Castilla y León declares mountain of public utility in Villadiego

The Regional Ministry of Environment and Energy of the Regional Government of Castilla y León has declared the “Baldíos de Bustillo, Cotorro y Valdealonso” mountain area, located in the municipality of Villadiego (Burgos), to be of public utility, through Order MAE/793/2026, dated August 15. The resolution, which incorporates the mountain area into the Catalog of Mountains of Public Utility of the province of Burgos under number 710, is published in the Official Gazette of Castilla y León number 163, dated August 24, 2026 (official reference BOCYL-D-24082026-163-15).

The mountain area, owned by the Administrative Board of Bustillo del Páramo, has a total area of 206.79 hectares, of which 204.73 hectares of public area now form part of the public forest domain. The declaration is based on sections a), b), and d) of Article 13 of Law 43/2003, of November 21, on Mountains, and on Law 3/2009, of April 6, on Mountains of Castilla y León.

A file processed in four months

The procedure began on May 25, 2026, when the Administrative Board of Bustillo del Páramo agreed to request the inclusion of the mountain area in the provincial catalog, entering the Territorial Environment Service of Burgos two days later. The file, number BU-IUP-0612/26, was subject to public information for 30 business days and a hearing process for the owning entity, with no allegations presented.

• Favorable report from the Territorial Forest Management Section II (May 28, 2026).
• Report-proposal from the Head of the Forest Management Area (July 6, 2026).
• Order proposal from the General Directorate of Natural Heritage and Forest Policy (July 16, 2026).
• Signature of the regional minister María González Corral on August 15, 2026.

Four plots and two reforestation contracts

The mountain area consists of four plots located around the town of Bustillo del Páramo, with main species of Pinus sylvestris and Pinus nigra and secondary species of Quercus faginea. It also has two reforestation contracts in force: Bu-3202 “Baldíos de Bustillo del Páramo,” signed on December 2, 1957 (70 ha), and Bu-3444 “Cotorro y Valdealonso,” signed on April 28, 1973 (60 ha).

• Plot I “La Caldera, La torca y Campo la Nava”: 110.47 public ha.
• Plot II “Ladera de Henar”: 32.06 public ha.
• Plot III “La Serna y Espinosilla”: 47.87 public ha.
• Plot IV “Sancristol”: 14.33 public ha.

Protection against erosion and flooding

Part of the mountain’s surface has been integrated into the UNESCO Global Geopark «Las Loras» since May 5, 2017. The declaration is based on the fact that the lands are essential for soil protection against erosion, contribute to the regulation of the hydrological regime by preventing flash floods and flooding, and promote the conservation of biological diversity.

Upon entering the catalog, the lands become public domain and part of the public forest domain, pursuant to Article 12.1.a) of Law 43/2003. The order will be transferred to the General Directorate of Biodiversity, Forests and Desertification of the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge.

The classification reinforces the legal protection of a forest area of high ecological and landscape value in northern Burgos, guaranteeing its conservation against erosion and flooding and its integration into the community’s network of public forests. Against the order, which exhausts administrative remedies, a contentious-administrative appeal may be filed before the High Court of Justice of Castilla y León within two months.

Source: Official Gazette of Castilla y León, no. 163, August 24, 2026, I. Community of Castilla y León, D. Other Provisions, Department of Environment and Energy, pp. 41-47 (official reference: BOCYL-D-24082026-163-15).