January 3rd to 9th 2020

SUR IN ENGLISH
9
10 NEWS
A local lad
with a career
in space
At the age of 26, aerospace
engineer Álvaro Soria is
developing systems for the
exploration of Mars and is
already one of the most
highly-rated talents at the
European Space Agency
Álvaro Soria is
fascinated by planetary
exploration and is on
the Forbes list of the 30
most influential young
people in the world
:: MATÍAS STUBER
MALAGA. Many children dream of
what they want to be when they
grow up, but it never progresses be-
yond a dream. Being an astronaut,
of course, is one of the favourites,
but no more than 700 people have
ever travelled into space and re-
turned to tell the tale. This is one of
the most exclusive professions in
the world. So, how does one get a
job that is never advertised any-
where?
Actually, the first requirement
is quite straightforward: the indus-
try wants people with scientific ap-
titude in fields such as material en-
gineering, physics, astronomy or
aerospace engineering. Applicants
must be under the age of 47 and less
than 1.90m tall. They have to speak
perfect English, too. And a young
man from Malaga has found that
he fits the bill.
Álvaro Soria is 26 years old,
1.85m tall and slim. Many have de-
scribed him as “brilliant” and
Forbes magazine has already in-
cluded him as one of the 100 most
influential young scientists. After
leaving San Estanislao de Kostka
school in Malaga he went to the
Polytechnic in Madrid to study Sci-
ence and Aerospace Technologies.
He graduated with flying colours
in four years, and came to the at-
tention of María Paz Zorzano, an
eminence in the aerospace sector
and associate professor at the Lulea
Technological University in Swe-
den. She is leading an ambitious
project to develop a mechanism
which improves fuel saving in the
satellites that gravitate in orbit.
Álvaro didn’t think twice about
her offer, and was taken on by the
Swedish institution.
At the same time as his research,
he is also working on his doctoral
thesis, which he will be present-
ing in March. It is based on an even
more ambitious project: the Exo-
Mars 2020 mission. If all goes ac-
January 3rd to 9th 2020
SUR IN ENGLISH
 Close-up. Álvaro
poses for a photo in
SUR’s Editorial depart-
ment. :: SALVADOR SALAS
jointly by the European Space
Agency (ESA) and the Russian Fed-
eral Roscosmos Space Agency, to look
for life on Mars. It consists of a rover,
the Rosalind Franklin, and a surface
platform called ‘Kazachok’,which is
where the instrument is placed. The
instrument consists of a meteorologi-
cal station which will be used to dem-
onstrate and measure, for the first
time, the transitory existence of liq-
uid water on the surface of the planet.
Water is essential for life, as we know
from the Earth,” Álvaro explains.
Despite his achievements, he re-
mains modest. He knows he is part
of a very competitive world. How-
ever, the question has to be asked:
is he going to be the first astronaut
from Malaga? “No,” he says. Not for
the moment, anyway.
“Planetary exploration is what
fascinates me, and I want to focus
my efforts on the scientific aspect.
I like build
building instruments and be-
ing able to wo
work on solving prob-
lems for the aerospace indus-
try,” he ssays. The idea
first att
attracted him
when h he was 14
and he decided
to take it fur-
In action. The round pho- ther.
to shows Álvaro during the de- There
velopment of the instrument are ot
other
which will be part of the Exo- talen
talented
Mars 2020 mission. young-
Below, the aerospace engineer sters, of
from Malaga experiences zero course,
gravity during a parabolic b u t
flight, operated by French w h e n
company Novespace, under G
Ger-
the supervision of the ESA. ::
SUR
cording to plan, in June
the Russian Space
Agency Roscosmos will
launch a lander to Mars.
It will be fitted with an
instrument developed
by Álvaro. The project is
called ‘Habit’, from its ini-
tials, and is also being led
by María Paz Zorzano. The
aim is to find out more
about the habitability of
the red planet. The work,
he admits, has not been
easy.
“The ‘Habit’ is part of the
ExoMars 2020 project, a mis-
sion which is being carried out
January 3rd to 9th 2020
SUR IN ENGLISH
man astronaut Matthias Maurer
