, food and breeding places in the new structures created in the demonstration olive groves. The herbaceous borders are of great importance mainly for arthropods, as a refuge for reptiles and as a nesting place for certain ground-nesting bird species, such as aludids.
The shrub borders, hedgerows and copses provide a suitable refuge and breeding area for micromammals (voles to shrews), reptiles (lizards, lizards and snakes) and a varied bird community, allowing the nesting of species adapted to shrub vegetation such as warblers or fringillids and serving as a feeding ground for both frugivorous species that consume the fruits of the planted shrubs and insectivorous species and birds of prey. The restoration of patches of Mediterranean scrub provides an important reinforcement of the functions of the previous structures, and also facilitates the possibility of their use by species that are less specialised in agricultural environments, or that require a different vegetation structure, as well as facilitating the function of the olive grove as a connection zone between areas of natural vegetation.
Progress achieved
Plantations with autochthonous species have been carried out in the twenty demonstration olive groves -as well as in the informative olive grove that the Project manages in the Parque Científico y Tecnológico del Olivar, Geolit-, as established in each of the Action Plans. These have been carried out both through the volunteer camps and with the team that has been hired for this purpose.
By mid-2020, they had been carried out:
- Restoration of natural vegetation patches on 51 794 m2, where 6 728 specimens have been planted.
- Revegetation of 32 301 m2 of boundaries, where 9 508 specimens of woody species have been planted.
- Planting of 7 920 m2 of linear boundaries with autochthonous herbaceous species.
Status
Completed.
Natural vegetation patches were restored in 23 sites or work areas, with a total surface area of 51,794 m2, planting a total of 6,728 specimens of woody species. To this end, specimens of different autochthonous woody species were planted in patches located in areas of the olive grove considered unproductive and according to the typology of the site, so that the density of planting was greater in the patches where woody species were scarce. On the other hand, where natural vegetation was abundant, plantings were mainly aimed at increasing the diversity of shrubs and trees.
The selection of woody species was based on the potential vegetation of each olive grove, while the spatial distribution of seedlings was based on the geomorphology of the unproductive area, the distance to the productive area and the potential size of each species (height and shape they could reach).
On the other hand, 32,301 m2 of boundaries were revegetated in 52 sites or work areas, where 9,508 specimens of woody species were planted. These plantings were carried out in one or several rows, depending on the width of the work area.
In addition, 7,920 linear metres of field borders were planted with autochthonous herbaceous species in 29 sites or work areas. Prior to this work, the land was prepared according to the state of the soil, the moisture content and the possibility of mechanisation, varying from shallow ploughing to shallow harrowing.
C3 Restoration of rural roadsides in the demonstration olive groves
Description
Restoration of roadsides has been carried out, based on the revegetation of their sides and slopes with native vegetation of herbaceous species and, mainly, shrubs and trees.
On the selected paths and sections, plantings have been made, mainly of shrub species and trees similar to those used in the hedges described in action C2: Rosa spp, Crategus monogyna, Quercus spp, Rhamnus spp, Phillyrea angustifolia, Retama spp, Capparis spinosa, Jasminum fruticans, Osyris alba, etc. A smaller number of fruit species have also been planted, such as cherry trees (Prunus avium), almond trees (Prunus dulcis) and apple trees (Malus domestica), where conditions have allowed.
The recovery of these roadsides has provided valuable structures for biodiversity, in the same way as hedges or boundaries, as they are similar vegetation structures that are in turn attracting a similar faunal community. To this positive function must be added the restoration or improvement of their connecting effect between different areas of the olive groves, and the possibility that the diversifying structures have a greater linear dimension than in other cases, due to the length of the paths. In short, their revegetation provides diversification and connectivity at a landscape scale, to which birds and mammals are expected to be particularly sensitive.
Progress achieved
By mid-2020, restoration activities totalled 34 756 m2 of roadsides, where 5 410 specimens of woody species have been planted and 4 935 linear metres have been planted with seeds.
