The Agrupació de Defensa Forestal (ADF) Els Cingles and ADF Castellbisbal have won the 2026 Forest Fire Prevention Awards in Mataró. The awards, presented by the Diputació de Barcelona, recognised innovative projects in forest management and public awareness. Vicenç Ribas Latorre from ADF Serra de Marina received the Joaquim Maria de Castellarnau Honorary Award for his long-standing commitment to forest protection.
The 29th edition of the awards ceremony took place on 9 May at the Auditori Tecnocampus in Mataró, gathering around 150 people from various ADFs and local communities. The event also marked the 40th anniversary of the creation of Forest Defence Groups in Catalonia. Mataró's mayor, David Bote, welcomed attendees, highlighting the city's strong connection to its natural environment, with approximately 600 hectares of forest making up 25% of its municipal area.
According to Bote, this reality makes the city fully aware of the importance of prevention and forest management to preserve natural heritage, which is essential for quality of life, biodiversity, and regional safety. He thanked the ADFs for their work, noting that groups operating in the Parc de la Serralada de Marina and the Parc del Montnegre i el Corredor exemplify how ADFs and local councils can collaborate to build more resilient areas against climate change challenges.
Award-Winning Projects
ADF Els Cingles secured the Rossend Montané Award, worth €11,000, for its project to expand the use of drones in forest management and fire prevention. This initiative builds on a previous award-winning project from 2021. It focuses on incorporating new drone pilots, with an emphasis on gender parity, decentralising aircraft across the territory, and exploring new capabilities such as thermal cameras for hot spot detection. The group already has six certified pilots and has documented over 188 water points using drones.
ADF Castellbisbal received the Jordi Peix Award, also €11,000, for an illustrated children's story titled “Els guardians del bosc. Quan ajudar es converteix en una aventura” (The Guardians of the Forest. When Helping Becomes an Adventure). This story aims to promote a culture of prevention among children aged 6 to 12. It follows two children discovering the world of ADFs and learning why forests need care and the role of these groups. The project plans to distribute the book to schools, libraries, and homes in Castellbisbal, offering a replicable model for other ADFs.
Vicenç Ribas Latorre, from ADF Serra de Marina, was given the Joaquim Maria de Castellarnau Honorary Award. This award recognises outstanding careers linked to ADFs and forest fire prevention. For the first time, the Diputació de Barcelona directly selected the recipient, rather than a jury.
Four Decades of Forest Defence
Anna Sanitjas, head of the Technical Office for Municipal Forest Fire Prevention and Agrarian Development (OTPMIFDA) at the Diputació de Barcelona, reviewed the 40-year history of ADFs and the 30-year history of the Diputació's office. She discussed the changing challenges facing the province of Barcelona regarding forest fire risk. The ceremony included three round tables where members of nine ADF federations reflected on the past, present, and future of these groups.
Xesco Gomar, delegated president of the Natural Spaces and Green Infrastructure Area of the Diputació de Barcelona, highlighted the Diputació's important work in fire prevention, attributing success to the collaboration between his area and the OTPMIFDA. Gomar thanked the ADFs, stating they were pioneers and perform a critical task beyond just extinguishing fires, working 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Jordi Fàbrega, the delegated deputy for Fire Prevention and Forest Management, closed the event. He noted that the abandonment of rural areas has led to an increase in forest land, with 67% of Catalonia now forested. Fàbrega stressed the need to recover a 'forest culture' for survival. He also praised the unique volunteerism of the ADFs, which he described as a European reference, with over 4,000 volunteers and 120 ADFs working daily in the Barcelona demarcation. He also mentioned that Catalonia has the first association of women forest owners, which is important as women own 40% of forest land.
Eleven candidacies were submitted for this year's awards, with nine meeting the formal requirements. A jury of eight members from the forestry, scientific, institutional, and ADF sectors evaluated the projects. The ceremony concluded with a symbolic blowing out of birthday cake candles, accompanied by music from The Scarlets.
