New Replication Plan at Finca El Baldío (Cáceres)

El Baldío Finca, is located in the municipality of Talaván (Cáceres), only 50 km far from Monfrague National Park. This area presents an important environmental value, El Baldío, with an area of around 300 ha has always worked on the conservation of native livestock breeds. El Baldío is now collaborating with LIFE Regenerate as a replication partner demonstrating that agricultural management is possible by combining conservation and production.

Therefore, in collaboration with the Global Nature Foundation and in the framework of Life Terra project (https://lifeterra.eu/), Volterra team has travelled there to carry out the first plantations of fodder species with high palatable value for livestock. These include tagasaste (Cytisus proliferus), tree lucerne (Medicago arborea), and hackberry (Celtis australis). These species have been chosen due to their special characteristic of remaining green throughout the summer, which is expected to reduce the investment in feed supplements for his livestock during the hardest months.

The planting has been carried out by alternating the previously mentioned species, forming two lines and spacing them every four metres. This will not only considerably increase the value of the local biodiversity, but will also create a green fence that will be used for rotational grazing on the farm.

Besides, Volterra team has installed several biodiversity boxes, designed by Paco Volante, in different strategic areas of the Finca. These biodiversity boxes have been designed to house different species of birds, bats, and insects. The presence of these species is very important for the health of this type of ecosystem, providing greater diversity and, therefore, strengthening the ecosystem as a whole and improving its resilience to future changes.