Marbella's oldest resident plants a tree at The People's Forest

98-year-old Doña Antonia plants an almond tree at The People's Forest in Marbella

The International Year of the Forest was drawing to a close when Marbella’s oldest resident – 98-year-old Antonia Aranda Fernández – planted an almond tree at The People’s Forest being created by Arboretum at Finca El Trapiche.

With five children, 11 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren, when Antonia was told about the project to create a forest – made by and for the people of Marbella – with some 18,000 trees native to the area, she was impressed. “That’s an awful lot of trees,” she said, “but I like the idea and I’d like to take part. I can’t dig many holes nowadays, but I can still take care of the trees and plants.”

Born in 1913 to a local farming family, Antonia was one of 14 children and had a hard but rewarding life in close contact with the land and “fighting like a lioness” to provide for her family. Starting work in the fields at the tender age of 12, by the time she was 14 she was carrying sacks of flour in return for bread and oil, and when she was older she earned her living as a cleaner….

She remembers the time when Marbella was covered with trees and full of birdsong and says it makes her sad to see so few trees left. “My great-grandchildren don’t have a relationship with the earth and that’s not good,” she explains. “Having a connection with nature is important. You have to understand it and know what it can give us. When we were little, trees were everything, our playground and our larder.”

So, on 29 December and helped by her family and friends, Doña Antonia planted her almond tree and was presented with an olive wood carving of a turtle and an acorn, representing longevity, wisdom, strength and nobility – all of which she certainly possesses, and in spades!

2012 is an important year for Arboretum whose first tree-planting event was held last November and the environmental charity is always on the lookout for people to help them create the Marbella People’s Forest. There are several ways of getting involved with the project: By donating €5 a month; becoming a volunteer; or by getting your hands dirty and enjoying the countryside at the same time, at one of their ‘lend a hand’ events held on the second Saturday of each month.

A grove of Cork Oak trees, in Spanish known as Alcornocales.

Comprising trees, shrubs, grasses and vines, the Forest is being planted in accordance with the permaculture concept and will be both organic and sustainable, as well as playing an important role in protecting some of the region’s endangered native species such as the  Cork Oak.

In addition to transforming an area of scrubland into a beautiful public park, Arboretum also hold workshops, classes and regular open days where adults and children alike can get involved in the scheme, while learning about trees, the environment and sustainable land management. Not only will The People’s Forest add another dimension to Marbella’s tourist attractions and Costa del Sol leisure facilities, but it’s hoped that it will also create green jobs as well as promoting eco tourism abroad.