January 3rd to 9th 2020

SUR IN ENGLISH
9
10 NEWS January 3rd to 9th 2020
SUR IN ENGLISH

 Close-up. Álvaro
poses for a photo in
SUR’s Editorial depart-
ment. :: SALVADOR SALAS

A local lad jointly by the European Space

with a career
Agency (ESA) and the Russian Fed-
eral Roscosmos Space Agency, to look
for life on Mars. It consists of a rover,
the Rosalind Franklin, and a surface

in space
platform called ‘Kazachok’,which is
where the instrument is placed. The
instrument consists of a meteorologi-
cal station which will be used to dem-
onstrate and measure, for the first
time, the transitory existence of liq-
uid water on the surface of the planet.
At the age of 26, aerospace Water is essential for life, as we know
from the Earth,” Álvaro explains.
engineer Álvaro Soria is Despite his achievements, he re-
developing systems for the mains modest. He knows he is part
of a very competitive world. How-
exploration of Mars and is ever, the question has to be asked:
is he going to be the first astronaut
already one of the most from Malaga? “No,” he says. Not for
highly-rated talents at the the moment, anyway.
“Planetary exploration is what
European Space Agency fascinates me, and I want to focus
my efforts on the scientific aspect.
I like build
building instruments and be-
ing able to wo
work on solving prob-
lems for the aerospace indus-
try,” he ssays. The idea
first att
attracted him
when h he was 14
and he decided
to take it fur-
Álvaro Soria is man from Malaga has found that In action. The round pho- ther.
fascinated by planetary he fits the bill. to shows Álvaro during the de- There
Álvaro Soria is 26 years old, velopment of the instrument are ot
other
exploration and is on 1.85m tall and slim. Many have de- which will be part of the Exo- talen
talented
the Forbes list of the 30 scribed him as “brilliant” and Mars 2020 mission. young-
most influential young Forbes magazine has already in- Below, the aerospace engineer sters, of
cluded him as one of the 100 most from Malaga experiences zero course,
people in the world influential young scientists. After gravity during a parabolic b u t
leaving San Estanislao de Kostka flight, operated by French w h e n
:: MATÍAS STUBER school in Malaga he went to the company Novespace, under G
Ger-
MALAGA. Many children dream of Polytechnic in Madrid to study Sci- the supervision of the ESA. ::
what they want to be when they ence and Aerospace Technologies. SUR
grow up, but it never progresses be- He graduated with flying colours
yond a dream. Being an astronaut, in four years, and came to the at- cording to plan, in June
of course, is one of the favourites, tention of María Paz Zorzano, an the Russian Space
but no more than 700 people have eminence in the aerospace sector Agency Roscosmos will
ever travelled into space and re- and associate professor at the Lulea launch a lander to Mars.
turned to tell the tale. This is one of Technological University in Swe- It will be fitted with an
the most exclusive professions in den. She is leading an ambitious instrument developed
the world. So, how does one get a project to develop a mechanism by Álvaro. The project is
job that is never advertised any- which improves fuel saving in the called ‘Habit’, from its ini-
where? satellites that gravitate in orbit. tials, and is also being led
Actually, the first requirement Álvaro didn’t think twice about by María Paz Zorzano. The
is quite straightforward: the indus- her offer, and was taken on by the aim is to find out more
try wants people with scientific ap- Swedish institution. about the habitability of
titude in fields such as material en- At the same time as his research, the red planet. The work,
gineering, physics, astronomy or he is also working on his doctoral he admits, has not been
aerospace engineering. Applicants thesis, which he will be present- easy.
must be under the age of 47 and less ing in March. It is based on an even “The ‘Habit’ is part of the
than 1.90m tall. They have to speak more ambitious project: the Exo- ExoMars 2020 project, a mis-
perfect English, too. And a young Mars 2020 mission. If all goes ac- sion which is being carried out
January 3rd to 9th 2020
SUR IN ENGLISH
NEWS 11

