Cohabitation: re-wilding in Spain
How can we set up a sustainable eco-system in which people and animals co-exist in harmony? Our reporter Diana Piñeros looks at a model project.
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00:00These friends back here are believed to be the only remaining subspecies of wild horses
00:10in the world, with only 2,000 individuals left, and 27 of them were recently settled
00:16in Spain to accomplish an important mission.
00:20What can we do to rebalance Europe's ecosystem?
00:26This is the topic of our second episode of Small Projects, Big Changes.
00:34Just two hours from Madrid, in the west of Spain, lies the Iberian Mountains, a mountain
00:40range with several plateaus.
00:42Centuries ago, there was a wealth of wildlife here.
00:46Today, Pablo Shapira and his team from Rewilding Spain are working to restore the natural ecosystem.
00:53Part of this renaturation is the settlement of Chivalski's horses, which have been considered
00:59extinct since 1969.
01:03The truth is that working with Chivalski horses is a pleasure and a dream because it is something
01:08that was unimaginable two years ago, and to see how this herd is growing, has settled,
01:13adapted and is already breeding, is a privilege.
01:17With the help of GPS, we can locate the horses, which live on and roam freely around an area
01:23of around 6,000 hectares.
01:26Now we begin our discovery tour, and we are in luck, because they are not always so easy
01:31to find.
01:32Chivalski's horses perform several important roles, and not just for the ecosystem.
01:42These are very rustic animals, very resistant and highly flexible when adapting to different
01:46ecosystems.
01:48They fulfill three functions, they graze and eat, thus reducing biomass and the risk
01:53of fires.
01:54Secondly, they are being threatened with extinction, and there's enough space for them here.
01:59And finally, we want locals to be able to economically benefit from their renaturation.
02:06The best example is Pablo Villa, who left his hometown because of high unemployment.
02:11Thanks to his work with the wild horses, Pablo was able to return.
02:16Looking after the herd is his responsibility.
02:22Returning here to my region means a lot to me.
02:25I'm returning to my hometown of Villanueva de Alcoron.
02:29It's been a dream come true for me, thanks to the rewilding project.
02:33They hired me because I'm a horse expert.
02:36For me, the job is a very good thing.
02:39The renaturation project has created new job opportunities, for example, educational courses
02:45on the environment are being offered to students, along with eco and photographic tours.
02:52It's a wonderful experience and very exciting to see these wild horses so close, to hear
02:57them, to almost feel them and everything.
03:01It's great.
03:02I have goosebumps.
03:05I really like it.
03:06It's cool.
03:07They are so calm.
03:08They radiate tranquility.
03:12The opportunity to see these horses in the wild, being so close to them, seeing how calm
03:17they are and even seeing the foals they've had here is very exciting.
03:24Before our next destination, we make a short stop to see the griffon vultures.
03:29These scavengers are abundant here.
03:32Rewilding Spain is now trying to reintroduce black vultures, which have been extinct in
03:37the region.
03:39But the griffon vultures are not the only ones with a larger population in this area.
03:44There are also plenty of goats, deer and wild boar living here.
03:50Our next goal, to find free-ranging bulls.
03:54Let's see.
03:56I think they are close by.
03:59They are not aggressive, right?
04:01No.
04:02In principle, no.
04:07This is their job.
04:08They move through the landscape to graze, which opens up space.
04:11This is what helps prevent fires.
04:14We finally found them.
04:16When these enormous animals trample throughout the forest, they help to thin it out.
04:21The result is an increase of biodiversity or more plants and animals.
04:27This is the best place to watch them.
04:38While we are there, Pablo tells me how this region was destroyed by a major fire in 2005
04:46and how the cattle are helping to restore the forest.
04:51We are now at a point where we have established herds of animals.
04:54They are doing their ecological work and now what we need to do is to grow, to expand the
04:59space so that the impact they have on the ecosystem is greater.
05:04So I get to work and help the team expand the protected area.
05:08Not an easy task.
05:09Rewilding Spain is funded by other international environmental organizations, including Rewilding
05:16Europe.
05:19Thanks to all these efforts, we have a win-win-win situation.
05:23Nature is regaining its balance, endangered animals are being protected and the community
05:28benefits as well.