Interior Spain is high, dry, and empty, a great tableland of the Meseta ringed by mountains, with a light and a silence that come as a surprise to anyone who knows only the coasts. This is Europe’s most depopulated countryside, a landscape of abandoned villages and cereal steppe and dehesa, the old oak savanna where cork oak and holm oak stand scattered over pasture grazed by pigs and cattle.
The dehesa is a masterpiece of low-intensity land use, and it supports the Iberian lynx and the Spanish imperial eagle, two of the rarest animals in Europe, both of which were within a breath of extinction and both of which have been dragged back. The lynx recovery in particular ranks among the great conservation successes of the century. Above the plains, the sierras hold wolves and bears, and vultures ride the thermals in numbers unmatched anywhere in Europe.
The organizations here sustain the dehesa and the extensive farming that keeps it, drive the lynx and eagle recoveries, and confront a hard new reality: interior Spain is drying, and the rivers and aquifers are being drawn down faster than the rain can replace them.
Environmental Organizations in This Bioregion
35 organizations working across this landscape.
Asociacion Chelonia
Environmental NGO for scientific research, biodiversity conservation, climate neutrality and sustainability.
Associació Catalana de Rem Oceànic
Raise awareness on plastic pollution. Encourage next generations to be part of the change, by sharing knowledge and ultimately crossing the Atlantic by rowing.
Associación Maasai Reto
We work on the basis of three pillars: Education and Health Protection for the Maasai Community, Environmental Sustainability and Wildlife Protection.
BIOagradables
The mission of the BIOagradables association is to spread awareness about the state of our marine ecosystems and to allow people who participate in our activities to...
Cleanwave Foundation
Cleanwave Foundation is dedicated to the restoration of marine ecosystems in the Mediterranean, through community engagement and providing tangible solutions.
Desert Leaves
We are a small foundation with a big mission: to plant trees and restore ecosystems in the world’s most vulnerable landscapes
Ecomar Foundation
Take care of the only two places you can never move from: your body and your planet.
Escalada Sostenible
To create a climate of trust and respect among all the agents involved - the environment, owners and other users - is a necessary process to protect climbing and ma...
Fundació Elna
Committed to the dignity and inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities within their community.
Fundación Amigos de las Abejas
Our mission is to raise public and institutional awareness of the importance of bees and pollinators in the development and conservation of ecosystems due to their p...
Fundación B Lab Spain
We are part of an international network that is transforming the economy to benefit all people, communities, and the planet. How? Through standards, policies, tools,...
Fundació Patrimoni Natural
Prevenció, gestió i millora de la seguretat del parc natural de Sant Llorenç del Munt i el seu entorn
Fundació Privada Emys
Fundació Emys promotes the study and conservation of natural and rural heritage through management, education, awareness and social involvement of the territory. The...
FUNDACIO PROJECTE MIRANDA
Fundació Miranda rescues horses and returns them to freedom in Nature.
GEPEC-Ecologistes de Catalunya
GEPEC-EdC (Grup d'Estudis i Protecció dels Ecosistemes Catalans-Ecologistes de Catalunya) Defiende y protege el medio ambiente y la salud de las personas.
INSTITUTO JANE GOODALL ESPAÑA
The Jane Goodall Institute promotes understanding and protection of great apes and their habitat
Kilian Jornet Foundation
Preserving the mountain environment
La Sabina
La Sabina works for the conservation of biodiversity and nature, especially wild birds, by carrying out all kinds of activities from direct in-field action and cons...
Light Humanity
Light Humanity's mission is to eliminate technological, economic and educational barriers to universal access to sustainable and inclusive energy within local commun...
Mallorca Preservation
Article 5 of the Entity’s Bylaws sets forth the mission and activities of the organization, which are transcribed verbatim below: Article 5 – Purposes and activities...
Menorca Preservation
Menorca Preservation has been set up to preserve Menorca's exceptional natural beauty through promoting a sustainable approach to the island's way of life.
Nukoko Ghana
Self-sufficiency for the sustainable development of rural communities in Ghana through empowerment, ethical business practices, education, and healthcare.
Plastic Oceans Europe
We aims to end plastic pollution through education and foster sustainable communities worldwide.
Reforest4Climate
As the world's population increases, natural habitats are reduced. CO2 emissions also are increasing as a result of fossil fuel combustion. Our mission is to compens...
REWILDING SPAIN
Rewilding Spain is the Spanish leading organisation working in recovering nature and wildlife thus opening new opportunities for rural development.
SEAQUAL FOUNDATION
Cleaning isn’t enough — the Foundation regenerates marine ecosystems, restores habitats, and empowers communities through conservation and education.
Sociedad Científica DIRUS
Independent scientific organisation advancing large predator conservation through research, citizen science and environmental education.
Solidaridad Educación Desarrollo (SED)
Solidaridad, Educación, Desarrollo, SED (Solidarity, Education, Development, SED) is a non-profit Non-Governmental Development Organisation (NGDO). SED works mainly ...
Surf And Clean
Surfing as an educational and cultural way to reconnect people with themselves, the others and with nature. Promoting direct actions to protect the environment.
Surf & Nature Alliance
We are a non-profit organization dedicated to the coastal conservation with a special focus on the surf areas around the world. We empower local communities throug...
Surfrider España
Surfrider Spain purposes are the defense, safeguarding, development and sustainable management of the oceans, the coastline, the beaches, lakes and rivers.
Trees For Humanity
T4H combats drought and restores degraded areas. Plastic-free reforestation using our biodegradable pot system. we support over 1500 women at risk in Africa
Wild Spirit Foundation
Protecting wildlife and ecosystems through science, veterinary care, and community action