man astronaut Matthias Maurer

was looking for someone to expand
his research team at the European
Age Care co-founder receives health centre in Arroyo de la Miel
that gave Charles the idea of set-
ting up the first interpreter serv-
Astronaut Centre (EAC) in Cologne,
he selected Álvaro. Nobody from
Malaga has ever been closer to the
MBE in New Year Honours List ice in a health clinic on the coast.
He also co-founded the Age Care
Association, an organisation that
moon. offers assistance to British senior
Under direct tutelage of the ESA, citizens that live in the province of
he has taken part in several experi- Charles Betty, a 95-year- Malaga.
ments into the viability of a per- old WWII veteran, was Charles continues to contribute
manent installation on the surface to the Embassy and Consulates’ un-
of the moon. “It was an incredible given the award for derstanding of the needs of older
experience. You have breakfast in services to British British people in Spain, and, as he
the café with astronauts. You see Nationals overseas points out, he has no plans of retir-
them train in the swimming pool ing just yet.
at the centre, and preparing for zero “I will continue with my work
gravity,” he recalls. :: TONY BRYANT and remain committed to helping
If anything characterises aero- MALAGA. British expat Dr Char- more British people who need sup-
space research, it is the high costs les Betty is among nine UK nation- port and advice about their lives in
involved. Álvaro says people don’t als in Spain named in the Queen’s Spain.”
understand the return on the in- New Year Honours List. Charles, In 2018, Charles became the old-
vestment. “On average, it costs each an active charity and community est student to receive a PhD from a
European citizen six euros a year, worker, was awarded an MBE for British university. Focusing on the
and in return they get TV, 4G serv- services to British Nationals over- trend of older British migrants who
ices, safe communications, hospi- seas under the UK honours system return to the UK, he spent five years
tal instrumentation and a lot more,” published last week. The former studying and researching under the
he says. Welsh Fusilier, who participated auspices of the University of North-
in the D-Day Landings, was in the ampton in order to attain a PhD.
Evolution UK spending the festive season Ambassador to Spain Hugh Elli-
The space race has evolved consid- with his family when he heard the ott described Charles as a “true pub-
erably. The Cold War has given way news. The delighted 95-year-old lic servant”, highlighting the fact
to collaboration between space said the award had “come out of that he had dedicated his time to
agencies from different countries. the blue”, although he expressed helping older British nationals in-
NASA, ESA and Roscosmos now that his only regret was that his be- tegrate into their communities and
work together to save on costs. “I’m loved wife, who died last year, was enjoy a successful retirement in
convinced my generation will see not alive to share it with him. Spain. He also showed his delight
a permanent, inhabited base on “It is an enormous honour to be Dr Charles Betty at his home in Benalmádena Costa. :: T. BRYANT that nine British nationals had been
the moon,” says Álvaro, who would given an MBE and I am truly de- awarded this year, claiming it was
love to contribute to that. The par- lighted. I can only thank all the can and you will.’” ing wife was told that her life ex- “a real testament to the depth and
ticles are accelerating. After Exo- many people who have supported Charles had previously worked pectancy would significantly in- diversity of the UK-Spain relation-
Mars 2020, NASA already has other me over the years, especially my as a senior education inspector but crease if she moved to a warmer ship and to the contribution that
plans: in 2024, an astronaut will wife, who, although now no longer took early retirement in order to and drier climate. so many British nationals make to
set foot on the red planet. with me, used to say ‘Charles, you move to Spain in 1985 after his ail- It was a routine visit to the their communities across Spain.”
12 NEWS BUSINESS AND FINANCE January 3rd to 9th 2020
SUR IN ENGLISH

