The Community is launching a pilot project in Sierra Espuña to reuse local wool as natural mulch in crops and reforestation projects.
The Community is launching a pilot project in Sierra Espuña to reuse local wool as natural mulch in crops and reforestation projects.
The Regional Government of Castilla-La Mancha has launched a pilot project in the Sierra Espuña Regional Park to repurpose local wool as natural mulch in forestry and agriculture. This initiative combines innovation, sustainability, and support for rural areas. Promoted by the Regional Ministry of Environment, Industry, Universities, Research, and the Mar Menor through the Directorate General of Natural Heritage and Climate Action, the project aims to transform a commercially unusable waste product into a valuable resource for environmental conservation and territorial development.
The project involves collecting, processing, and reusing wool from livestock farms in the Sierra Espuña area for use as mulch in traditional crops, nurseries, and forest plantations. This technique helps improve soil moisture retention, regulate soil temperature, reduce weed growth, and gradually provide nutrients, as the wool is biodegradable.
The Director General of Natural Heritage and Climate Action, Inmaculada Torres, highlighted that “this project demonstrates that it is possible to turn a problem into an opportunity, giving new life to wool that currently has no commercial value and using it to improve our soils and strengthen ecosystems.” She also emphasized that “we are committed to nature-based solutions that integrate livestock farming, agriculture, and environmental conservation, generating shared benefits for the region.”
For decades, wool was a key resource in rural areas, but the emergence of synthetic fibers and market changes have led to its depreciation to the point of becoming a cost for livestock farmers. This initiative aims to reverse this situation by incorporating wool into sustainable production processes, aligned with the principles of the circular economy and the valorization of local resources.
The project is part of the objectives of the Sierra Espuña Master Plan for Use and Management, which promotes biodiversity conservation and the development of traditional uses compatible with the natural environment. In this regard, the reuse of wool will contribute to maintaining agricultural landscapes of high ecological value and strengthening connectivity between natural areas and agricultural zones.
The activities include organizing a training day for farmers and livestock breeders, collecting wool during the shearing season, preparing it for basic use, and distributing it among the participants. Furthermore, technical monitoring will be carried out to evaluate the results in aspects such as soil moisture, crop development, reduced water consumption, and seedling survival in reforestation projects.
In direct collaboration with local agricultural and livestock stakeholders
Inmaculada Torres also pointed out that “these types of projects allow us to move towards a more sustainable and resilient model, where every resource is used to its fullest potential and collaboration between government agencies, farmers, and livestock breeders is strengthened.” She added that “innovation doesn't always require large investments, but rather applying smart solutions adapted to our region.”
The initiative has a total investment of €4,512, co-financed 60 percent by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) 2021-2027 and 40 percent by the Regional Government. Its implementation will last approximately nine months, until December of this year, and is being carried out in direct collaboration with local farmers and livestock producers.
With this pilot project, the Regional Government continues to advance the implementation of policies that integrate the conservation of natural heritage with the socio-economic development of rural areas, through initiatives that recover traditional knowledge and adapt it to the current challenges of sustainability and climate change.