The Ecosocial Lab presents six years of work for the sustainable management of the territory
An exhibition at Casa RIA, opening on 16 October, showcases the results of a pioneering action-research project that promotes local cooperation as a driver of territorial innovation. Since 2024, the Barbanza Ecosocial Lab has been supported by the Fundación Biodiversidad of the Spanish Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO), within the framework of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan, funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU.
Casa RIA presents this week an exhibition that gathers the outcomes of the Barbanza Ecosocial Lab, a pioneering project in action research and territorial planning developed over six years, which since 2024 has received support from the Fundación Biodiversidad of MITECO under the EU-funded Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (PRTR).
The exhibition opens this Thursday at the headquarters of Fundación RIA, which has coordinated the project since its inception in 2020, highlighting the potential of communal forest lands (montes veciñais) to inspire sustainable management models that can be extended to private properties. It demonstrates how cooperation and planning are decisive tools to transform the territory and strengthen resilience against forest fires.
The opening event on Thursday 16 October will begin with a welcome cocktail at 6 p.m. and will be open to the public until full capacity is reached. The event will include a short presentation and the screening of a video specially prepared for the occasion.
The exhibition “Barbanza Ecosocial Lab. A living laboratory for multifunctional management and collective stewardship of the territory” can be visited at Casa RIA from Thursday 16 October until 24 January 2026, with free admission from Monday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The exhibition is complemented by an ongoing programme of activities over the coming months. Casa RIA will host public talks and debates, while in the Barbanza region there will be workshops, visits, training sessions and volunteer activities.
The Barbanza Ecosocial Lab is coordinated by Fundación RIA and includes the Platform for the Defence of the Forest (Plataforma pola Defensa do Monte), the University of Santiago de Compostela —through CISPAC and the research groups Histagra and Uxafores—, the Pablo de Olavide University, Fundación Montescola and the Rianxo Council.
