Castilla y León, Aragón and Extremadura formalise their membership as the Executive Committee gathers at a restored Spanish monastery, with the support of the Spanish Government, reaffirming a shared commitment to conservation through sustainable use.
The International Council for Game and Wildlife Conservation (CIC) has welcomed three Spanish regions into membership during its Executive Committee meeting at the Monastery of San Pelayo, a significant step in the organisation’s engagement with Spain and a clear affirmation of its founding conviction that biodiversity is best conserved when wildlife carries genuine economic and social value.
The autonomous communities of Castilla y León, Aragón and Extremadura are among the most important hunting and wildlife territories in Spain, and their accession was marked in the presence of their respective regional ministers. Castilla y León was represented by Sr. D. Joaquín Antonio Pino, Regional Minister for Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Affairs and Environmental Policy; Aragón by Sr. D. Luis Biendicho, Regional Minister for Environment and Tourism; and Extremadura by Sr. D. Juan José García García, Regional Minister for Agriculture, Livestock and Natural Environment. Each set out why their region regards well-regulated hunting and wildlife management as integral to conserving habitats, sustaining rural livelihoods and maintaining protected areas.
The regions were joined by the Spanish national government, represented by Sra. Doña Ana Rodríguez Castaño, Secretary General for Agrarian Resources and Food Safety at the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, who addressed the meeting in support of the CIC as a state member. Her presence underlined the growing recognition, at both national and regional level, of the role that sustainable use plays within Spain’s wider conservation and rural policy.
The membership agreements were signed during the meeting and warmly received by the CIC President, Luis de la Peña, who welcomed the three regions on behalf of the organisation.
“The decision of Castilla y León, Aragón and Extremadura to join the CIC is a powerful affirmation of a conviction we share, that wildlife is best conserved when it is valued, and that rural communities are central to that success. We are proud to welcome these three regions, and grateful for the support of the Spanish Government,” said Luis de la Peña, CIC President.
The meeting was held over two days at the Monastery of San Pelayo, a historic building sensitively restored across several thousand square metres while preserving its original character in every stone and detail. The venue was chosen deliberately, standing as a role model for how cultural and natural heritage can be brought back to life and conserved alongside farming, hunting and the wise management of the surrounding land.
Across two working sessions, the Executive Committee addressed the organisation’s governance and strategic priorities. Members also gathered for a gastronomic dinner celebrating wild game, organised by the CIC Working Group for Gastronomy and prepared by the renowned Spanish game meat chef Luis Lera, which highlighted the nutritional, cultural and biological value of game meat as a natural and sustainable food source, and its place within the broader One Health approach linking the health of people, animals and the environment.
Media contact
Tristan Breijer MBA FRGS FRSA MCIJ
Director of Communications and Public Affairs
CIC – International Council for Game and Wildlife Conservation
Email: tristan.breijer@cic-wildlife.org
Mobile: +44 781 408 7423
Website: www.cic-wildlife.org