Surge in number of Undeclared employment in figures

2018

workers on Costa Number of incidents

identified of overall
Social Security fraud

who evade Social Cordoba

574
Jaén
856

Security quotas Huelva

687
Seville
938

Granada Almeria
population and reliance on tempo- 1,122 1,040
rary tourist work, the Andalusian
province with the largest amount Cadiz Malaga
of black-market labour. The next 1,006 1,369
MATÍAS
STUBER highest province is Almeria, with
its heavy use of migrant workers in
 mstuber@diariosur.es the fruit industry, on 4.9 million
euros of evaded payments.
Ministry of Work Despite efforts by the govern-
inspectors uncovered ment to persuade people not to Number of
work under the table or warn em- Social Security
2,059 people working ployers against Social Security inspections of
workers’ 656
fraudulently in Malaga fraud, as this harms the overall registration
963
province in 2018, economy, the local Malaga data status 562
shows a 10.8 per cent increase in
according to latest identified offences in 2018. Incidents
annual report Of the 13,652 inspections in where a fraud
Malaga province, 87 per cent infraction
(11,809) were checks on workers was found
MALAGA. The number of people to see if their employers, or the 558
working and not paying the correct workers themselves if self-em-
Social Security contributions in ployed, were registered to pay 511
Malaga province, including the Costa monthly quotas to the State to
del Sol, is on the rise. cover healthcare, pensions and 378 603
A recently released report from other rights. 191
the ministry of Work in Madrid cov- On a national level, the sector
ering 2018 says that 1,369 incidents of the economy with the largest
were found locally of Social Secu- number of offences was Hotels and
rity fraud involving 2,059 people, Hospitality, making up 23.46 per
up from 1,857 people in 2017. cent of the total. This was followed Inspections
The increase in cases is despite a by Professional Services on 15.88 in total 6.453
6,453 11.651
11,651 10.546
10,546 5.355
5,355 11.809
11,809 7.667
7,667 4.516
4,516 5.586
5,586
fall in the overall number of work- per cent and retail on 13.36 per cent.
place inspections carried out in the The Construction sector made up Huelva Cadiz Seville Cordoba Malaga Granada Jaén Almeria
area over the two years, from 14,081 10.21 per cent of the cases of work- Percentage
in 2017 to 13,652 in 2018. ers or bosses not following the So- Sector of Sector Infraction of total
The data covers a series of offences cial Security payments rules in economy
uncovered on the inspectors’ visits some way. and fraud Hotels and Hospitality 21,424 23.46%
to companies and includes both in- infractions
(all Spain) Professional Services 14,499 15.88%
fractions by workers themselves Retail 12,204 13.36%
and their bosses in underreporting
employment. Offences include: for- The money found to have Construction 9,324 10.21%
eigners employed but with no work been evaded in the Agriculture and Farming Products 6,050 6.62%
permit for Spain; workers and self-
employed not registered to pay
province in 2018 was Transport 4,037 4.42%
5.6 million euros Public Administration 4,143 3.44%
monthly Social Security contribu-
tions; and employers who are un- Other Industrial Sectors 3,080 3.37%
derpaying into the system for the Metal Industries 2,434 2.67%
number of hours their staff work. The sector of the economy Food Processing 1,764 1.93%
The total amount of money with the highest number of Maitenance and Repairs 1,210 1.32%
found to have been defrauded in offences was Hotels and
the province in the 2018 inspec- Wood Industries 334 0.37%
tions was 5.6 million euros. This Hospitality Other Services, Fishing and Non- 11,822 12.94%
makes Malaga, with it high foreign Classified
Source: Seguridad Social (Social Secuirty Dept.) :: E. HINOJOSA
January 3rd to 9th 2020
SUR IN ENGLISH
SPAIN NEWS 13

