© SFADF Catalunya
CS team:
CTFC
The CS in a nutshell:
Forest Defence Groups (FDGs) or Associations (Agrupacions de Defensa Forestal, ADFs, in Catalan) are a long, well-established institution in the Catalonian region. At the beginning (1960s) they consisted of the local communities who helped each other to protect their properties from wildfires, and since 1986, they are regulated by the regional government. Nowadays, some of these groups go beyond their basic functions (which are the support on fire prevention, fire suppression and post-fire reforestation) and are establishing new alliances with local actors, which result in improved well-being for the communities where they are located.
The Pioneer Case Study focuses on one specific group of ADFs: the Federation of ADFs Penedès-Garraf. This Federation of ADFs coordinates the efforts of all the ADFs from two neighbouring counties (Garraf and Penedès). The Pioneer Case Study looked specifically into the joint action of the Federation of ADFs Penedès-Garraf and the local justice department in Vilanova I la Geltrú, in which the Federation provides positions for people sentenced by the local court to a penalty of community work. This case study focuses on a very particular socially innovative activity, which operates at a local scale. The regular Case Study , on the other hand, considers the whole Catalan ADF as a whole, as a social innovation initiative, operating at a regional scale.