was looking for someone to expand
his research team at the European
Astronaut Centre (EAC) in Cologne,
he selected Álvaro. Nobody from
Malaga has ever been closer to the
moon.
Under direct tutelage of the ESA,
he has taken part in several experi-
ments into the viability of a per-
manent installation on the surface
of the moon. “It was an incredible
experience. You have breakfast in
the café with astronauts. You see
them train in the swimming pool
at the centre, and preparing for zero
gravity,” he recalls.
If anything characterises aero-
space research, it is the high costs
involved. Álvaro says people don’t
understand the return on the in-
vestment. “On average, it costs each
European citizen six euros a year,
and in return they get TV, 4G serv-
ices, safe communications, hospi-
tal instrumentation and a lot more,”
he says.
Evolution
The space race has evolved consid-
erably. The Cold War has given way
to collaboration between space
agencies from different countries.
NASA, ESA and Roscosmos now
work together to save on costs. “I’m
convinced my generation will see
a permanent, inhabited base on
the moon,” says Álvaro, who would
love to contribute to that. The par-
ticles are accelerating. After Exo-
Mars 2020, NASA already has other
plans: in 2024, an astronaut will
set foot on the red planet.
Age Care co-founder receives
MBE in New Year Honours List
Charles Betty, a 95-year-
old WWII veteran, was
given the award for
services to British
Nationals overseas
:: TONY BRYANT
MALAGA. British expat Dr Char-
les Betty is among nine UK nation-
als in Spain named in the Queen’s
New Year Honours List. Charles,
an active charity and community
worker, was awarded an MBE for
services to British Nationals over-
seas under the UK honours system
published last week. The former
Welsh Fusilier, who participated
in the D-Day Landings, was in the
UK spending the festive season
with his family when he heard the
news. The delighted 95-year-old
said the award had “come out of
the blue”, although he expressed
that his only regret was that his be-
loved wife, who died last year, was
not alive to share it with him.
“It is an enormous honour to be
given an MBE and I am truly de-
lighted. I can only thank all the
many people who have supported
me over the years, especially my
wife, who, although now no longer
with me, used to say ‘Charles, you
Dr Charles Betty at his home in Benalmádena Costa. :: T. BRYANT
can and you will.’”
Charles had previously worked
as a senior education inspector but
took early retirement in order to
move to Spain in 1985 after his ail-
ing wife was told that her life ex-
pectancy would significantly in-
crease if she moved to a warmer
and drier climate.
It was a routine visit to the
NEWS 11
health centre in Arroyo de la Miel
that gave Charles the idea of set-
ting up the first interpreter serv-
ice in a health clinic on the coast.
He also co-founded the Age Care
Association, an organisation that
offers assistance to British senior
citizens that live in the province of
Malaga.
Charles continues to contribute
to the Embassy and Consulates’ un-
derstanding of the needs of older
British people in Spain, and, as he
points out, he has no plans of retir-
ing just yet.
“I will continue with my work
and remain committed to helping
more British people who need sup-
port and advice about their lives in
Spain.”
In 2018, Charles became the old-
est student to receive a PhD from a
British university. Focusing on the
trend of older British migrants who
return to the UK, he spent five years
studying and researching under the
auspices of the University of North-
ampton in order to attain a PhD.
Ambassador to Spain Hugh Elli-
ott described Charles as a “true pub-
lic servant”, highlighting the fact
that he had dedicated his time to
helping older British nationals in-
tegrate into their communities and
enjoy a successful retirement in
Spain. He also showed his delight
that nine British nationals had been
awarded this year, claiming it was
“a real testament to the depth and
diversity of the UK-Spain relation-
ship and to the contribution that
so many British nationals make to
their communities across Spain.”
12 NEWS BUSINESS AND FINANCE January 3rd to 9th 2020
SUR IN ENGLISH

