Ancient Olive Trees Key to Protecting Region’s Ecology and Economy

One of the most impressive agricultural landscapes in the world lies in Terres
de l’Ebre in Catalonia,
Spain — where thousand-year-old, monumental olive trees cluster along the
Sénia River. These olive trees are so revered that the United Nations Food
and Agriculture Organization declared them a Globally Important Agricultural
Heritage System in 2018; they reflect the
region’s agricultural history and its strong commitment to sustainable
land-management practices.

Heritage olive groves under threat

Despite their significance, some wish to uproot and trade the region’s olive
trees to flaunt in public spaces and private gardens worldwide. This is possible
due to the trees’ insufficient legal protection, which would otherwise guarantee
their survival and conservation.

If not entirely uprooted, the tree’s branches and roots are cut off — leaving
them with the bare minimum to survive. Wounded, they seldom survive these
amputations; in fact, the trees that are traded barely make it through transport
due to injuries they sustain during uprooting. The beautiful ecosystems that
flourish alongside the trees are also disrupted in the wake of this destructive,
but lucrative, trade.

GEPEC’s conservation efforts

But one entity understands this threat to Catalonia’s heritage and is
campaigning to protect it.

Founded in 1985, the Group of Study and Protection of the Catalan Ecosystem –
Ecologists of Catalonia (GEPEC – EdC) — one of the
oldest environmental NGOs in Catalonia — is dedicated to the conservation,
research, dissemination and defense of the region’s biodiversity.

GEPEC concentrates its key efforts in Camp de Tarragona and Terres de
l’Ebre*,* where they have been fighting to defend and conserve ancient olive
trees and the surrounding lands in which they’re rooted for years; today, they
have about 1,150 olive trees under their protection.

A campaign to protect monumental olive trees

The campaign began in 2005, when GEPEC compiled an inventory of
Montsià’s monumental olive trees
to locate, quantify and analyze the state of the region’s conservation efforts.
This inventory was crucial: GEPEC not only counted the centenary olive trees but
also quantified the natural heritage of the area, providing vital data required
for legal protection.

The campaign denounces the extraction of olive trees and promotes their
protection, something that requires collaboration between all local
stakeholders, as well as an agreement to not promote the sale or distribution of
monumental olive trees — instead, establishing laws and publishing articles that
call for their conservation and protection.

With GEPEC’s support, the Catalan Parliament passed a law protecting
monumental olive trees (at least 3.5
meters wide, 1.3 meters tall); however, smaller olive trees are still at risk —
as is the surrounding landscape.

GEPEC prioritizes engaging more farmers through land-custody agreements and
advice on biodiversity conservation and organic practices, rather than
production targets. Although not their main goal, boosting profitable olive oil
production is recognized as beneficial for conservation efforts. To date, GEPEC
has acquired 28.11 hectares through leasing and 74 hectares more through
land-custody agreements to protect areas rich in monumental olive trees and
heritage elements.

But more needs to be done, and the campaign calls for more action.

Protecting the land

In addition to fighting for the protection of olive trees, the GEPEC campaign
seeks to secure monumental olive tree groves to create “the reserve of
monumental olive trees of Terres de l’Ebre.” Acquiring the groves of value —
that are endangered or strategically located — assures the conservation of the
trees, the land and its biodiversity.

Currently, the campaign boasts monumental olive groves in production in the
municipalities of Ulldecona and Santa Bàrbara and other estates with
fostering contracts in the municipalities of Masdenverge and Godall.
Monumental olive trees occupy about 35 percent of the owned hectares; among
those is the oldest olive tree on the Iberian Peninsula — the Farga de
l’Arion
— a monumental specimen more than 1,700 years old and more than 8 meters in
circumference.

Restoration of the area and protection of the monumental olive trees will help
revitalize the area’s economy, too, and falls under the campaign’s overarching
goals. GEPEC aims to promote a responsible way of growing olive trees and
producing olive oil — ultimately, proposing a transition of the area from
conventional to ecological and setting organic farming standards to produce oil
sustainably.

GEPEC also promotes biodiversity and sustainable agriculture through promotional
and educational outreach materials. Its mission is to attract eco-tourists and
raise awareness about the significance of the olive groves and promote the
project through didactical programs in schools.

Collaborating with Certified Origins for sustainable development

Certified Origins, a company specializing
in extra virgin olive oil and private-label food programs, has embraced GEPEC’s
olive tree conservation project as a key sustainability initiative. With an
office just five minutes from GEPEC in Reus, Certified Origins has committed
to engage continuously with the project — beyond simple donations.

This proximity allows Certified Origins to immerse itself in GEPEC’s approach,
which is to connect directly with farmers and gain hands-on experience with the
ancient olive trees that are fundamental to their business.

The collaboration brings together two complementary perspectives — GEPEC’s
expertise in biodiversity conservation and Certified Origins’ manufacturing and
market operation knowledge — enabling a valuable exchange of ideas between an
environmental organization and a commercial entity.

For Certified Origins, whose team includes many Catalonia natives, this project
not only represents a way to support their cultural heritage but is also one of
the missing puzzle pieces in the struggle to adapt to the ever-changing climate.
Climate change necessitates rethinking agricultural practices, and this
collaboration stands as a model for enhancing conservation efforts and
sustainable practices in the olive oil industry.