Los Alcornocales Natural Park to measure the impacts of climate change on its forests

Last July, technical staff from Los Alcornocales Natural Park (Regional Government of Andalusia), the team from Cesefor Foundation and staff from IUCN Med visited the sites where activities under this case study are being implemented as part of the European FARCLIMATE project. The field visit provided an opportunity to assess the condition of the cork oak forests of Los Barrios and the Algerian oak forests of Alcalá de los Gazules, both of which are facing serious challenges exacerbated by the impacts of climate change.

The forestry sector in the area is currently facing a combination of declining productivity, limited industrial processing capacity, a lack of traceability systems, shortages of skilled labour, and increasing stress from drought and pests. These pressures are compounded by the need to adjust herbivore pressure to the actual carrying capacity of the territory.

Los Alcornocales Natural Park, located between the provinces of Cádiz and Málaga in southern Spain, is home to one of the world’s largest cork oak (Quercus suber) forests, an ecosystem of considerable environmental, economic and social value. The scale of this primary sector helps explain its economic importance and why the case is attracting interest beyond the local area. The Regional Government of Andalusia, the authority responsible for the park, describes Los Alcornocales as the largest cork oak forest in the Iberian Peninsula, while Andalusia has both the largest area of cork oak forest and the highest cork production in Spain. Accounting for around 60% of Spain’s total, Andalusia produces close to 30% of the world’s cork, with global annual production estimated at approximately 200,000 tonnes.

These forests also provide a less visible but extremely important ecosystem service: the water originating in them supplies the surrounding area as well as many municipalities along the Costa del Sol.

Taking the pulse of cork oak and Algerian oak forests

One of the aspects that attracted the greatest interest among park managers during the visit was the work that Cesefor Foundation, which is primarily responsible for the experimental component of the case study, will undertake to measure the impacts of climate change on cork oak and Algerian oak forests.

The latter, dominated by Algerian oak (Quercus canariensis), consists of relict forest stands associated with the park’s humid canutos, or narrow stream valleys, and is particularly sensitive to declining rainfall and rising temperatures. The monitoring planned by Cesefor is expected to provide the evidence needed to guide decision-making on adaptive forest management.

“Our monitoring of the protected area shows that, year after year, cork oak forests are failing to regenerate following prolonged periods of summer drought, while Algerian oak is also suffering the consequences in the most exposed areas. Having more precise information on how these forests are responding will allow us to anticipate the effects of potential threats and improve the management of the park. Moving towards a model grounded in Nature-based Solutions will undoubtedly be a necessary step in adapting to climate change,” says Juan Manuel Fornell, Director-Conservator of Los Alcornocales Natural Park.

“The challenge is to turn field observations into data that allow us to anticipate how these forests will respond to climate change and, in turn, design management plans and roadmaps based on informed decisions”, explains Tomás Sánchez Pellicer, Forestry and Carbon manager at Cesefor.

The visit focused on the two sites where field activities are being implemented: the cork oak forests in the municipality of Los Barrios and the Algerian oak forests of Alcalá de los Gazules. The visit provided a closer look at how both forest formations are responding to drought, livestock pressure and pests.

From cork to governance: challenges and responses underway

The visit builds on the diagnosis developed by the working group a year earlier within the framework of the FARCLIMATE project. With the participation of Cesefor, the Natural Park management and IUCN Med, the analysis highlighted issues that extend beyond forestry but are essential for guiding the implementation of genuinely effective Nature-based Solutions.

Participants agreed that governance is a key consideration in this territory and that taking socio-economic and management-related factors into account is essential, while also recognising them as significant challenges for adaptive management.

Generational renewal featured prominently in the diagnosis. Cork harvesting is a well-paid but seasonal occupation and competes with employment opportunities along the coast. During the visit, park managers presented one of the Regional Government of Andalusia’s responses to this challenge: the cork harvester training school, which has been strengthened since 2025 through the FUTURECORK project.

Park managers also described initiatives aimed at finding new uses for Algerian oak. These include a pilot project with Pablo de Olavide University and a sawmill in Navarre to explore new applications for its timber, such as barrels for the wine industry. It was also reported that Alsace, France, had selected specimens from the park for forest adaptation trials in the region. These experiences point to opportunities to enhance the value of timber and diversify the forest economy beyond cork.

Other challenges highlighted included outdated regulations, compounded by a court ruling that reversed the expansion of the park; health regulations restricting direct sales from farms; and untapped potential for nature-based tourism. Potential avenues for addressing these challenges include a new Andalusian Forestry Law, biodiversity credits and carbon compensation schemes on privately owned land, alongside biomass production and sustainable livestock farming.

Nature-based Solutions as a framework for action

IUCN Med’s role in this and the other FARCLIMATE case studies is to provide technical advice on Nature-based Solutions (NbS) and promote biodiversity-friendly practices.

Among the topics discussed during the visit, IUCN Med explored with Cesefor and the park management opportunities to apply the IUCN Global Standard for Nature-based Solutions, whose eight integrated criteria can provide key recommendations for the case study. IUCN is also contributing to the design of the ecosystem services assessment, an especially relevant area of work in a territory where cork, water, extensive livestock farming and the landscape underpin much of the local economy.

“In Los Alcornocales, cork, water and the landscape are all part of the same system. Understanding these forests through an ecosystem-based approach and using Nature-based Solutions that help recognise the value of their ecosystem services can ensure that conserving cork oak forests is not perceived as a cost, but rather as an investment in the territory that delivers direct benefits to local communities,” says Helena Clavero from the IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation (IUCN Med).

A second case study in Andalusia: Málaga Viva Lab

IUCN Med also provides direct support to another FARCLIMATE case study: the Málaga Viva Lab Environmental Experimentation Centre for Climate Change, promoted by the Málaga Provincial Council.

The facilities are envisioned as the first provincial centre dedicated to research, education and awareness-raising on climate change, designed to support municipalities in addressing drought, biodiversity loss, forest fires, extreme temperatures, flooding and their impacts on human health.

The centre is currently in the initial stages of development and has adopted a Living Lab methodology from the outset, allowing its future activities and services to be co-designed with public administrations, the education and research communities, civil society organisations and companies working in the environmental sector.

About FARCLIMATE

The FARCLIMATE project aims to implement transformative solutions to strengthen climate resilience across different regions of Europe. Focusing on three economically important primary sectors, agriculture, forestry and fisheries, it seeks to address the complex challenges involved in developing and scaling up climate-resilient measures, making them accessible and understandable to all, while paying particular attention to the social, political and economic barriers commonly encountered.

FARCLIMATE is funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe programme. IUCN’s participation as an Associated Partner is funded by the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI).

Links

FARCLIMATE project website:
FARCLIMATE Project – Building Climate Resilience

Los Alcornocales case study:
Farclimate – Case Study 17

Málaga Viva Lab case study:
Farclimate – Case Study 7