Surge in number of Undeclared employment in figures

2018

workers on Costa Number of incidents

identified of overall
Social Security fraud

who evade Social Cordoba

574
Jaén
856

Security quotas Huelva

687
Seville
938

Granada Almeria
population and reliance on tempo- 1,122 1,040
rary tourist work, the Andalusian
province with the largest amount Cadiz Malaga
of black-market labour. The next 1,006 1,369
MATÍAS
STUBER highest province is Almeria, with
its heavy use of migrant workers in
 mstuber@diariosur.es the fruit industry, on 4.9 million
euros of evaded payments.
Ministry of Work Despite efforts by the govern-
inspectors uncovered ment to persuade people not to Number of
work under the table or warn em- Social Security
2,059 people working ployers against Social Security inspections of
workers’ 656
fraudulently in Malaga fraud, as this harms the overall registration
963
province in 2018, economy, the local Malaga data status 562
shows a 10.8 per cent increase in
according to latest identified offences in 2018. Incidents
annual report Of the 13,652 inspections in where a fraud
Malaga province, 87 per cent infraction
(11,809) were checks on workers was found
MALAGA. The number of people to see if their employers, or the 558
working and not paying the correct workers themselves if self-em-
Social Security contributions in ployed, were registered to pay 511
Malaga province, including the Costa monthly quotas to the State to
del Sol, is on the rise. cover healthcare, pensions and 378 603
A recently released report from other rights. 191
the ministry of Work in Madrid cov- On a national level, the sector
ering 2018 says that 1,369 incidents of the economy with the largest
were found locally of Social Secu- number of offences was Hotels and
rity fraud involving 2,059 people, Hospitality, making up 23.46 per
up from 1,857 people in 2017. cent of the total. This was followed Inspections
The increase in cases is despite a by Professional Services on 15.88 in total 6.453
6,453 11.651
11,651 10.546
10,546 5.355
5,355 11.809
11,809 7.667
7,667 4.516
4,516 5.586
5,586
fall in the overall number of work- per cent and retail on 13.36 per cent.
place inspections carried out in the The Construction sector made up Huelva Cadiz Seville Cordoba Malaga Granada Jaén Almeria
area over the two years, from 14,081 10.21 per cent of the cases of work- Percentage
in 2017 to 13,652 in 2018. ers or bosses not following the So- Sector of Sector Infraction of total
The data covers a series of offences cial Security payments rules in economy
uncovered on the inspectors’ visits some way. and fraud Hotels and Hospitality 21,424 23.46%
to companies and includes both in- infractions
(all Spain) Professional Services 14,499 15.88%
fractions by workers themselves Retail 12,204 13.36%
and their bosses in underreporting
employment. Offences include: for- The money found to have Construction 9,324 10.21%
eigners employed but with no work been evaded in the Agriculture and Farming Products 6,050 6.62%
permit for Spain; workers and self-
employed not registered to pay
province in 2018 was Transport 4,037 4.42%
5.6 million euros Public Administration 4,143 3.44%
monthly Social Security contribu-
tions; and employers who are un- Other Industrial Sectors 3,080 3.37%
derpaying into the system for the Metal Industries 2,434 2.67%
number of hours their staff work. The sector of the economy Food Processing 1,764 1.93%
The total amount of money with the highest number of Maitenance and Repairs 1,210 1.32%
found to have been defrauded in offences was Hotels and
the province in the 2018 inspec- Wood Industries 334 0.37%
tions was 5.6 million euros. This Hospitality Other Services, Fishing and Non- 11,822 12.94%
makes Malaga, with it high foreign Classified
Source: Seguridad Social (Social Secuirty Dept.) :: E. HINOJOSA
January 3rd to 9th 2020
SUR IN ENGLISH
SPAIN NEWS 13

