Recreation area and adaptation of roads on Monte de A Fracha in Pontevedra

Integrated project in EDUSI Más Modelo Pontevedra.

This action has helped to recover part of the natural heritage of Pontevedra and has succeeded in recovering the main peri-urban forest area for citizen and tourist use. In this way, it has contributed to obtaining an environmental and socio-economic benefit both for the population in general and for the owners of the mountain, becoming a place of recreation for those who visit it as a forest space of great environmental value for its landscape that joins the Network of Periurban Forest Parks of Pontevedra, together with the O Pontillón do Castro Forest Park and the A Tomba Forest Park. The A Fracha Forest Park becomes the largest forest park in Pontevedra, covering 406 hectares.

The action designed for this area increased the area of native leaflets, eliminated the proliferation of uncontrolled landfills and controlled Invasive Alien Species, improving the biodiversity of the area, in addition to carrying out forest fire prevention work.

In addition, this action promotes the use of the mountain with actions that favour the enjoyment of space by citizens through the creation of staging areas and trails for hiking and cycling. In this way, the concept of green infrastructure is applied in our municipality by increasing the urban green grid by incorporating a peri-urban space into it.

A space for public use has been created where the municipality of Pontevedra can plan environmental and sports education activities that could not previously be carried out, especially those relating to the promotion of mountain biking and which are more than 26 km long. It is possible to propose suitable paths.

The forest crown of Pontevedra was hit hard by the 2006 fire wave, which was favoured by the presence of invasive pyrophytic species, such as eucalyptus. The action has made it possible to control the expansion of eucalyptus, black acacia and mimosa in the area of intervention, thereby reducing the risk of fire in the area and improving local biodiversity through the planting of indigenous forest species.