La Pola de Gordón, León – 5 February 2025
The first meeting of the agreement between the Alto Bernesga Biosphere Reserve and the Association for the Recovery of Leonese Butter Cow (Asociación para la Recuperación de la Mantequera Leonesa – ARMALE) took place on Wednesday 29 January, a key meeting for the development of an ambitious project aimed at strengthening the local livestock sector. This initiative aims to implement a local fattening system that promotes the use of local products in livestock farming in the province of León.
The meeting allowed to know the progress of the project and discuss the impact on livestock farming in the region, with the intervention of Beni Rodríguez, manager of the Biosphere Reserve, Benedicto González, president of ARMALE, Carmen Pumar, administrative ARMALE, Luis F. de la Fuente, researchers at the University of León, and Ángel R. Mantecón, researcher at the Higher Centre for Scientific Research (Centro Superior de Investigaciones Científicas – CSIC), as well as the technicians of the Biosphere Reserve Beatriz Salas and Verónica del Río.
The proposal, framed within the RES-MAB project of the PRIMA Programme supported by the European Union, seeks to implement innovative solutions to face the challenges of climate change in Mediterranean Biosphere Reserves, strengthening the resilience of local ecosystems. In this context, the Alto Bernesga Biosphere Reserve, as beneficiary entity, will work hand in hand with ARMALE to promote a more sustainable baiting model, aligned with the needs of the livestock sector and environmental conservation.
As part of the agreement, both entities organised a colloquium on 26 November in La Pola de Gordón, where the progress and objectives of the project were presented. The event was attended by experts who detailed the different phases of the research and the steps towards the implementation of the local fattening system.