Driver joy as busy

MPs prepare for weekend investiture debate
to vote on new PM in a break from precedent
Catalan separatists, ERC,
have agreed to abstain,
allowing Pedro Sánchez’s
PSOE to form a
government with Unidas
Podemos by 7 January
:: SUR
MADRID. While people in Spain are
finishing shopping for presents this
Saturday, ahead of Three Kings Day,
MPs in the Congreso will be debat-
ing whether Pedro Sánchez is to be
appointed as next Prime Minister.
Acting PM Sánchez, of the PSOE So-
cialist party, was designated as can-
didate by the King before Christmas
having won November’s election.
Saturday’s sitting is unusual be-
cause the parliament has never met
at a weekend and neither at holiday
time -parliamentary staff will un-
expectedly have to come into work.
Pedro Sánchez has the most MPs
Sánchez and Iglesias (centre photo) seal their deal on Monday while their teams look on. :: EFE
but doesn’t hold a majority. If he
wins the investiture debate and
vote, there will be another first, as
Spain will be governed by a coali-
tion for the first time since the res-
toration of democracy after Franco.
The PSOE and its new left-wing
partners, Unidas Podemos (UP), fi-
nalised details of their pact this
week. UP, under Pablo Iglesias, will
get one Deputy PM position and
four ministries in the deal.
To win the investiture, Sánchez
needs the abstention of Catalan left-
wing nationalists, ERC. Their lead-
ership met on Thursday night to rat-
ify that abstention, seemingly sat-
isfied with a PSOE promise of round-
table meetings on Catalonia with
Madrid in the future.
Following parliament’s rules,
Sánchez is expected to lose a vote
where he needs an absolute ma-
jority on Sunday (5 January), be-
fore MPs return on Tuesday (7
January). Then a simple ‘yes ver-
sus no’ vote would be enough to
see a new left-wing government
in Spain and the end of eight
months of political stalemate.
toll roads built
decades ago are
made free to use
:: JOSÉ LUIS PIEDRA
SEVILLE. Motorists in Seville
and Cadiz got an early Three Kings
present on Wednesday when the
toll road that has linked the cit-
ies since 1972 saw its pay stations
close for good. The government
has abolished tolls on the AP-4
motorway now the concession
to run it, and collect the 7.45 euros
one way fee, has ended.
Some drivers queued up to join
the road on the stroke of midnight
on 1 January to be the first to avoid
paying. It is one of the oldest
motorways in the country.
Elsewhere in Spain, a 367-kilo-
metre stretch of the AP-7 between
Tarragona (Catalonia) and Ali-
cante was freed of tolls.
The contract to run the AP-7
toll road closer to home on the
Costa del Sol has until 2054 be-
fore it expires on its full length
as far as Sotogrande.

THE EURO ZONE

MARK NAYLER

TOO CLOSE
TO CALL?

