The economic opportunity of rewilding

3.3 Case study: sustainable natural products

Nemétona is a Spanish start-up based in the city of Cuenca in the Iberian Highlands. Founded in 2021, Nemétona is on track to become one of the first Spanish companies to manufacture cross-laminated timber (CLT) – a type of engineered wood product that represents a sustainable alternative to concrete and steel.

How does that help rewilding?

Manufacturing CLT uses black pine, the most abundant native conifer in the forests of the Serranía de Cuenca region.

Much of the Serranía de Cuenca region is covered in black pine plantations so sourcing timber from these plantations enables them to be thinned out. This:

• creates space for the return and regeneration of other species
• reduces management of the plantations
• lowers the risk of catastrophic wildfire – an increasingly serious risk in southern Europe.

Black pine forests cover much of the Iberian Highland landscape. Credit: Juan Carlos Muñoz Robredo

CLT also offers climate benefits relative to the other construction materials available

Black pine is a renewable resource that is relatively fast growing, unlike the conventional components of steel (iron ore) or concrete (sand). The process of converting wood into CLT also generates far fewer carbon emissions than the manufacture of traditional construction materials. Timber is a much better store of carbon than concrete or steel and once CLT panels have reached the end of their usable life they can be recycled or reused for other purposes.

New economic opportunities in a wilder landscape

Nemétona is operating in the vast and sparsely populated Iberian Highlands. Here, long-term rural depopulation presents local communities with a range of socio-economic challenges. An opportunity to boost biodiversity and reduce the risk of fire while generating new jobs is hugely important.

Nemétona is currently exploring options for establishing its first production plant in the Serranía de Cuenca region. Once the plant is built, Nemétona plans to employ up to 25 people in the first two years of operation.

Nemétona’s new manufacturing plant is expected to provide jobs to many people living in local communities. Credit: Lidia Valverde / Rewilding Spain.

The boost to nature – by thinning plantations and allowing more wild nature to recover – also creates addition economic opportunities. Visitors are attracted to the area for wildlife watching experiences, with benefits to local tourism service providers such as hotels and restaurants.

A pioneering loan

Nemétona is being financially supported by Rewilding Europe Capital, which provides loans to help businesses and entrepreneurs to establish rewilding-friendly enterprises.

‘This is the perfect example of how Rewilding Europe Capital takes the specific needs of businesses in and around every landscape into account,’ says Rewilding Spain’s Enterprise Manager Basilio Rodríguez.

‘As long as businesses are aligned with the principles of rewilding, there is a flexibility and desire to help them develop. In this particular case, it makes perfect sense to support Nemétona. Using timber from local black pine plantations for construction reduces carbon emissions and helps to lock up carbon, boosts the economy, and promotes nature recovery. It’s a win-win-win.’

This case study is adapted from an article by Rewilding Europe (2024) ‘Rewilding Europe Capital Supports Sustainable Timber Maker in the Iberian Highlands’.