Plantings have been carried out in one or more rows, depending on the width of the work area, leaving a variable distance between plants depending on the soil conditions and the potential size of the different species used. In accordance with the Action Plans, on occasions the planting was intermittent, leaving parts without revegetation, where the planting could interfere with the farm’s agricultural work.
The restoration work on the edges of rural roads has been carried out in all the demonstration olive groves, with the exception of El Tobazo, Piedras Cucas, Casa del Duque, La Tosquilla and Los Ojuelos, due to the absence of roads inside the estate (Los Ojuelos), the incompatibility of the possible work on the roads with the agricultural work and the regular traffic of machinery or the close proximity of the olive trees to the edges of the roads, which interferes with the olive harvesting work.
Status
Completed.
Restoration work has been carried out on 34,756 m2 of rural roadsides where 5,410 specimens of woody species have been planted. In addition, 4,935 linear metres of roadsides have been planted with herbaceous species.
Planting was carried out in one or more rows, depending on the width of the working area, leaving a variable distance between plants depending on the state of the soil and the potential size of the different species used. In accordance with the Action Plans, planting was occasionally discontinuous, leaving parts without revegetation in areas where planting could interfere with the farm’s agricultural work.
C4 Revegetation of the water network in the demonstration olive groves.
Description
This action has been carried out in the rivers, streams, gullies and watercourses of the demonstration olive groves. The margins of these fluvial and/or erosive formations constitute unproductive areas within the olive grove and, therefore, areas susceptible to harbouring natural vegetation that contributes to diversifying the landscape and increasing biodiversity. In addition to fulfilling the general objective of introducing diversifying elements that increase the biodiversity of the olive grove landscape, this action also contributes to reducing diffuse erosion.
In the watercourses, vegetation covers made up of annual species and low perennial species have been installed. The installation, in the form of barriers perpendicular to the flow of water, has been carried out intermittently, so that the barriers slow down the speed of the water in episodes of heavy rainfall. Species such as Plantago albicans, which forms a thick, very fibrous vine that branches out to form lawns, Plantago laceolata, a hemicryptophyte that forms a basal rosette, or Oryzopsis miliacea, which is distributed in clumps that can be mowed repeatedly and is probably the best species for the areas at greatest risk of erosion, have been used.
Shrub species with strong, deep roots have been planted in the gullies. Different species have been used depending on whether it is the gully slope or the bottom, differentiating between wet and dry bottoms. On the slopes, species such as Jasminun fruticans, Rhamnus lycioides, Rosmarinus officinalis, Osyris alba, Capparis spinosa, Plumbago europea, Coronilla juncea, etc. have been planted. On dry bottoms, Pistacea terebinthus, Spartium junceum, Prunus spinosa, Colutea arborescens or Retama sphaerocarpa have been used in preference. On wet bottoms, species such as Bupleurum fruticosum, Glycyrrhiza galbra, Rubus fruticosum, Nerium oleander, Clematis flammula, Dorycnium hirsutum, Rhamnus alaternus, Sambucus nigra or Hypericum tomentosum have been used.
On the slopes, planting has been carried out by opening up horizontal hollows in the slope, which allow water to be retained in the first weeks after planting. The location of the plants has been determined by the size and geometry of the slope, mainly by its gradient.
In streams and permanent watercourses, riparian species such as Salix alba, S. fragilis, Populus alba, Populus nigra, Fraxinus angustifolia, Nerium oleander or Tamarix spp. have been planted.
In all the interventions foreseen in this action, special attention has been paid to using only plant species native to the area in which work is being carried out.
Progress achieved
By mid-2020, work had been carried out on 43,165 m2 in which 10,480 specimens of woody species had been planted.
These plantations had been adapted to the particular conditions of each area of action, which are highly conditioned by the terrain, which in some gullies is particularly rugged.
The planting points were chosen so as not to compromise the stability of the banks or slopes, while at the same time allowing the modelling of a small cork for water retention. Both in the selection of species and in the spatial distribution of the planting, the aim was to promote biodiversity and reduce erosion.
In some incipient gullies that run through productive areas in the olive groves, intermittent revegetation has been carried out, so that they fulfil their dual function of improving biodiversity and controlling erosion.