T
his week, Spain’s State
Attorney recommended
the release from prison
of the prominent Cata-
lan politician Oriol Junqueras.
Junqueras leads the pro-independ-
ence ERC, and in October he was
sentenced to 13 years behind bars
for his role in organising an illegal
referendum on Catalan independ-
ence in 2017. Coming just ahead of
two investiture sessions next
week, in which Pedro Sánchez
will try to become Spain’s next
PM, the recommendation sug-
gests there’s a close connection
between the executive and judi-
cial branches of the government.
Sánchez already has the back-
ing of leftist Unidas Podemos and
the Basque national party PNV,
but in order to lead the next gov-
ernment he needs the ERC to ei-
ther vote for him or abstain next
week. The Catalan group’s sup-
port is dependent on Sánchez re-
laxing his anti-secession stance, so
it seems somewhat coincidental
that the State Attorney’s recom-
mendation departs from the usual
government line on how ‘inde-
pendistas’ should be dealt with.
(Sánchez himself endorsed the
sentences last October, which saw
nine leading separatists receive
nine to 13 years in prison for their
roles in the 2017 referendum.)
Could the call for Junqueras’ re-
lease be a gesture of goodwill
from the head of Spain’s Prosecu-
tion ministry, designed to appease
the ERC and end the country’s
prolonged political deadlock?
When seen in this way, the State
Attorney’s additional request -
that Junqueras take up his seat as
an MEP, but without the legal im-
munity usually given to such law-
makers - makes sense, although
it’s unlikely to be granted by the
European Parliament. It’s as if the
Spanish judiciary aims to satisfy
both secessionists and national-
ists at the same time, by saying
“we want Junqueras out of jail,
but not off the hook completely”.
The State Attorney’s recom-
mendation follows a ruling by the
Court of Justice of the EU in De-
cember, to the effect that Jun-
queras gained immunity the mo-
ment he was elected as an MEP in
May last year. According to this ar-
gument, which is now before the
Supreme Court for consideration,
the ERC leader should never have
been put on trial for sedition and
misuse of public funds (the of-
fences for which he was found
guilty in October), let alone sen-
tenced to 13 years in prison.
Leaving aside the issue of
whether politicians should have
legal immunity, Junqueras’ fate
now rests in the hands of the Su-
preme Court - the very body that
put him behind bars in October,
in what could be described as a
heavily politicised ruling. It’s
plausible to argue that in present-
day Spain there is a very close re-
lationship between law and poli-
tics when it comes to Catalan
separatists - and not necessarily
one that will benefit the ERC’s
imprisoned leader.
14
COMMENT
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Toys from the old days
I enjoyed reading Tony Bry-
ant’s reflections on Christmas
past and present (‘All I want
for Christmas’, SUR in English
December 20th) and I am sure
it resonated with a lot of read-
ers!
I remember getting one pre-
sent from my parents, and a
few sent by uncles and aunts
for which we had to write
‘thank you’ letters before the
end of the holiday. (Father
Christmas always put a note-
pad in our stockings which was
used to make a list of who sent
what.)
One of my best presents
ever was a pogo stick - what-
The art of killing
Regarding the recent article
about the slaughtering of pigs
(December 13th 2019), I have
to say that, since I went vegan
in my forties, I get shocked
whenever I see that pigs are
considered “not sentient be-
ings”.
Most people, if they ever
read an article about the art of
killing dogs for “chorizo” and
“bacon”, would be shocked
Are we stupid? Pigs, techni-
cally, are just the same as dogs
or cats; they are intelligent,
sentient beings, adorable, nice
We accept letters by email (surinenglish.su@diariosur.es), post or fax, but they must include identification
and a telephone number, and be exclusive to SUR in English. We do not publish anonymous letters. Opinions
expressed by contributors to this and other pages of SUR in English do not necessarily reflect those of the
publishers. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written permission from the publishers.
Editor in Chief:
MANUEL CASTILLO
Publications Director:
Pedro Luis Gómez
T
his week we’ve eaten our
12 grapes at the 12 strokes
of midnight, we’ve
hugged some of our
friends and family and sent me-
mes to the rest, we’ve watched fire-
works, drunk fizzy wine, sung Auld
Lang Syne and welcomed the year
2020 in style.
That was all on New Year’s Eve
and since then, we’ve had a cou-
ple of days to reflect on whether
the resolutions and wishes made
in the heat of the moment should
have been a bit more realistic.
There may have been some Re-
mainers, for example, who made
the most of the supposed magic of
the moment, when one year turns
into another, to wish for Brexit to
be stopped, or even resolved to con-
tinue to search for ways of stop-
ping it.
ever happened to pogo sticks?
My father would spend time
before Christmas hidden in
the garage, lovingly making
us gifts - the doll’s cot he made
me was put to good use for
years, then became the prop-
erty of my own daughter, and
is now enjoyed by my grand-
daughter.
I can’t imagine any of to-
day’s Christmas gifts being so
loved or so long-lasting!
Wishing everyone at SUR
in English a very happy 2020!