Driver joy as busy

MPs prepare for weekend investiture debate toll roads built
to vote on new PM in a break from precedent decades ago are
made free to use
Catalan separatists, ERC,
:: JOSÉ LUIS PIEDRA
have agreed to abstain,
SEVILLE. Motorists in Seville
allowing Pedro Sánchez’s and Cadiz got an early Three Kings
PSOE to form a present on Wednesday when the
government with Unidas toll road that has linked the cit-
ies since 1972 saw its pay stations
Podemos by 7 January close for good. The government
has abolished tolls on the AP-4
:: SUR motorway now the concession
MADRID. While people in Spain are to run it, and collect the 7.45 euros
finishing shopping for presents this one way fee, has ended.
Saturday, ahead of Three Kings Day, Some drivers queued up to join
MPs in the Congreso will be debat- the road on the stroke of midnight
ing whether Pedro Sánchez is to be Sánchez and Iglesias (centre photo) seal their deal on Monday while their teams look on. :: EFE on 1 January to be the first to avoid
appointed as next Prime Minister. paying. It is one of the oldest
Acting PM Sánchez, of the PSOE So- but doesn’t hold a majority. If he get one Deputy PM position and Following parliament’s rules, motorways in the country.
cialist party, was designated as can- wins the investiture debate and four ministries in the deal. Sánchez is expected to lose a vote Elsewhere in Spain, a 367-kilo-
didate by the King before Christmas vote, there will be another first, as To win the investiture, Sánchez where he needs an absolute ma- metre stretch of the AP-7 between
having won November’s election. Spain will be governed by a coali- needs the abstention of Catalan left- jority on Sunday (5 January), be- Tarragona (Catalonia) and Ali-
Saturday’s sitting is unusual be- tion for the first time since the res- wing nationalists, ERC. Their lead- fore MPs return on Tuesday (7 cante was freed of tolls.
cause the parliament has never met toration of democracy after Franco. ership met on Thursday night to rat- January). Then a simple ‘yes ver- The contract to run the AP-7
at a weekend and neither at holiday The PSOE and its new left-wing ify that abstention, seemingly sat- sus no’ vote would be enough to toll road closer to home on the
time -parliamentary staff will un- partners, Unidas Podemos (UP), fi- isfied with a PSOE promise of round- see a new left-wing government Costa del Sol has until 2054 be-
expectedly have to come into work. nalised details of their pact this table meetings on Catalonia with in Spain and the end of eight fore it expires on its full length
Pedro Sánchez has the most MPs week. UP, under Pablo Iglesias, will Madrid in the future. months of political stalemate. as far as Sotogrande.

THE EURO ZONE

MARK NAYLER

TOO CLOSE
TO CALL?

T
his week, Spain’s State When seen in this way, the State
Attorney recommended Attorney’s additional request -
the release from prison that Junqueras take up his seat as
of the prominent Cata- an MEP, but without the legal im-
lan politician Oriol Junqueras. munity usually given to such law-
Junqueras leads the pro-independ- makers - makes sense, although
ence ERC, and in October he was it’s unlikely to be granted by the
sentenced to 13 years behind bars European Parliament. It’s as if the
for his role in organising an illegal Spanish judiciary aims to satisfy
referendum on Catalan independ- both secessionists and national-
ence in 2017. Coming just ahead of ists at the same time, by saying
two investiture sessions next “we want Junqueras out of jail,
week, in which Pedro Sánchez but not off the hook completely”.
will try to become Spain’s next The State Attorney’s recom-
PM, the recommendation sug- mendation follows a ruling by the
gests there’s a close connection Court of Justice of the EU in De-
between the executive and judi- cember, to the effect that Jun-
cial branches of the government. queras gained immunity the mo-
Sánchez already has the back- ment he was elected as an MEP in
ing of leftist Unidas Podemos and May last year. According to this ar-
the Basque national party PNV, gument, which is now before the
but in order to lead the next gov- Supreme Court for consideration,
ernment he needs the ERC to ei- the ERC leader should never have
ther vote for him or abstain next been put on trial for sedition and
week. The Catalan group’s sup- misuse of public funds (the of-
port is dependent on Sánchez re- fences for which he was found
laxing his anti-secession stance, so guilty in October), let alone sen-
it seems somewhat coincidental tenced to 13 years in prison.
that the State Attorney’s recom- Leaving aside the issue of
mendation departs from the usual whether politicians should have
government line on how ‘inde- legal immunity, Junqueras’ fate
pendistas’ should be dealt with. now rests in the hands of the Su-
(Sánchez himself endorsed the preme Court - the very body that
sentences last October, which saw put him behind bars in October,
nine leading separatists receive in what could be described as a
nine to 13 years in prison for their heavily politicised ruling. It’s
roles in the 2017 referendum.) plausible to argue that in present-
Could the call for Junqueras’ re- day Spain there is a very close re-
lease be a gesture of goodwill lationship between law and poli-
from the head of Spain’s Prosecu- tics when it comes to Catalan
tion ministry, designed to appease separatists - and not necessarily
the ERC and end the country’s one that will benefit the ERC’s
prolonged political deadlock? imprisoned leader.
14
COMMENT January 3rd to 9th 2020
SUR IN ENGLISH