In addition, in four demonstration olive groves, native herbaceous species were sown on an ad hoc basis on a total of 5,723 m2 .
Status
Completed.
The work has been carried out in 62 sites or work areas, with a surface area of 43,165 m2, where 10,480 specimens of woody species have been planted. The planting has been adapted to the particular conditions of each work area. In this case, the distribution of the plantation was highly conditioned by the orography, which is particularly rugged in some of the ravines caused by erosion.
The planting sites were chosen in such a way that the activity would not compromise the stability of the edges or side slopes, while at the same time allowing the creation of a water retention cork. The criteria for species selection and spatial distribution included not only biodiversity enhancement but also erosion reduction.
Discontinuous revegetation was carried out in some incipient ravines that cross the productive areas of the olive groves. In this way, they fulfilled their dual function as biodiversity-enhancing and erosion-controlling elements. The planting of native herbaceous species was carried out in four demonstration olive groves, with a surface area of 5,723 m2.
Whenever possible, the land was prepared in the same way as in other actions, although this preparation has not been possible in most of the work area, due to the steep slope and the risk of increasing vulnerability to erosion as a result of the land preparation itself.
C5 Adaptation of infrastructures of demonstration olive groves to increase biodiversity.
Description
- Installation of nest boxes for barn owls (Tyto alba)
- Installation of nest boxes for lesser kestrel (Falco naumanni)
- Installation of nest boxes for caracaras (Coracias garrulus) and little owls (Athene noctua)
- Installation of nesting boxes for small passerines
- Installation of bat nesting boxes
- Installation of insect hotels
- Construction of walls
- Laying of stone mounds
Progress achieved
Until mid-2020, they have been carried out:
Installation of nest boxes for birds. Nest boxes of different types have been installed, mostly for passerines and small birds of prey. The nest boxes have been installed in areas where little availability of nesting places for these groups of birds has been observed.
Installation of bat roosts. Bat roosts of two different sizes have been installed. They have been placed in buildings located in the demonstration farms and in the roosting posts installed in the productive areas.
Installation of perches for birds of prey. Perching posts have been installed for birds of prey. These posts provide a perch that serves as a perch for locating prey or for safely consuming it once it has been captured. They have been installed in areas with a lack of trees of sufficient height to fulfil this function. The installation of the posts has been used to install nest boxes for small birds of prey and shelters for bats.
Construction and placement of nest boxes for insects. This restoration activity has been carried out in coordination with action A2 and has been executed both by UJA-E and EEZA technicians (A2), as well as by volunteers (C9) and SEO technicians in charge of action C5. This action has had a dual purpose. On the one hand, to estimate the presence and abundance of different groups of insects, mainly solitary bees, based on the occupancy rate of these nests. On the other hand, as a specific measure to increase biodiversity by favouring the presence and abundance of these insects and thus enhancing their important ecological functions.
Therefore, in order to compare the results at the different sampling points, each nest had two identical sections (same availability of nesting substrates, number of available holes and size of the holes drilled), with respect to each other and to the rest of the nest sites. After the laying period, one of the sections was removed for study in the laboratory (to identify the nesting species), while the other section was left in the demonstration olive groves to increase the availability of breeding habitat for these insects.
Construction of stone walls. Small dry stone walls have been built using rocky materials from the surroundings of the demonstration olive grove. Preferably, locations have been chosen in border areas (between productive and unproductive), areas close to water points (which can serve as a refuge for amphibian species), or plantation areas with erosion protection needs.
On the other hand, a hacking or field breeding project was carried out for barn owls (Tyto alba), a small bird of prey that is suffering from the loss or deterioration of buildings suitable for its reproduction, conservation problems related to the quantity and quality of the prey available, etc. To this end, an old haystack in the Cortijo de Conde de Guadiana was adapted and thirteen baby owls were released from Species Recovery Centres in Jaén, Seville and Madrid, which were fed and monitored through camera traps for months, until they decided to take the leap outdoors. Even later, this monitoring continued, mainly through the study of their pellets.
