• A fire self-protection project led by the Alto Narcea Muniellos Local Action Group (Asturias) wins the CaixaBank 2021 Environment call
• The project is inspired by the LEADER best practices developed by a neighborhood association in the area

The municipalities of Cangas del Narcea, Degaña, and Ibias, in southwestern Asturias, are at serious risk of depopulation and aging. Their 1,244 square kilometers are home to 14,212 inhabitants. Due to this low population density, response times for firefighting and emergency medical services vary widely, but in many rural areas, travel times exceed one hour.

Furthermore, this is a region with a socioeconomic base based on extensive livestock farming and a restructured mining industry. In addition, 45% of this territory is protected at the European level by the Natura Network. 2000 , as well as worldwide by the Biosphere Reserve (Muniellos-Fuentes del Narcea).

A threatened paradise

However, the depopulation of rural areas, the abandonment of crops historically managed through extensive livestock farming, the complexity of the property structure (smallholdings, undivided forests, poorly defined ownership), and climate change make the threat of wildfires a constant concern.

Hence the Local Action Group (GAL) Alto Narcea Muniellos decided to promote the project " Participation of the rural population in fire prevention, self-protection and ecosystem protection ". To do so, the GAL has been inspired by the good practice developed by the Valdovinos Neighborhood Association within a project financed by the LEADER Program , consisting of training the residents of the town of Rengos (Cangas del Narcea) in the management of health emergencies, first aid, fire extinguishing and in the improvement of fire prevention infrastructure in this small town.

The interest and success of this initiative, due to its social and environmental component, has led to the development of a new project, which aims to extend this community-based approach to the entire region, creating a network of towns committed to self-protection and prevention.

Winning project

The initiative "Participation of the rural population in fire prevention, self-protection, and ecosystem protection" has been selected for CaixaBank's 2021 Environmental Call for Proposals with a grant of 10,000 euros.

The main premise is to involve small rural communities in the care of their neighborhoods and their natural environment. To this end, the goal is for 10 localities to become a network of "committed villages" dedicated to self-protection and prevention, receiving training and resources to do so.

This is confirmed to the National Rural Network (RRN) by Belén Liste, manager of the Alto Narcea Muniellos GAL: “This project is an example of collaboration in both its planning and execution, and there is no doubt that it has a direct and positive impact on the rural population, especially the elderly. Added to this is its environmental component, due to its impact on ecosystem protection. The goal is for a population that is far from public healthcare or firefighting services to know how to respond to a dangerous situation and prevent it from turning into a tragedy.”

The Alto Narcea Muniellos GAL is collaborating on the project with the Principality of Asturias Emergency Service (SEPA Tebongo), with the direct participation of the Cangas del Narcea and Ibias Fire Stations.