A programme of activities complements the exhibition, with gatherings at Casa RIA and events taking place across the Barbanza region.
Barbanza Ecosocial Lab – six years working for the sustainable management of the territory
16 October 2025
Casa RIA hosts in the final quarter of 2025 an exhibition showcasing the results of the Barbanza Ecosocial Lab, a pioneering action-research project coordinated by Fundación RIA since its inception in 2020 and supported over the past two years by the Fundación Biodiversidad of the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO).
Open exhibition
From 16 October 2025 to 24 January 2026
Curated by
Fundación RIA
Texts in Galician
Spanish and English translations available
Casa RIA
Mon – Sat, 10 am to 5 pm
The territorial balance, built over time, is today facing challenges shared with many other regions: depopulation, the loss of generational renewal, land abandonment, biodiversity decline, and growing vulnerability to forest fires.
Addressing these challenges in a Galician context where almost all land is privately owned, two-thirds of the surface is forested, and the population is both fragmented and ageing, requires deep, sustained local mobilisation that reaches across the entire territory to achieve meaningful results.
In this sense, Galicia has a unique structure: around 3,000 common land communities that, for centuries, have practised forms of shared management capable of combining production, conservation and social cohesion.
The Barbanza Ecosocial Lab builds upon this context to promote a bioeconomy based on the sustainable and multifunctional management of resources, through collaborative governance models designed to address the main environmental, social and productive challenges of the territory.
The exhibition presents the results of six years of work in favour of the sustainable management of the territory, focusing on the current phase of the project, developed with the support of Fundación Biodiversidad of the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO), within the framework of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (PRTR), funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU.
From the forest to construction. Local wood for a sustainable future
Thursday, 7 November at 6 pm, Casa RIA
A roundtable on the wood value chain in Galicia as an example of circular and local economy. It addresses the challenges of sustainable forest management, the role of community woodlands, innovation in biomaterials, and local (km 0) production as a strategy to stimulate local economies and reduce the ecological footprint.
As part of the event, a public survey has been launched to collect opinions and reflections on the potential of Galician wood as a strategic resource. Responses are anonymous and help identify challenges, opportunities, and social perceptions around this sector.
Moderator: Ovidio Queiruga, President of the CMVMC of Baroña. Free entry until full capacity is reached.
From the forest to construction
The community as a driver of the energy transition
Thursday, 20 November at 6 pm, Casa RIA
A roundtable on the role of citizens and local communities in Galicia’s transition towards renewable energy. The discussion will address the challenges and opportunities for advancing towards a sustainable model based on direct participation, self-consumption and the responsible management of resources, as well as the potential of energy communities and the circular bioeconomy to generate social and economic benefits across the territory.
Moderator: Xavier Simón, Galician Wind Observatory (OEGA). Free entry until full capacity is reached.
The community as a driver of the energy transition
Extensive livestock farming: biodiversity and fire prevention
Wednesday, 3 December at 6 pm, Casa RIA
A roundtable on the role of extensive livestock farming as a tool for wildfire prevention and biodiversity conservation. Through different experiences, new production models will be discussed that connect local economies, food sovereignty and environmental sustainability, positioning livestock production as an ally in the regeneration and protection of the territory.
Moderator: Claudia de Sas, Fundación RIA.
Free entry until full capacity is reached.
Extensive livestock farming
Collective approaches to land management
Wednesday, 10 December at 6 pm, Casa RIA
A roundtable exploring the collective forms that have historically shaped Galicia’s territory —community woodlands, cooperatives, landowner associations and other local entities— and their potential to foster new models of territorial governance based on citizen participation, inter-administrative cooperation and the sustainable management of resources.
Moderator: Rafael Saco, President of the Platform for the Defence of the Forest.
Free entry until full capacity is reached.
Collective approaches to land management
Training and tradition: creating new opportunities for the rural areas
Thursday, 22 January at 6 pm, Casa RIA
A roundtable on education and knowledge as key drivers for a vibrant and innovative rural environment. The discussion will address vocational training adapted to the real needs of the territory, the recovery of traditional crafts, applied research and knowledge transfer as ways to attract younger generations and foster sustainable local economies.
Free entry until full capacity is reached.