MEGAN JONES
BY EMAIL
and lovers of human beings...
So, why not consider all of
us going veggie? At least when
it comes to pigs, lambs, cows
... since they are really lovely
creatures.
When you get the “connec-
tion” with that thought (as I
recently did some years ago),
it really shocks you to see “the
art of killing pigs” because, by
then, you are aware that they
are as lovely as our pets.
JORGE CASESNOVES GRANADO
ESTEPONA
Published by: PRENSA MALAGUEÑA S. A.
Director General: ANTONIO GONZÁLEZ
Editor: Advertising Manager:
Rachel Haynes Emma Vera
Assistant editor: Commercial Director:
Daryl Finch Jorge Artero
Wishes and
resolutions
RACHEL HAYNES
Events in recent weeks, how-
ever, show that any ideas of keep-
ing Britain in the European Union
are by now wishful thinking. Tues-
day night’s wishes should have
been focused on the decisions and
agreements to be made over the
next 12 months. If Brexit is inevi-
table then we can only hope that
The finished article
Y
ou nearly weren’t able
to read this. “That’s a
pity, it would have been
blessing!” I hear you cry.
No such luck, I’m afraid - it’s all
worked out swimmingly and this
week’s witterings have once again
found their way onto the hallowed
pages of SUR in English. The thing
is, what with all the festive antics
and all, I completely lost track of
time. My old English teacher at
school, Mr Boyle, was wont to ex-
claim at regular intervals, “Edger-
ton! You don’t know what day it
is, lad!” I imagine he’s chortling
heartily right now in some celes-
tial classroom somewhere, content
in the knowledge that his was a
fairly accurate summation of my
character, after all.
Normally, like most boring peo-
ple, I have a weekly routine which
involves such things as ordering
supplies for the pub, writing/re-
hearsing some music, cleaning the
house (not every week, obviously)
According to
tradition we eat 12
grapes on New
Year‛s Eve in Spain
because one year
there was a huge
surplus of them
its conditions have the least dam-
aging effect possible on the thou-
sands of British residents in Spain
and other EU countries and on EU
citizens in the UK.
Prime minister Boris Johnson
promised to “get Brexit done” and
British voters have given him the
chance to do it. The hard part
PETER EDGERTON
MUSIC MAKER WWW.E-PETER.COM
and nearly all of these tasks are as-
signed to a specific day. Unfortu-
nately, owing to the general haze
of tinsel, turkey legs and passive
aggressive in-laws, a lot of us lose
track of which day is which around
this time of year. It’s all New Year’s
Eves and Boxing Days and the
blessed morning your brother and
his wife finally give us our house
back. None of them are called Tues-
day or Saturday or any thing nor-
mal like that.
So it was that I woke up this
morning thinking, “I could have
sworn it was Thursday today. Good
God, man! It is Thursday today!
Now then, did I ping my article in
to SUR this week? Last week, if I
recall, they asked me to send it on
a Monday instead of a Wednesday
but, no, maybe that was Boxing
Day Eve Night Year thingy.” At this
point smoke began bellowing from
my ears and my brain started to
feel like last month’s cabbage in a
blender. In depth inquiries (an
IDÍGORAS
comes now though, and will take
up the rest of this new 2020, a year
of transition that could be any-
thing but smooth.
Meanwhile, closer to home, it
looks likely now that Spain will
have a proper, sworn-in prime min-
ister by next week. This means that
after ten months of “acting” or
“caretaking”, Pedro Sánchez can
start working with a new govern-
ment that is no longer provisional.
The coalition, between Social-
ists and left-wing Unidas Podemos,
that looks set to be approved next
Tuesday, might not be everyone’s
cup of tea, but, as with Brexit, pro-
gress has to be made to get out of
the current impasse.
It would be interesting to take
a look at Sánchez’s list of New
Year’s wishes and, especially, reso-
lutions. Getting the best deal for
January 3rd to 9th 2020
SUR IN ENGLISH
email) revealed the shocking truth
- no, I hadn’t sent the article in yet
and there was only a matter of
hours to spare.
What could I possibly write
about? A wave of panic pervaded
the very core of my being. You
know the brilliant film All The
President’s Men about the Water-
gate scandal starring Robert Red-
ford and Dustin Hoffman?
Well, picture one of those scenes
where it’s all frenetic typing and
telephones ringing and people
shouting and running about wav-
ing bits of paper as if the end of
days is upon them. And then pic-
ture the total opposite - a middle-
aged bloke lying on his bed yawn-
ing and scratching his empty baldy
head.
I could not, for the life of me,
think of anything interesting to
write about in the limited time
available.
So, I thought I’d write about
that.
Don‛t give anyone
any ideas! They‛ll
have us eating 12
plastic bottles
next year!!
Spaniards in the UK and Brits in
Spain during the Brexit transition
negotiations will hopefully have
been among them.
What we should have wished
for on New Year’s Eve though is
rain. 2019 was the driest calendar
year on the Costa del Sol since re-
cords began in the 1940s. Tempera-
tures are rising, but the steps taken
and promises made at the recent
climate change summit in Madrid
were disappointing.
Tackling environment problems
and introducing greener policies are
hopefully among the 2020 resolu-
tions for our new governments.
