Sierra Nevada

The University of Granada presented "Public Participation in Archaeology. MEMOLA project" by L. Delgado Anés and the Poster "Structure from Motion in the archaeological record" by P. Romero Pellitero and J. Caballero López in the International Congress RESCATE from the Stratigraphic Record to the Knowledge Society: the Archaeological Heritage as an Agent of Sustainable Development (City and Territory) 

2^nd Seminar of the University network of environmental history "Dialogues of Environmental knowledge from the (in) sustainability". Organized by  "Red de Estudios sobre Sostenibilidad, Patrimonio Participación, Paisaje y Territorio", "La Red de Investigación Saberes Instituyentes"  and  "Spin-Off Paréntesis Natural" with the collaboration of MEMOLA project. 

MEMOLA team moderated two panel: "Biocultural Memory, Cultural Landscapes and Natural Resources Management"  and "Agrosystems management and conservation: relience strategies".  Also participated in this panels:

José María Martín Civantos, MEMOLA coordinator, presented "MEMOLA project: an interdisciplinary approach to the mediterranean agro-landscapes".

Margarita García Vila, University of Cordoba, presented "Resilience strategies of the irrigated agrosystemse" .

José Francisco Ruiz Ruiz, University of Granada,  presented "David vs Goliath: historical irrigation systems in the European water directive". 

The university of Granada, Arqueoandalusí Arqueología y Patrimonio S.L. and  UNESCO center of Andalucía visit the high mountain irrigation channel of Cáñar (Granada) with the environmental agent of Natural and Nacional Park and the Geological and Mining Institute of Spain. 

Making of the exhibition "The channels". Students of the High School "Fray Luis de Granada" design, as co-researchers of the MEMOLA project, the temporay exhibition about the historical irrigation systems. 

Making of the exhibition "the Channels". Students in history, archaeology, anthropology, environmental, etc. collaborate collecting information about the historical and traditionals irrigation channels. The exhibition will be in 2017.

Cáñar Irrigators Community and the volunteers clean Barjas medieval irrigation channel. Its maintenace is crucial to reactivate the agrarian production.

EcoCáñar farmers sold their first organic kiwi production. Con-Sumo Cuidado, specialised in organic products, sold kiwis from Cáñar. They also collaborate with MEMOLA project in advice and promotion of organic production. 

Visit the traditional irrigation channel of high mountain of Cáñar (Granada). We are working for the next restoration campaign of the traditional irrigation channel.

MEMOLA project participated in the International Mountain Day celebrations.

On 11 December it carried out an activity related to the recovery of the memory of water in a town called Cáñar in the Alpujarra (Granada-Spain). For them, 11 December served to collaborate with the Community of Irrigators of the town of Cáñar, in recovering the traditional distribution system of irrigation. This system of water management has been key to the proper functioning of the irrigation system of Cáñar for centuries, however, it has been falling into oblivion and disuse since a few decades.

This activity, of an intangible heritage and great importance, is vital for the maintenance of cultural landscape of Alpujarra and for the recovery of traditional mountain agriculture. During the activity the older farmers explained to the younger ones how the distribution of water worked, known locally as the "Office". Every night a distribution was made, during the driest months, and allowed the existing water to be shared in a controlled and fair way. This type of traditional knowledge is at the basis for a sustained dialogue that local communities have established with the mountains for centuries. The disappearance of mountains would have disastrous ecological and anthropological consequences.

On Friday the University of Granada presented "The persistence memory of water in the Mediterranean landscapes" by J.M. Martín Civantos, MEMOLA coordinator. On Saturday the University of Sheffield and Arqueoandalusí Arqueología y Patrimonio presented the poster "Hydraulic landscape of the territory of Trapani (MEMOLA Project)" by Rocco Corselli and Mª Teresa Bonet García.