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR The finished article

Toys from the old days PETER EDGERTON
MUSIC MAKER WWW.E-PETER.COM

I enjoyed reading Tony Bry- ever happened to pogo sticks?

ant’s reflections on Christmas My father would spend time
past and present (‘All I want before Christmas hidden in

Y
for Christmas’, SUR in English the garage, lovingly making ou nearly weren’t able and nearly all of these tasks are as- email) revealed the shocking truth
December 20th) and I am sure us gifts - the doll’s cot he made to read this. “That’s a signed to a specific day. Unfortu- - no, I hadn’t sent the article in yet
it resonated with a lot of read- me was put to good use for pity, it would have been nately, owing to the general haze and there was only a matter of
ers! years, then became the prop- blessing!” I hear you cry. of tinsel, turkey legs and passive hours to spare.
I remember getting one pre- erty of my own daughter, and No such luck, I’m afraid - it’s all aggressive in-laws, a lot of us lose What could I possibly write
sent from my parents, and a is now enjoyed by my grand- worked out swimmingly and this track of which day is which around about? A wave of panic pervaded
few sent by uncles and aunts daughter. week’s witterings have once again this time of year. It’s all New Year’s the very core of my being. You
for which we had to write I can’t imagine any of to- found their way onto the hallowed Eves and Boxing Days and the know the brilliant film All The
‘thank you’ letters before the day’s Christmas gifts being so pages of SUR in English. The thing blessed morning your brother and President’s Men about the Water-
end of the holiday. (Father loved or so long-lasting! is, what with all the festive antics his wife finally give us our house gate scandal starring Robert Red-
Christmas always put a note- Wishing everyone at SUR and all, I completely lost track of back. None of them are called Tues- ford and Dustin Hoffman?
pad in our stockings which was in English a very happy 2020! time. My old English teacher at day or Saturday or any thing nor- Well, picture one of those scenes
used to make a list of who sent school, Mr Boyle, was wont to ex- mal like that. where it’s all frenetic typing and
what.) MEGAN JONES claim at regular intervals, “Edger- So it was that I woke up this telephones ringing and people
One of my best presents BY EMAIL ton! You don’t know what day it morning thinking, “I could have shouting and running about wav-
ever was a pogo stick - what- is, lad!” I imagine he’s chortling sworn it was Thursday today. Good ing bits of paper as if the end of
heartily right now in some celes- God, man! It is Thursday today! days is upon them. And then pic-
tial classroom somewhere, content Now then, did I ping my article in ture the total opposite - a middle-
in the knowledge that his was a to SUR this week? Last week, if I aged bloke lying on his bed yawn-
The art of killing and lovers of human beings... fairly accurate summation of my recall, they asked me to send it on ing and scratching his empty baldy
Regarding the recent article So, why not consider all of character, after all. a Monday instead of a Wednesday head.
about the slaughtering of pigs us going veggie? At least when Normally, like most boring peo- but, no, maybe that was Boxing I could not, for the life of me,
(December 13th 2019), I have it comes to pigs, lambs, cows ple, I have a weekly routine which Day Eve Night Year thingy.” At this think of anything interesting to
to say that, since I went vegan ... since they are really lovely involves such things as ordering point smoke began bellowing from write about in the limited time
in my forties, I get shocked creatures. supplies for the pub, writing/re- my ears and my brain started to available.
whenever I see that pigs are When you get the “connec- hearsing some music, cleaning the feel like last month’s cabbage in a So, I thought I’d write about
considered “not sentient be- tion” with that thought (as I house (not every week, obviously) blender. In depth inquiries (an that.
ings”. recently did some years ago),
Most people, if they ever it really shocks you to see “the
read an article about the art of art of killing pigs” because, by IDÍGORAS
killing dogs for “chorizo” and then, you are aware that they
“bacon”, would be shocked are as lovely as our pets. According to
Are we stupid? Pigs, techni- tradition we eat 12 Don‛t give anyone
cally, are just the same as dogs JORGE CASESNOVES GRANADO
grapes on New
or cats; they are intelligent, ESTEPONA any ideas! They‛ll
sentient beings, adorable, nice Year‛s Eve in Spain have us eating 12
because one year plastic bottles
there was a huge next year!!
We accept letters by email (surinenglish.su@diariosur.es), post or fax, but they must include identification
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publishers. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written permission from the publishers.

