Summer course – Rural Revitalisation: Landuse Planning and resilience to wildfires
Dates course: 10-11 June 2026
Place: IBADER (Lugo)
Number of hours: 16
Max. number students: 50
Application term: 14/05/2026 – 29/05/2026
Objective
The course Rural Revitalization: Landuse Planning and Resilience to Wildfires aims to provide comprehensive training in territorial planning and management as key tools for revitalizing rural areas and improving their capacity to respond to wildfires and the impacts of climate change. Through a theoretical–practical approach, the course seeks to offer an up-to-date overview of the regulatory, technical, and operational instruments available for planning agroforestry land uses and restoring agricultural land.
More specifically, the course will analyze the phenomena of depopulation, land abandonment, and the lack of resource management, identifying their causes and consequences while highlighting the active role of society in their mitigation. It will also foster debate on the relationship between these processes and the increasing risk and impact of wildfires, incorporating perspectives from different specialists.
Another key objective is to deepen knowledge of territorial planning instruments and the integrated planning of agricultural, livestock, and forestry uses, ensuring efficient and sustainable management from economic, environmental, and social perspectives. The course also seeks to raise awareness of the need for coordinated territorial governance, based on the shared responsibility of the various stakeholders involved.
Finally, the course will emphasize innovation as a driver of change, showcasing advanced technological tools and experiences applied to territorial management, and promoting practical learning through workshops focused on solving real-world cases of rural planning and land restoration.
Program
The program is structured into two intensive days combining lecture sessions with practical workshops, fostering applied and interdisciplinary learning. During the first day, the conceptual framework of territorial planning will be introduced through the analysis of agroforestry land uses and the tools available for their planning, with a focus on instruments such as the Catalogue of Agricultural and Forest Soils. Forest planning will also be addressed from the perspective of wildfire prevention, highlighting the importance of sustainable forest management.
The day is complemented by a practical workshop focused on the use of innovative technological tools, such as OpenRULES algorithm, which enable the analysis and planning of land uses in real-world contexts. This session will allow participants to become familiar with the direct application of models and decision-support methodologies.
On the second day, the program broadens its focus to the environmental and social dimensions of planning, introducing concepts such as green infrastructure as a key element for territorial organization. It will also examine the role of agricultural engineering professionals in territorial planning, as well as the role of agricultural activity as a driver of management and revitalization of rural areas, through examples of innovative projects.
The training is completed with several practical workshops aimed at the application of specific tools, such as AGRUPE algorithm for land consolidation through land swaps, and GREENZONE for green infrastructure planning. Overall, the program offers a balanced combination of theory, real-world cases, and applied practice, aimed at the acquisition of useful competences for territorial management.
Detailed program:
June 10
9:00–11:00 h
Agroforestry land-use planning: the Catalogue of Agricultural and Forest Soils.
Inés Santé Riveira, professor at the University of Santiago de Compostela (USC).
11:30–13:00 h
Forest planning and wildfire prevention.
Juan Picos, professor at the University of Vigo.
15:00–19:00 h
Practical workshop: Rural land-use planning with OpenRULES.
Lucía Trancón, researcher at USC.
June 11
9:00–10:00 h
Green infrastructure as a tool for environmental territorial planning. Rocío Losada, PhD researcher at USC.
10:00–11:00 h
The role of agricultural engineers in territorial planning.
Marcos Vázquez, president of MUVICLA and former president of COITA.
11:30–13:00 h
Agricultural activity as an agent of territorial management: FORVALUE and PAISACTIVO projects.
Nieves Pérez, researcher at USC.
15:00–19:00 h
Practical workshop: AGRUPE: land consolidation through land swaps.
Miguel Cordero, researcher at USC. Marcos Boullón, professor at USC.
Teaching staff
The course features a multidisciplinary teaching team with extensive academic, research, and professional experience in territorial planning, agroforestry management, and geospatial technologies. The program is led by Inés Santé Riveira, associate professor at the University of Santiago de Compostela, with a distinguished track record in territorial planning and public management, and Marcos Boullón Magán, professor and researcher specialized in geographic information technologies and computing applied to territory.
The team is complemented by well‑regarded professionals who contribute a complementary perspective from different fields. Notable among them are experts in forest planning and wildfire prevention, such as Juan Picos Martín; specialists in green infrastructure and territorial research, such as Rocío Losada Iglesias; and professionals linked to innovation and rural development, such as Francisco José Ónega López.
The course also includes experts in technological applications and planning tools, such as Miguel Cordero Souto, who leads initiatives in geographic information systems, and Lucía Trancón Loureiro, with experience in territorial planning and GIS training. The field of agricultural activity and its relationship with territorial management is represented by Nieves Pérez Rodríguez and Marcos Vázquez Marey, providing a practical and applied perspective.