- The race and the reforestation company joined forces for the 2024 edition in order to reverse the mountain’s degradation and repair damage caused to the natural areas that are so characteristic of La Vuelta, such as Picón Blanco.
- Since 2019, Land Life has planted around 200,000 trees across 127 hectares of Espinosa de los Monteros, to create a resilient forest that will promote biodiversity on the degraded land.
Land Life Iberia, an intelligent and precision reforestation company based in Burgos, and La Vuelta planted 700 native trees this week near the Picón Blanco, one of the most emblematic mountain passes for our national cycling and a stage finale in the 2024 edition. This initiative, included within the ‘Mountain Passes and Forests’ project, reflects the companies’ joint commitment to the visibility, protection and environmental restoration of degraded natural areas.
La Vuelta and Land Life have come together to plant 700 native trees (one hundred in each of the seven mountain passes that were climbed during the Picón Blanco stage of La Vuelta 24) around Espinosa de los Monteros. These include birch, wild apple, pine, black poplar, cherry, oak and rowan trees. This project seeks to restore an area that was damaged due to recurring fires, where natural regeneration has not taken place.
Land Life has carefully selected species that are well-adapted to the environment in order to restore a healthy and diverse forest mass. This restoration will aid in the recovery of part of the landscape’s tree cover, favour soil fixation and generate future benefits to the ecosystem.
The planting is part of a 127-hectare restoration plan initiated by Land Life in 2019 in the municipality of Espinosa de los Monteros. Since then, the reforestation company has planted nearly 200,000 native trees to create a resilient forest that is able to adapt to such adverse conditions as fires, drought or pest infestations. This environmental recovery strategy will help protect the ecosystem and will strengthen its capacity for natural regeneration over time.
Land Life’s reforestation project has been carried out in the Public Utility Forest no. 388 and features the collaboration of the Council of Espinosa de los Monteros and the Castilla y León Regional Government’s Environment, Housing and Spatial Planning Department.
Francisco Purroy, Director of Land Life in Spain and Portugal: ‘We’re so happy to be collaborating with La Vuelta. Joining the most important cycling race in Spain gives us the opportunity to show the importance of restoring our degraded forests and ecosystems. The reforestation of the Picón Blanco was necessary in order to restore such a special area, particularly after the fires that have ravaged it in recent years. This commitment to environmental restoration, in a place that is as emblematic to La Vuelta as Picón Blanco, allows us to connect with cycling fans and raise awareness regarding the need to protect our environment for future generations.’
Javier Guillén, General Director of La Vuelta: ‘La Vuelta is set in nature and we’re acutely aware of our responsibility to care for it. This is why 700 trees have been planted by Land Life, a company with roots in Burgos that specialises in environmental restoration as part of an initiative to contribute to the restoration of such natural areas as the Picón Blanco. This collaboration goes beyond just a symbolic gesture, instead representing our true commitment to restoring nature and preserving the very areas in which cycling is both experienced and enjoyed.’
About Land Life in SpainLand Life is an environmental restoration and precision reforestation company that creates mixed native forests with a focus on biodiversity and resilience to climate change, relying on technologies such an artificial intelligence, data analysis and drones, all of which are applied throughout the entire planting process. Land Life’s mission is to help restore the world’s 2 billion hectares of degraded land. By planting trees where they are most needed, Land Life’s projects restore ecosystems, improve biodiversity and generate social and economic benefits for local communities. The company offers other companies and organisations a sustainable and transparent way in which to undertake climate action initiatives through the restoration of natural areas. It currently has reforestation projects in 14 Spanish provinces, carried out with the collaboration of municipal owners, land managers, regional governments, institutions and local communities. For further information, visit: https://landlifecompany.com/es
About La VueltaLa Vuelta is the most important professional cycling race in Spain and one of the most important in the world. Along with the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France, it is the only three-week race to be held on public roads. Organised for the very first time in 1935, by the Informaciones newspaper, La Vuelta has grown exponentially over its more than 80-year history. The race’s original 14 stages have now been increased to 21, its celebration has moved from April to August and its number of participants has increased by more than 100. It has fallen into the hands of several organisers over the years: Informaciones, Diario Ya and the Correo Español del Pueblo Vasco, before finally being managed by Unipublic since 1979. Today, the Spanish tour is an international reference that has widened its borders from those early editions that took place exclusively on Spanish territory. La Vuelta is now an international race that continues to add to its prestigious victory tally by attracting the best cyclists in the world.
