Camp Altiplano was established in 2017 as the first initiative of the Ecosystem Restoration Camps Foundation. The project is a 5-hectare parcel in the regenerative farm of La Junquera, located in Murcia (Spain). Located on the high steppe of south-eastern Spain, at 1,200 metres of elevation and with an average annual rainfall of 300 mm, this semi-arid ecosystem has been severely degraded by deforestation, industrial agriculture, overgrazing, water exploitation and climate change.

The project has now established the foundation of an agroforestry system with almond trees intercropped with aromatic herbs, and a permanent groundcover in a non-irrigated environment. We’re aiming at a system that works without the intervention of machinery, and where all the agricultural inputs are self-produced. We are integrating natural areas with agricultural land: 5 artificial ponds have been established to harvest rainwater, replenish the aquifer and support local wildlife. Swales for water infiltration cross the land, to reduce erosion and increase the amount of water we store in the ground. Between October and April we focus our efforts on the reforestation actions of natural areas and hedges of fields of La Junquera, aiming every year at planting 10,000 native trees and bushes.

Camp Altiplano is now part of a growing network of organizations and individuals working towards the regeneration of degraded land in Murcia and Andalucía. The camp connects volunteers, farmers and landowners with the goal of catalyzing restoration on a large scale.