With the aim of preserving the Montseny newt (Calotriton arnoldi) and its habitat, Barcelona Provincial Council has signed the first land custody agreement with a private estate in the El Montseny Natural Park and Biosphere Reserve. The agreement became effective in November 2019.

Within the framework of the Life Tritó Montseny project (LIFE15 NAT/ES/000757), the custody of the territory has been formalized in the first long-term (twenty years) collaboration agreement between a private estate located within the Natural Park and Biosphere Reserve of El Montseny (included in the Natura 2000 Network) and the Diputació de Barcelona, as the managing administration of this natural space.

The agreement promotes a set of strategies that generate responsibilities between the owner and the management body of the Park, a commitment that aims to conserve and use in a sustainable and respectful way the resources and the natural, cultural and landscape values of the place involving the forest owner.

 

Main agreements

The main agreements between both parties are aimed at ensuring the conservation of the Montseny newt and its habitat. The following objectives stand out:

1. To guarantee that the activities carried out on the private estate are in line with the objectives of the Montseny Newt's Life.

2. Make the conservation of the Montseny newt and its riverside habitat compatible with the orderly development of forestry and agricultural activities that the property carries out within its property, which is within the species' distribution area.

3. To increase the hydrological quality of the streams and their ecological flow within the property, remodelling its current system of exploitation of hydrological resources and promoting the use of rainwater.

4. Eliminate or minimize threats to riparian habitat linked to connectivity within the stream, the restoration of native tree cover and the reduction of sediment input.

5. Involve the property in the conservation of the riverside habitat, its biodiversity and, specifically, the Montseny newt by applying good environmental practices that can also have a positive impact on the management of the property and serve as an example to be followed by neighbouring properties.