Catalonia · Spain
Knowledge and monitoring for a territory of high ecological value.
Project details
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Territory
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Montseny Massif, Catalonia
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Protection designations
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UNESCO Biosphere Reserve
Natura 2000 network -
EMFF's role
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Conservation pilot project with the Nature Integrity Methodology
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Status
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Ongoing · Field campaigns since 2026
The Challenge
Biodiversity loss is not always dramatic.
Sometimes it is invisible.
Fewer pollinators. Less connectivity. Simpler ecosystems.
Montseny is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and part of the Natura 2000 network, but it has not been immune to habitat degradation, land-use change and climate pressure.
Ecological value is not the same as ecological integrity. A landscape can host remarkable biodiversity while having lost resilience, connectivity and the capacity to adapt to change.
Fieldwork
The intervention
Our efforts to keep nature alive.
Montseny is the setting for the pilot project of the Nature Integrity Methodology.
In a conservation project, the reference is neither a generic average nor a theoretical ideal: it is the forest itself, documented in detail at the start of the project. From then on, each verification measures whether its biological and structural condition is maintained. The initial condition is measured in the field, not estimated. This is what the Biodiversity Credit Alliance calls a maintenance outcome.
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Ecological habitat characterization and context-specific indicator selection
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Documentation of threats and pressures on the ecosystem
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Georeferenced, repeatable field sampling
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Acoustic wildlife monitoring
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Environmental DNA in soil and water
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Satellite imagery analysis and land cover change
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Independent verification of reported results
Video
Montseny, told from the ground.
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