Published by: PRENSA MALAGUEÑA S. A.

Director General: ANTONIO GONZÁLEZ

Editor in Chief: Editor: Advertising Manager:

MANUEL CASTILLO Rachel Haynes Emma Vera
Publications Director: Assistant editor: Commercial Director:
Pedro Luis Gómez Daryl Finch Jorge Artero

T
his week we’ve eaten our comes now though, and will take Spaniards in the UK and Brits in
12 grapes at the 12 strokes up the rest of this new 2020, a year Spain during the Brexit transition
of midnight, we’ve
hugged some of our
friends and family and sent me-
Wishes and of transition that could be any-
thing but smooth.
Meanwhile, closer to home, it
negotiations will hopefully have
been among them.
What we should have wished
mes to the rest, we’ve watched fire-
works, drunk fizzy wine, sung Auld
Lang Syne and welcomed the year
resolutions looks likely now that Spain will
have a proper, sworn-in prime min-
ister by next week. This means that
for on New Year’s Eve though is
rain. 2019 was the driest calendar
year on the Costa del Sol since re-
2020 in style. after ten months of “acting” or cords began in the 1940s. Tempera-
That was all on New Year’s Eve “caretaking”, Pedro Sánchez can tures are rising, but the steps taken
and since then, we’ve had a cou- RACHEL HAYNES start working with a new govern- and promises made at the recent
ple of days to reflect on whether ment that is no longer provisional. climate change summit in Madrid
the resolutions and wishes made The coalition, between Social- were disappointing.
in the heat of the moment should ists and left-wing Unidas Podemos, Tackling environment problems
have been a bit more realistic. Events in recent weeks, how- its conditions have the least dam- that looks set to be approved next and introducing greener policies are
There may have been some Re- ever, show that any ideas of keep- aging effect possible on the thou- Tuesday, might not be everyone’s hopefully among the 2020 resolu-
mainers, for example, who made ing Britain in the European Union sands of British residents in Spain cup of tea, but, as with Brexit, pro- tions for our new governments.
the most of the supposed magic of are by now wishful thinking. Tues- and other EU countries and on EU gress has to be made to get out of And while we may not be able
the moment, when one year turns day night’s wishes should have citizens in the UK. the current impasse. to influence the decisions taken
into another, to wish for Brexit to been focused on the decisions and Prime minister Boris Johnson It would be interesting to take by our political leaders, it’s not too
be stopped, or even resolved to con- agreements to be made over the promised to “get Brexit done” and a look at Sánchez’s list of New late to include recycling more and
tinue to search for ways of stop- next 12 months. If Brexit is inevi- British voters have given him the Year’s wishes and, especially, reso- using less plastic on our own reso-
ping it. table then we can only hope that chance to do it. The hard part lutions. Getting the best deal for lutions list for 2020.
January 3rd to 9th 2020
SUR IN ENGLISH
15
16
LIFESTYLE January 3rd to 9th 2020
SUR IN ENGLISH

Beatriz Sánchez, founder

of Operación Encina, poses with
her hoe and a young plant on a
hill in Huétor Vega (Granada)
where her woodland is growing.
:: RAMÓN L. PÉREZ