In 2019, an old electrical transformer was rehabilitated to convert it into a living house. This action was carried out in the Virgen de los Milagros demonstration olive grove, located in Mancha Real (Jaén). Its interior was adapted and numerous nest boxes of different sizes were introduced, adapted for different species of birds, in which owls, owlets and kestrels from CREA Quiebrajano (Jaén) were cared for a few days before being released to reinforce their population in this olive grove.
Actions
Nesting boxes for small raptors
Nesting insectivorous birds
Innkeepers
Bat roosts
Walls
Mounds
Insect nests
Realised
40
91
18
37
5
0
95
State
Completed.
Adaptation of irrigation ponds and construction of ponds and drinking troughs
Description
Through this action, water points will be adapted or constructed so that they can be easily used by different species of birds, mammals, amphibians and invertebrates. These water points are of key value in the olive grove ecosystem, as water is often one of the main limiting factors, as is normally the case in Mediterranean environments.
Two types of actions will be carried out:
- Adaptation of irrigation ponds
- Construction of ponds and drinking troughs
Progress achieved
Construction of ponds. Ten ponds were constructed in eight demonstration olive groves. Eight of these ponds were constructed using waterproof EPDM (ethylene propylene diene diene monomer) membranes suitable for animal life. They are between 3 and 7 metres in diameter and have a maximum depth of 50 cm. The waterproof membrane has been covered with gravel, concrete and stones and/or earth material to facilitate and accelerate its naturalisation. The water supply was provided from the nearest available water supply point. A minimum water level is maintained by supplementary water supply. |
Two of the ponds were constructed without the use of waterproofing membranes. They are located in a small temporary watercourse, where the water table remains high for most of the year. These ponds dry up during the summer, as many natural ponds do, when the inhabitants adopt different strategies to overcome this period. Some species, especially amphibians, bury themselves, others hide in small holes or among stones. Many organisms adopt other forms of resistance such as laying resistant eggs or burying themselves in quiescent phases. |
Placement of troughs. The selected drinking troughs are made of concrete, about 45 cm long and 20 cm wide. They are connected to a 200-litre tank and the water supply is regulated by a buoy system. They have been placed at strategic points, away from other water points in the environment, and in the vicinity of potential bird breeding areas. |
Adaptation of irrigation ponds. These have been carried out in the three demonstration olive groves with this type of infrastructure: Cortijo de Guadiana, Virgen de los Milagros and Finca la Torre. The edges of Finca la Torre and Cortijo de Guadiana have been revegetated (due to the characteristics of the pond, this action is not possible in Virgen de los Milagros) and a series of floating islands have been built, for the time being, in Cortijo de Guadiana. |
Status
Completed.
Construction of ponds. Ten ponds were constructed in eight demonstration olive groves. Eight of these ponds were constructed using waterproof EPDM (ethylene propylene diene diene monomer) membranes suitable for animal life. They are between 3 and 7 metres in diameter and have a maximum depth of 50 cm. The waterproof membrane has been covered with gravel, concrete and stones and/or earth material to facilitate and accelerate its naturalisation. The water supply was provided from the nearest available water supply point. A minimum water level is maintained by supplementary water supply.
Two of the ponds were constructed without the use of waterproofing membranes. They are located in a small temporary watercourse, where the water table remains high for most of the year. These ponds dry up during the summer, as many natural ponds do, when the inhabitants adopt different strategies to overcome this period.
Some species, especially amphibians, bury themselves, others hide in small holes or among stones. Many organisms adopt other forms of resistance such as laying resistant eggs or burying themselves in quiescent phases. Placement of troughs. The selected drinking troughs are made of concrete, about 45 cm long and 20 cm wide. They are connected to a 200-litre tank and the water supply is regulated by a buoy system. They have been placed at strategic points, away from other water points in the environment, and in the vicinity of potential bird breeding areas.
Adaptation of irrigation ponds. These have been carried out in the three demonstration olive groves with this type of infrastructure: Cortijo de Guadiana, Virgen de los Milagros and Finca la Torre. The edges of Finca la Torre and Cortijo de Guadiana have been revegetated (due to the characteristics of the pond, this action is not possible in Virgen de los Milagros) and a series of floating islands have been built, for the time being, in Cortijo de Guadiana.
