Summary
This article is about a 500-hectare native forest called Ridimoas in the River Avia valley in Galicia, Spain. The forest is founded and managed by a non-profit organisation that has over 1200 members. It was founded in 1977 by a biology teacher and his students, who were interested in nature conservation. They have been working to restore the forest, which had been damaged by forest fires. The forest is home to a wide variety of plants and animals, including 143 species of fauna and 560 species of flora. In March 2025, a new,natural history museum dedicated to the fauna and flora of the area was inaugurated. Ridimoas also works to educate the public about the importance of forests and to raise awareness of the need for their conservation.
Introduction
I was inspired to write this article about an incredible project founded by Pablo RodrĂguez Fernández (OitabĂ©n). It’s a private woodland called Ridimoas, named after the first plot he bought, that now extends to about 500 hectares of native forest located in the River Avia valley close to the village of Beade in Ourense, Galicia, Spain. The name Ridimoas derives from its location in between giant bolders and a small river. It’s owned and managed by a non-profit Woodland Association with over 1200 members and since its origins back in 1977 has been extending its area by buying adjoining parcels of woodland to get to where it is today. Here are the links to their profile on Google Maps. You can also find them on social media including Facebook, X and Instagram.
Origins of Ridimoas
Ridiomas describes itself as “a Cultural and Ecological Association for the defense and study of native forests”. Its origins date back to 1977 through Pablo’s education initiatives as he was a biology teacher. He helped raise his students’ awareness in nature conservation, especially the rehabilitation of wildlife. Their conservation work was awarded with a prize for having helped birds of prey. The focus became on improving the habitats of protected species and increasing the living space of wildlife by restoring the forest that had been suffering from the devastating effects of forest fires for years. In 1988, the initiative won a national award which led to the founding of Ridimoas, with the intention of buying the lands that make up the Ridimoas riverside forest area. Since then, they have been buying woodland and control a total of about 500 hectares under the protection of a Wildlife Refuge. This conservation work has been recognised over the years with many awards, including UNESCO and the Green Flag of Galicia. Currently, there are 1,233 members who pay a minimum fee of €20 per year to help buy more woodland, which makes them tax owners of the purchased plots. Pablo plants a tree for every new member. He produces an annual newsletter to circulate to members about a year in the life of Ridimoas with his own illustrated drawings of its flora and fauna.
In addition to purchasing and restoring these new landholdings, the association devotes great effort to educating and raising awareness about the importance of forests for future generations. Every year numerous school groups and the general public pass through this forest, to learn about the native vegetation and the need for its conservation. With this promotion of bringing the project to the attention of the public, schools and other organisations, Ridimoas helps to grow its income from new members, donations,visits and merchandise. Without this there will be no money for which to buy new plots.
The Ecology of Ridimoas
The location of Ridimoas is unique. The land rises to altitudes between 80 and 300 metres above sea level; in the municipality of Beade, part of the Ribeiro region in Ourense province, Galicia, north-western Spain (some of it extends into the municipality of Leiro). It lies right on the dividing line between the Eurosiberian Floral Region which is situated to the north with an Atlantic climate and the Mediterranean Floral Region to the south with an oceanic Mediterranean climate. The types of flora and fauna you can see are therefore different but as Ridimoas is right on the line between the two it has double the biodiversity associated with the two different climates.
There are around an amazing 143 species of vertebrate fauna which includes river fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. Around 560 of vascular flora which includes trees, shrubs, grasses, ferns and flowering plants with a forest rich in diversity that has evolved at its own pace. The woodland is the home to a wide variety of mainly indigenous species of trees including common and iberian oak, plane tree, Laurel tree, chestnut and pines, abandoned vineyards, with undergrowth of Butcher’s broom, madrone, alot of different species of ferns with relict stands of bird cherry.