And while we may not be able
to influence the decisions taken
by our political leaders, it’s not too
late to include recycling more and
using less plastic on our own reso-
lutions list for 2020.
January 3rd to 9th 2020
SUR IN ENGLISH
15
16
LIFESTYLE
INÉS
GALLESTEGUI
EARTH MATTERS
To sow 25 million acorns in order to
obtain, at least, 2.5 million trees. That’s
the aim of the Gran Bellotada Ibérica,
an initiative which is trying to slow
down desertification and climate
change. An NGO from Extremadura
began this movement a few weeks
ago and it is already unstoppable:
1,430 ‘cells’ of volunteers all over the
country are being trained to collect
seeds from different types of oak tree,
including those of the quercus spe-
cies, and sow them in degraded or de-
forested areas, in many cases in col-
laboration with town halls, conser-
vation organisations or environmental
management agencies.
“We want to train people in basic
knowledge and recover the culture
of woodlands,” says Rodrigo ‘Bongui’
Ibarrondo, creator of the project.
It all began with a fire in 2015,
when 8,600 hectares were burned in
the Sierra de Gata, a region in the
northwest of Cáceres province which
borders Salamanca and Portugal. A
group of local people, concerned by
the destruction of millions of pine
and other trees, decided to turn the
land green again.
Together with the Reforest-Ac-
ción association, which today has
more than 1,000 volunteers of 41 na-
tionalities, they started to collect
Thousands of volunteers are trying to collect and plant 25
million acorns all over the country. Those behind the
project are sure that one in ten will grow into oak trees
acorns and plant them on the blighted
land which was covered with ash.
They buried 700,000 acorns and, three
years later, are seeing the area spring
to life again in the form of 1,000 trees
which are native to the area.
Amazed by the strength of these
seeds, which are resistant to the
flames and to the drought which
sometimes occurs in the Mediter-
ranean climate, they wanted to share
their experience and about six weeks
ago they launched their challenge
on social media.
To take part, any person or group
only has to download the ‘guía bel-
lotera’ from their website and fol-
THE ACORN
The ‘bellota’ is a resilient seed
The acorn (the ‘bellota’ in Span-
ish) is the seed of different types
of oak tree, leafy species resis-
tant to fire which are found all
over the Iberian Peninsula. “It’s a
very special seed. Because of its
size, it can store sufficient en-
ergy so that when it germinates,
it develops up to one metre of
low some simple instructions. They
are asked to fill in a form explain-
ing how many seeds they have sown
and where they have done so, for
monitoring purposes.
“We are overwhelmed. We are a
small association and this has be-
come a monster. Since 1 October
there have been 250 actions all over
the country and 220,000 acorns have
been sown so far,” says Ibarrondo,
who has been keen on environ-
mental protection for many years.
“I grow vegetables, collect wood
from the mountainside, have solar
panels, I don’t smoke or drink and
I spend very little. I do temporary
roots in the first year alone. That
is what makes these species such
excellent survivors in the harsh
conditions of the Mediterranean
climate,” says the guidebook
from Reforest-Acción.
Acorns serve as food for nu-
merous wild species, including
squirrels, jays and boor, but also
of Operación Encina, poses with
her hoe and a young plant on a
where her woodland is growing.
Sowing
awareness
work so I can dedicate myself to this.
My project is my life,” he says.
The acorn is a very efficient seed,
says the coordinator of the cam-
paign, “because between ten and
20 per cent of them prosper and
grow into a tree, even in very poor
soil like ours. Of course, we do have
to take certain precautions. You can
collect them from the tree or the
ground, but have to make sure they
are ripe but not hollow or broken.
They have to be hard, shiny and in-
tense brown in colour. The final
check is to put them in a bucket of
water. If they float, throw them
away. Then keep the others in a cool,
January 3rd to 9th 2020
SUR IN ENGLISH
Beatriz Sánchez, founder
hill in Huétor Vega (Granada)
:: RAMÓN L. PÉREZ
dark place”.
To plant the acorn in the ground
you only have to make a hole with
a seeder, a pointed spade or hoe. It
shouldn’t be too deep, so the plant
can’t grow, nor too shallow so it
won’t be eaten by animals or dried
out by the sun. The best location is
under the shade of a shrub, to pro-
tect the future shoots, and with
earth cushioned with leaves or bark.
Finally, the seed is placed in the hole
horizontally and the hole is covered
up so there is no sign that it is there.
Then you just have to wait for na-
ture to do its magic.
Not everybody has the same lev-
els of energy. The original group can
plant 500 acorns per person per day,
while some collaborators report that
they have planted 15. It doesn’t mat-
ter. It all helps.
Where should you sow? Refor-
est-Acción says anywhere: burned
domestic animals such as the
pigs that graze in the meadows
of Extremadura and Andalucía
and produce the coveted Iberian
ham.
Historically, the edible varie-
ties have been consumed by hu-
mans, especially when ground
and made into flour which is
then used to make bread and
other products. During the post-
civil-war years of scarcity, acorns
became a means of survival.