Joya: wilding / how to give land back to nature

Context (by Simon Beckmann)

Joya: AiR resides within a restored / previously abandoned farm high in the Mediterranean sub-tropical steppe in the north of the province of Almería, Spain. Within the rain shadow of the Sierra Nevada and the Sierra Cazorla to the west, our biome is characterised as receiving inadequate water with summer temperatures as high as 45º C and winter as much as -15ºC. We receive short wet periods in the autumn and spring, often falling as snow. Exceptions to this rainfall are the gota frias, rare but increasingly more common flash flooding. Our proximity to the sea and its summer heat in contrast to cold continental air from the north at the end of summer brings increasingly volatile rainwater inundation. This rainfall is of little benefit as its intensity combined with elevated sedimentary limestone and sun-baked clay, like concrete, only makes the events contribute to erosion, bringing destruction to farmland and human infrastructures.

The folk who lived here previously abandoned the farm in the late 60’s early 70’s as life was tough. Subsistence farmers, they cultivated cereals by hand, grew almonds and vegetables on what is an historically fascinating water catchment system*. They grazed sheep and goats on the common land (now natural park), fattened pigs, raised chickens and hunted rabbits and partridge. Better opportunities appeared and they abandoned their homes for industrialised cities such as Barcelona, the vineyards of France.

What we inherited was a very run-down group of farmhouses, each building the property of individual members of the extended family. This we developed into the Joya: arte + ecología / AiR residency for international artists and writers. We developed sustainable and cultural activity as, in part, the economic means to regenerate land. Land fallen out of agricultural use but, given this climate, unable to regenerate itself apart from the Aleppo pine which has colonised a lot of abandoned land in the mountains. We don’t consider these pines to be regenerative, more opportunist. What they leave you with is a monoculture of species, susceptible to pest and fire and in terms of fauna diversity very poor.

The property is off-grid and carbon neutral, but we wanted to go further and be carbon positive. Initially our 20 hectares of land was not a priority and we contracted it out to local farmers to cultivate cereals. This we quickly realised was a disaster as their only motivation for farming the land was to receive the subsidies from the EU. Subsidies they appeared to receive regardless as to the yield of the crop. In drought years the cereals would germinate and dry out. The land was tilled, the soil denuded of organic matter and the giant tractors used to cultivate the land are significant emitters of carbon monoxide as well as accelerating erosion. Thankfully we quickly realised the error of our ways and cancelled these contracts. But what could we do with the land?

Given the nature of our cultural and sustainable activities it appeared to us that our resident artists might benefit more from returning the land to the native steppe ecology found here 200 years ago. Encounters with native flora and fauna was going to be more beneficial to us and our resident artists both economically and experientially. However, 20 hectares of land in this climate and topography couldn’t meaningfully support animals higher up the food chain. Consequently, how could we hope to benefit from the altered and improved landscape we wished to achieve as a consequence of the now famous trophic cascades? Well, we are fortunate enough to be in the heart of a 22,000-hectare natural park. In addition to the north the land is underpopulated extending the areas wildlife could range even further. Our land is bordered by common land, forested mountains all around us. What we could achieve is to be a bridge or corridor between more native habitats. However, we don’t want to replicate that habitat in an unending forest of Aleppo pine, we want to create a landscape more beneficial to flora and fauna. This landscape is already rich in raptors, reptiles, vultures, passerine birds and mammals. The adjacent province of Murcia has given us a head start with the re-introduction of the Spanish Lynx… this in addition to the now established reintroduction of the Lammergeier to the north in the Sierra Cazorla and we are on the way. 

Whilst we are missing keystone species in this region such as bears and wolves, there are resident populations in Spain so one can only hope. Our neighbouring mountain range is the Sierra del Oso, the sierra of bears. So, they did once live here as did wolves. The Lynx will have to suffice in the short term.

Earlier* I mentioned the historic water catchment system on our property. It’s technology that dates back to the Bronze Age in this region. It is a landscape adaptation that sustainably harvests water from the hydrosphere. A gentle but significant erosional channel was located, and a series of giant earth terraces were constructed within this waterway. These terraces put the brakes on rainfall run-off, constraining the water and encouraging it to sink into the ground. Upon meeting bedrock, this now subterranean water continued to flow at an accumulating rate under the surface of the ground. The accumulated rain in the headwater is then accesses at the bottom the catchment in a shallow well or a small dam. This part of the system is called the cañada. Beneath the well or dam is the boquera. This is a series of terracing interconnected with small canals called acequias which are used to direct the water to where it is needed. It is within this zone that the farmers grew vegetables and fruiting trees like olives for the household. For me, what is unique about this system is that it is sustainable. The farmers did not extract ancient ground water and the system was co-evolutionary, benefiting both farmer and flora and fauna.

Land abandonment led the catchment system to fall into disrepair but, during Covid lockdown, we have started the restoration of the terraces in the certainty that we can make the system work again. We may have to augment it to deal with climate change driven increases in the incidence of flash floods but like all these projects they are trial and error.

Taking our inspiration from this water catchment design, over the last two years we have built a Keyline water catchment system closer to the house. This is to be our food forest. Strictly following contour lines, we have coincidentally built concentric system of swales and berms around the house on the land that flows away from the property. The intention is for this catchment system to provide enough water to create an area of diverse planting of edible fruits, berries and nuts. The berms act as insectaries, habitats for predatory insects that will discourage pest insects on our fruit. The idea is to try and mimic the ecosystems and patterns in nature found in this region. We have planted over one hundred fruiting trees in this zone and we have plans for at least two hundred more.

Ultimately the landscape adaptations, historical or contemporary which we have restored or constructed, create living environments for plant life. In turn these adaptations sequester carbon from the atmosphere with the intention of making us carbon positive. Additionally, the combination of land adaptation, moisture retention and living organisms go a long way to prevent run-off, flooding and erosion.

The restoration of degraded land such as ours is highly effective for both carbon sequestration and re-creating habitats for native wildlife. These are two essential mitigations against climate change. We are not certain yet what we should be restoring our landscape too, but we imagine pre-industrial times. This is a subject for further consultation. We know that simply planting trees is not the solution. What we wish for is the wholesale restoration of ecosystems relative to this climate and geography. Restoring the diversity of plant and animal life is a goal that simultaneously benefits wildlife and the climate.

We aim to show that rewilding land and growing food sustainably can be mutually beneficial in reversing species loss and reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide.

more information to come…