In Galicia and Northern Portugal, much of the natural and cultural heritage is located on privately or publicly owned land. Increasingly, individuals and landowners—private individuals, communities, associations, or public administrations—want to conserve these spaces and manage them sustainably.
Land stewardship is a key tool for doing so through voluntary agreements, tailored to each property and local context.
🌱 What is land stewardship?
Land stewardship is a conservation strategy based on voluntary agreements between the owner of a piece of land and a stewardship organization (association, foundation, cooperative, NGO, etc.), with the aim of conserving, improving, or enhancing the value of natural, cultural, and landscape resources.
These agreements:
Do not imply the loss of ownership.
Do not constitute expropriation or a rigid form of protection.
Are based on collaboration, trust, and mutual commitment.
Land stewardship allows for the compatibility of conservation, productive uses, and the social functions of the land.
🧑🌾 Who can be an owner or manager in a land stewardship agreement?
In the context of Galicia and Northern Portugal, land stewardship can involve different types of owners or managers:
Private individuals who own rural properties.
Communities of forests or common lands.
Private entities (foundations, cooperatives, companies).
Public administrations (municipalities, provincial councils, local entities).
Institutions with land of natural or cultural value.
Land stewardship is especially useful when landowners want to improve environmental management but lack sufficient technical resources or seek specialized support.
🍃 What can be conserved through land stewardship?
Every farm and every territory is different. In Galicia and Northern Portugal, stewardship agreements typically focus on:
Conservation of native forests and agroforestry systems
Protection of riverbanks, wetlands, and coastal areas
Improvement of habitats for fauna and flora of interest
Maintenance of traditional farming and livestock practices
Prevention of forest fires
Conservation of rural cultural heritage (mills, walls, paths, terraces)
The objectives are always defined jointly by the landowner and the stewardship organization.
🛠️ How does land stewardship work step by step?
1️⃣ Contacting a land stewardship organization
The first step is to contact a stewardship organization that operates in the territory where the farm is located.
📌 It is important to keep in mind that:
Each entity has specific conservation objectives.
Its actions are limited to a specific geographic area.
Its capacity depends on its technical and human resources.
The possibility of taking action may be contingent upon the availability of funding.
2️⃣ Analysis of the property and project fit
If the property aligns with the entity’s objectives, the following is carried out:
A technical visit
A diagnosis of the natural and cultural values
An assessment of management needs
The expectations of the owner are also analyzed, whether they are a private individual, an entity, or a public administration.
3️⃣ Definition of conservation objectives
The owner and the entity agree on what they want to achieve, for example:
Improving biodiversity
Restoring degraded habitats
Balancing conservation and productive use
Enhancing the value of the territory for the community
The objectives must be realistic and achievable, taking into account the available resources.
4️⃣ Signing the Stewardship Agreement
The agreement is formalized through a voluntary document that can take various forms (agreement, contract, collaboration agreement).
It specifies:
The commitments of each party
The planned actions
The duration of the agreement
The monitoring mechanisms
Each agreement is flexible and tailored to the specific needs of the project.
5️⃣ Support, Monitoring, and Funding
The stewardship entity can:
Provide technical advice
Assist in land management
Seek public aid or funding for specific actions
Monitor the results
However, the implementation of actions often depends on the availability of funding.
💚 What are the benefits of land stewardship?
For individuals and organizations that own land, land stewardship offers:
✔ Specialized technical support
✔ Improved environmental management of the land
✔ Conservation of natural and landscape value
✔ Access to collaborative networks
✔ Active contribution to land conservation
✔ Strengthened social and environmental commitment
In the case of public administrations, land stewardship allows for improved management of public lands.