C7 Assistance in the production and marketing of Olivares Vivos oils
Description
This action has a twofold objective: on the one hand, to ensure the profitability of the brand through an appropriate production and marketing strategy and, on the other hand, to facilitate and improve the production and marketing process of the oil produced in the pilot olive groves certified as Olivares Vivos.
Olivares Vivos reinforces the response to the growing demand for a quality product with added environmental values. Therefore, in order to ensure profitability and a demonstrative effect, it is essential to guarantee the quality of Olivares Vivos oils, as this added value will reach a wider public if it is linked to quality oils. It is therefore necessary that the oils under this brand are also associated with quality oils which, in addition, contribute to halting the loss of biodiversity.
For this reason, it is essential that consumers not only identify living olive oil with the recovery of biodiversity, but also with quality EVOO. A quality oil produced in olive groves that preserve life would be a novel product in demand by a much wider public.
The introduction of quality standards in Olivares Vivos is not a disadvantage for olive growers who want to convert their olive groves into living olive groves, but rather an advantage, since the initiative of olive growers who have gone from being olive producers to oil producers (a prior step for the certification of living olive groves) has always been aimed at the production of high quality EVOO. In addition, olive growers will always appreciate that the oils that will share the guarantee mark with theirs meet these quality standards.
With regard to the marketing strategy to ensure profitability, an adequate promotion strategy is needed to define the strategic marketing and communication lines necessary to successfully introduce Olivares Vivos in the market and increase its demand. In order to develop this strategic framework, it is necessary to define the product well, identify potential consumer groups, analyse their needs in order to know them better and meet their demands.
The following marketing actions will be carried out to implement this action:
Design and launch of the Olivares Vivos guarantee brand.
Specifically, this action will involve the graphic design of the brand and the selection of the symbol and/or logo, as well as the analysis and selection of the most appropriate content in accordance with the message to be evoked through Olivares Vivos.
Ad hoc market research to analyse consumer behaviour
The aim of this action is to analyse the degree of knowledge and preferences of the target public in relation to olive oils by carrying out various market research studies. In general, as basic studies, various surveys will be carried out to study the preferences and best ways of marketing the product (purchase intention, preferred place of purchase, willingness to pay, etc.). This information will be the knowledge base to guide all strategic and operational marketing in the launch of the oil produced under the Olivares Vivos olive growing model.
Advisory actions for the launch and marketing of the Olivares Vivos product.
Periodic conferences and seminars will be held where the marketing problems will be presented at round tables and the actions (market studies, promotion and communication campaigns, lobbying of the Administration, etc.) and strategies to be followed will be determined. Given the contingent nature of this type of action, the specific nature of these actions will be established according to the problems and opportunities that arise during the launching of the initiative. Likewise, the possibility of having the collaboration of experts in the strategic field of agri-food product marketing who can serve as a reference for the Olivares Vivos project will be assessed. It should be made clear that the aim of the Olivares Vivos guarantee mark is for olive oil producers to contribute to the recovery of biodiversity thanks to the changes in the production model proposed by the project, and to do so by means of the added value incentive that certification will provide. All economic benefits derived from the sale of olive oil certified as «Olivares Vivos» will return exclusively to the olive oil producers.
Under no circumstances will the project benefit financially from these sales.
Defining a Business Strategy and contingency plans
Depending on the monitoring of the evolution of the impact of the guarantee mark on the market and the results of the market studies, a Contingency Plan will be drawn up containing a list of possible problems that could affect the sustainability of the model in the post-LIFE period and strategies for responding to them.
Progress achieved
During the first half of 2017, a Seminar/Workshop was held with researchers specialising in olive groves and the environment. One of the objectives of this seminar was to present the empirical study with the aim of triangulating the research based on the reflections and contributions of the researchers.