Amongst the huge variety of woodland birds there are eurasian hobbies, sparrowhawks, buzzards, jays, the cirl bunting, crested tit, hoopoes, the turtle dove, woodpeckers and the barn, little, tawny and eurasian scops owl. Mammals include bats, brown squirrels, genet, martens, red foxes and badgers. The jay in particular is worth highlighting as in spring and summer it buries fruits such as chestnuts or acorns, for its own personal pantry. These fruits end up sprouting and filling the forest with chestnut trees, oaks, etc. Heather, bramble bushes, the steel tree and even the wild cherry, an almost extinct species, have also made their way naturally into the forest.
Cultural Heritage
The woodland is surrounded by rich cultural assets too. At one of its principal entrances lies the 13th Century St. Mary’s Church that forms a complex including a ruined Palace, 14 stone crosses that form the Via Crucis and hermitage. It was here that the Templars Knights used to be based. Then the Order of St. John from Malta. Both played a special role in the Camino de Santiago, the ancient pilgrimage route that also passes here, helping to defend pilgrims, as well as the camino itself.
Within the woodland next to the River Barbaña in the lower part of the site is an old millhouse that used to make flour and is still in working order. In the upper part there are also unusual granite rock formations with boulders and unusual shaped rock outcrops, some of which have spectacular viewpoints.
There is also an historic wine trade route dating back to the 12th Century, which linked Ribeiro with Pontevedra, the Ruta dos Arrieiros, which crosses Ridimoas. It is likely that this route transported the first wine that arrived in America in 1492.
Inauguration of New Museum, March 2025
Following its latest Annual General Meeting in March 2025, the Association inaugurated their natural history museum collection, located in a building for which an 20 year rental agreement was signed with the owner, Beade Council. The museum is dedicated to the fauna and flora of this area and the rest of Galicia. There are a total of 120 species of animals on display (another 25 are yet to be displayed), in addition to 20 samples of plants and algae, donated by the North Atlantic Islands National Park. The museum displays animals stuffed by taxidermy whose lives could not be saved, most of them were discharged from Rodicio Wildlife Recovery Centre, after undergoing surgery, individualised treatment and veterinary care.
The aim is to raise awareness of the species, relate the fauna to its environment and show the causes of mortality in order to reduce, in the future, the causes of anthropogenic origin unrelated to natural predation. The museum displays the different species that perished due to hunting, road deaths, impacts against facilities, ingestion of toxic substances, falling into non-selective traps, fishing, starvation, nest stealing, natural predation and by institutional mandate.
Visitors can learn about each piece on display on a panel placed for this purpose. There are also photographs of the Rodicio Centre staff, and the figure of Rachel Carson, biologist and author of the pioneering book “Silent Spring”, which laid the foundations of current ecological movements, stand out.
“It is very important that the public understands that these are not trophies but that we use taxidermy to learn about the species and the reasons for the mortality,” the association’s secretary and Pablo’s daughter, Paula RodrĂguez, points out. The forest continues to grow every year, incorporating an area of ​​12,414 square metres in 2024, which entailed an outlay of 13,539€. As for some visitors “They are doing tourism in Galicia and they come to get to know a natural environment and after visiting the forest they become members,” says Paula RodrĂguez. In addition, efforts throughout the year were also directed towards monitoring hunting, fire prevention and the eradication of acacias necessary and constant work for the maintenance of the forest. A plot of land in A Barbaña is also being conditioned, acquired after receiving a donation of 5,000 euros from OXI Instruments SL. This year, the projects include the creation of a new pool so that the animals that live in the forest can survive, especially during periods of drought.
In the shop you can buy a book about Galician birds, newsletters or illustrated magazines. All drawings are the work of Pablo himself who is an extraordinary wildlife and ecology artist himself.
How can I become a Member?
You can become a new member by registering on their website. You can also make a donation. They also have guided visits including of the Museum. If anyone has any questions or any feedback on this article would also be most appreciated.
Thanks to Paula for supplying all the photos!