In the participatory budgets of 2017 a citizen proposed to create an edible forest in the natural area next to the canal of Sarriguren (Navarra). At that time it was not the most voted project and the proposal was therefore rejected. However, the idea of creating an edible forest was there, and the village's gardening group has now decided to retake the project and push it forward in a different way. On 10 March, the creation of a forest by members of environmental volunteering and citizenship has begun.

It also benefits animals in the area

“When the budget was not achieved and the idea was put behind us, we thought: Why aren't we going to do it? It can be done differently,” explains Mikel Etxarte Azkarate, Environmental Councillor of the Egüés Valley and project promoter. The gardening group of the village then started the project of creating the forest, they have bought the necessary plants, shrubs and materials themselves.

Etxarte assures that year after year they will create the forest, and that this is the first step of the project. “The gardening group has defined where shrubs will go: mulberries, red mulberries, blackberries, and the area of trees, including nogales, plumber cherries.” It is a journey through the edible forest, in which the environmental volunteer team and the citizens have worked. “It is important that there are such areas in the vicinity of the city, not only for the people, but also because these fruits are food for many birds and mammals to spend the winter,” the councilman explains.

The value of the voluntary environment

The working group consists of about 20 people, most of them close to the valley, but there are also people from the region of Pamplona. So far, in addition to the edible forest, two other initiatives have been carried out: last year, lagoons have been naturalized with the development of microwetlands for amphibians, and within the framework of the Aterpeak project, nest boxes for birds of prey have been created.