After selecting the company responsible for carrying out the market studies (Analysis and Research) in the 4 selected countries (Spain, Germany, Denmark and the United Kingdom), several working meetings were held with the company during the third quarter of 2017 to validate the questionnaire, establish the criteria for selecting the sample and specify the evaluation experiment of the Olivares Vivos guarantee brand. Finally, in October, the translation of the questionnaire into the native language of the country and the pre-testing of the study were carried out. The fieldwork was carried out from November to January 2018, with 800 online surveys in each of the potential markets in these countries.
The aim of this empirical study is twofold: on the one hand, to select the guarantee seal most highly valued by consumers for the marketing of Olivares Vivos olive oil and, on the other hand, to study the main characteristics of the consumer segment potentially inclined to purchase the product, in order to make some considerations and recommendations regarding the marketing of these oils.
As a complement to this study, and in order to gain a deeper understanding of the consumer’s knowledge of nature-related problems and, specifically, of biodiversity, a novel methodology of data categorisation was applied to identify possible associations between biodiversity and other concepts or issues related to nature that could be connected. This analysis is very enriching in terms of developing the communication strategy and establishing the messages to be disseminated.
In September 2018, together with the Citoliva Foundation, we held a seminar in which we met with many of the olive growers who are part of the LIFE Olivares Vivos Project, to advise them on olive harvesting and the production of EVOO: when is the best time to do it, how to mill the olives, etc.
During the first quarter of 2019, the CabelloxMure studio designed the logo and the image of the guarantee mark that the oils certified by Olivares Vivos would carry.
Status
Completed.
C8 Determination of certification criteria and procedure
Description
The Olivares Vivos brand will certify those olive groves that are making an active, effective and proven contribution to halting and reversing the loss of biodiversity in the EU. To this end, the oil labelled with this mark must come from olive groves that are making (in conversion to Olivares Vivos) or have made an effort to recover biodiversity and have increased it by a certain proportion. In other words, the mark does not certify olive groves that already have a certain level of biodiversity, but those that have recovered biodiversity through a percentage increase in the number of indicator species that live in the grove or use it to complete their life cycle.
The aim of this criterion is to increase the effectiveness of Olivares Vivos in halting the loss of biodiversity, since in any case the award of the mark will actually involve recovering biodiversity.
The effort required will be variable and established objectively and quantitatively on the basis of a biodiversity potential established for each type of olive grove on the basis of the results of actions A2 and D1 and which is determined by unmanageable factors (i.e. not dependent on agricultural management) such as its geographical location, its location in the mountains, countryside or valley, the context of general landscape complexity in which it is found, its size, etc. Thus, poorly conserved olive groves with low levels of biodiversity (relative to their potential) in the pre-operational state will require a higher percentage increase for certification than those that have been better conserved and have a higher biodiversity. In any case, both must increase their biodiversity so that the oils produced in Olivares Vivos have unequivocally contributed to the rescue of flora and fauna species and to the conservation of these species for as long as they are certified as such.
On the other hand, it is necessary to establish the necessary procedure and protocols for the conversion to live olive groves and subsequent certification. Initially, it will consist of the following phases that will be reviewed and detailed according to the results obtained in the different actions that will have been implemented in the demonstration olive groves.
Application for conversion to live olive groves
Developing a restoration plan to achieve the biodiversity target
Implementation of the restoration plan
Monitoring of indicators
Once the minimum biodiversity threshold set for the olive grove is reached, the Olivares Vivos certification will be granted.
Biodiversity reviews. As a minimum, the biodiversity threshold at which certification was achieved (number of species, density and reproductive success) shall be maintained.
In addition to the oil being produced in olive groves that meet the required criteria in terms of increased biodiversity, the procedure will also lay down the quality criteria that the oil produced must meet.
The Olivares Vivos guarantee brand will be registered at the Spanish Patent and Trademark Office (OEPM) and the procedure will be published in the form of a regulation, which will be submitted to the approval process required by the OEPM for guarantee brands.
Progress achieved
Work on the establishment of the certification criteria and procedures started on schedule, which involved a thorough review of the main international sustainability standards as well as best practice manuals on standardisation.