Sowing
awareness
Thousands of volunteers are trying to collect and plant 25 dark place”.
To plant the acorn in the ground
million acorns all over the country. Those behind the you only have to make a hole with
INÉS a seeder, a pointed spade or hoe. It
GALLESTEGUI project are sure that one in ten will grow into oak trees shouldn’t be too deep, so the plant
can’t grow, nor too shallow so it
won’t be eaten by animals or dried
EARTH MATTERS acorns and plant them on the blighted low some simple instructions. They work so I can dedicate myself to this. out by the sun. The best location is
land which was covered with ash. are asked to fill in a form explain- My project is my life,” he says. under the shade of a shrub, to pro-
To sow 25 million acorns in order to They buried 700,000 acorns and, three ing how many seeds they have sown The acorn is a very efficient seed, tect the future shoots, and with
obtain, at least, 2.5 million trees. That’s years later, are seeing the area spring and where they have done so, for says the coordinator of the cam- earth cushioned with leaves or bark.
the aim of the Gran Bellotada Ibérica, to life again in the form of 1,000 trees monitoring purposes. paign, “because between ten and Finally, the seed is placed in the hole
an initiative which is trying to slow which are native to the area. “We are overwhelmed. We are a 20 per cent of them prosper and horizontally and the hole is covered
down desertification and climate Amazed by the strength of these small association and this has be- grow into a tree, even in very poor up so there is no sign that it is there.
change. An NGO from Extremadura seeds, which are resistant to the come a monster. Since 1 October soil like ours. Of course, we do have Then you just have to wait for na-
began this movement a few weeks flames and to the drought which there have been 250 actions all over to take certain precautions. You can ture to do its magic.
ago and it is already unstoppable: sometimes occurs in the Mediter- the country and 220,000 acorns have collect them from the tree or the Not everybody has the same lev-
1,430 ‘cells’ of volunteers all over the ranean climate, they wanted to share been sown so far,” says Ibarrondo, ground, but have to make sure they els of energy. The original group can
country are being trained to collect their experience and about six weeks who has been keen on environ- are ripe but not hollow or broken. plant 500 acorns per person per day,
seeds from different types of oak tree, ago they launched their challenge mental protection for many years. They have to be hard, shiny and in- while some collaborators report that
including those of the quercus spe- on social media. “I grow vegetables, collect wood tense brown in colour. The final they have planted 15. It doesn’t mat-
cies, and sow them in degraded or de- To take part, any person or group from the mountainside, have solar check is to put them in a bucket of ter. It all helps.
forested areas, in many cases in col- only has to download the ‘guía bel- panels, I don’t smoke or drink and water. If they float, throw them Where should you sow? Refor-
laboration with town halls, conser- lotera’ from their website and fol- I spend very little. I do temporary away. Then keep the others in a cool, est-Acción says anywhere: burned
vation organisations or environmental
management agencies.
“We want to train people in basic THE ACORN
knowledge and recover the culture
of woodlands,” says Rodrigo ‘Bongui’
Ibarrondo, creator of the project.
It all began with a fire in 2015,
The ‘bellota’ is a resilient seed domestic animals such as the
pigs that graze in the meadows
when 8,600 hectares were burned in of Extremadura and Andalucía
the Sierra de Gata, a region in the and produce the coveted Iberian
northwest of Cáceres province which The acorn (the ‘bellota’ in Span- roots in the first year alone. That ham.
borders Salamanca and Portugal. A ish) is the seed of different types is what makes these species such Historically, the edible varie-
group of local people, concerned by of oak tree, leafy species resis- excellent survivors in the harsh ties have been consumed by hu-
the destruction of millions of pine tant to fire which are found all conditions of the Mediterranean mans, especially when ground
and other trees, decided to turn the over the Iberian Peninsula. “It’s a climate,” says the guidebook and made into flour which is
land green again. very special seed. Because of its from Reforest-Acción. then used to make bread and
Together with the Reforest-Ac- size, it can store sufficient en- Acorns serve as food for nu- other products. During the post-
ción association, which today has ergy so that when it germinates, merous wild species, including civil-war years of scarcity, acorns
more than 1,000 volunteers of 41 na- it develops up to one metre of squirrels, jays and boor, but also became a means of survival.
tionalities, they started to collect