We reforest 17 hectares of forest in La Atalaya together with the Cartagena City Council
Under the supervision of Sylvestris, there will be a dozen people from Cartagena in charge of carrying out the work, promoting local employment and generating new opportunities among vulnerable groups.
The project involves the reforestation of 17 hectares of land and the planting of 4,800 trees and shrubs, native or naturalized, in an enclave of the city, emblematic for its history and for being one of the most popular mountains for practicing sport for the people of Cartagena. More than 3,800 wild-olive, juniper, fig, Aleppo pine, and carob trees, and more than 1,000 tetraclinis (Cartagena cypress), will be planted, provided by the Regional Government's Directorate-General for Environment.
Prior to the planting, the workers will be in charge of preparing the area and finding the ideal places for the plants to grow. The project also involves carrying out maintenance work over the next three years, to ensure the conservation of the plants and, if necessary, begin replanting. And to deal with the severe summer drought, the Cartagena City Council will carry out settlement irrigation that will favor the survival of the species. With the introduction of the new plants, in addition to increasing biodiversity, it will be possible to protect the soil against erosion and create new, more resilient mixed stands for the future.
António Calçada, vice chairman of Repsol Foundation, highlighted how “reforestation is a natural and efficient climate solution to offset CO₂, emissions, generating a positive triple impact (economic, social, and environmental) that contributes to a just and sustainable energy transition”.
The director of the Repsol refinery in Cartagena, Antonio Mestre, also highlighted that, with this project, Repsol and its Foundation show their support once again for Cartagena and “the Company's commitment to promoting sustainable development and fighting climate change.” Mestre pledged that “for us, this is an important project in several aspects: we are increasing the biodiversity of the environment, we are creating a green space that not only us, but also the next generations will enjoy, and we are promoting local employment by hiring unemployed people from the municipality”.
The mayor of Cartagena, Ana Belén Castejón, thanked the Repsol Foundation for its willingness to launch all those initiatives that promote the sustainable development of the municipality. Castejón stated that ""with the signing of this agreement we are launching this project with the main objective of increasing biodiversity and turning La Atalaya into a green space, which will help mitigate the effects of climate change in the municipality.""
The regional government's executive managing director for Environment, Fulgencio Perona, explained that “it is essential to maintain and promote collaboration between the public and private sectors that favors the promotion of actions aimed at conserving and increasing biodiversity in the Region of Murcia. There are multiple benefits both for natural environments and for the well-being of people, in line with the objective of combating climate change and avoiding its consequences in Levante, Spain”.
More than 20 hectares reforested in Cartagena over the last three years
Repsol and its Foundation have been developing different projects in Cartagena for years, related to improving natural spaces and the fight against climate change.
In La Algameca, reforested in collaboration with the Spanish Navy and the Creect association, today nearly 4,000 trees, shrubs, and plants grow, totaling three hectares. We must add the work carried out in Cerro de los Moros over the last three years, to the planting in October last year.
Different groups have voluntarily collaborated in all these projects, including the refinery workers themselves and their families.
In line with Repsol's commitment to energy transition and the fight against climate change, the Foundation, through its company Repsol Social Impact, has invested inSylvestris, a company dedicated to planting and reforestation as tools for absorbing CO2 emissions, and which also promotes the natural restoration of urban settings with gardens.
Following their policies to generate a positive impact, Sylvestris and Repsol Foundation enhance the triple impact: economic, environmental, and social. In addition to restoring forest areas, mitigating climate change, they are committed to carrying out their work by training and hiring local people, giving priority to those who are in disadvantaged situations or part of a group at risk of marginalization.