The analysis of the results of action D1 allowed:
Establish the criteria for biodiversity restoration in order to obtain certification.
Select indicators that best reflect this recovery, combining effectiveness with reasonable ease of monitoring.
External assistance was established with the certification and standardisation company AENOR.
Together with AENOR, work was carried out to establish the certification procedure.
Following this work and a process of cross-checking, the first version of the certification regulation was drafted.
Status
Completed.
C9 Development of volunteer camps for the implementation of conservation actions C2, C3, C4, C5 and C6
Description
Status
Completed.
The volunteer camps took place between October 2016 and April 2018, with a total of 19 work camps out of the 20 scheduled. Volunteer work camp no. 15, planned to take place at the Rancho del Herrador and Peña del Gallo farms between 4 and 9 June, was cancelled due to weather conditions that prevented the restoration work from being carried out successfully.
In each of the shifts, 8 volunteers participated and the duration varied from 11 to 5 days, except for shifts 10 and 11, which lasted two days (weekend) and in which the volunteers were trainees from the University of Jaén (partner of the project) who wanted to participate in the project through the volunteer programme of the Aula Verde of this university.
The activities carried out in the volunteer camps were divided between restoration work in the mornings and complementary activities in the afternoons. The environmental restoration work consisted of planting, sowing, placing nesting boxes, building stone walls and piles, installing perches, building ponds and installing drinking troughs. During the afternoons, the volunteer programme included cultural and environmental activities.
These fields were complemented with some specific volunteering activities. In the first of these, during several days in March 2017, work was carried out in the experimental garden of the UJA on the construction of insect nest boxes that were subsequently placed in the project’s olive groves as part of the biodiversity monitoring (A2 and D1) and conservation (C5) actions.
On 21 April 2017, 50 students of Biology and Environmental Sciences of the UJA participated in the planting of woody plants in the demonstration olive grove of Piedras Cucas. This activity was organised jointly with the Ecology and Environmental Restoration subjects, as part of the practicals of these subjects.
On Saturday 13 May, a plantation was organised in the informative olive grove that the project has in the Geolit technology park. Twelve volunteers collaborated in this planting. This work was part of the actions carried out in this informative olive grove, provided by Geolit, to replicate the restoration actions that we carry out in the demonstration olive groves (C1-C6).
Adding up all the actions carried out in the volunteer camps and in the specific work days, a total of 8138 plants have been planted and more than 120 metres of hunting netting has been installed to protect these plants in places where their success could be compromised by wild or domestic animals.
Likewise, 3 ponds have been created to improve the reproduction of amphibious species in the olive grove, 14 drinking troughs for birds and mammals have been installed, 1227 m2 of native herbaceous species have been planted, 84 nesting boxes for passerines have been placed, 4 nesting boxes for owls and 4 nesting boxes for owls have been installed, 4 nesting boxes for owls, 14 roosts for birds of prey including a nesting box for owls or kestrels, installed 12 shelter boxes for bats, erected 88 m of stone walls and built and placed 186 nesting boxes for insects.
A total of 226 people took part in the volunteer programme, including those who participated in one-off activities.
Most of the volunteers came from Andalusia.
However, there were also volunteers from 10 other autonomous communities. Similarly, volunteers from 10 other countries (Serbia, Ukraine, Italy, Belgium, Colombia, England, Equatorial Guinea, Armenia, Brazil and the Netherlands) participated.
All volunteering camps were evaluated by the participants through satisfaction surveys, with the exception of shifts 10 and 11, whose level of satisfaction was not possible to know since the evaluation provided by Aula Verde (UJA) referred to its entire volunteering programme). These surveys assessed various issues (timetables, workload, accommodation, meals, complementary activities, dealing with the project staff, etc.) and served to know the participants’ opinion about the LIFE Olivares Vivos volunteering and, above all, to improve those aspects that were worst rated. This seems to have been achieved, as the average score went from 8.94 in the first eight areas evaluated to 9.40 in the following eight.
Between 14 and 16 February, a special volunteer camp was held in the demonstration olive groves of Benzalá and Rambla Llana, in which about 6 volunteers participated.
