Álava opens the 2026 call for payments for environmental services.

The Provincial Council of Álava has approved the public call, under a competitive bidding procedure, for payments for environmental services (PES) for the 2026 fiscal year. This is established by Foral Order 282/2026, of 29 July, of the Deputy for Economic Development and Sustainability, published in Official Gazette of the Historical Territory of Álava (BOTHA) issue 92 of Friday, 14 August 2026. The call reserves €50,000.00 for the conservation of habitats of interest, prioritising the areas with wolf presence in the western Sierras of Álava.

The new order is based on Foral Decree 51/2011, of 2 August, of the Council of Deputies, which approved the amendment of the general regulatory bases for payments for environmental services and for compensation for loss of earnings in the Historical Territory of Álava, published in BOTHA no. 106 of 9 September 2011. The bases establish that the annual calls are made according to budget availability; for this fiscal year, the Department of Economic Development and Sustainability has the budget line 15303.G/172151/47900154 “Payments for Environmental Services”.

The call was proposed by the Natural Heritage Service in a report dated 22 July 2026 and responds to the obligation to protect habitats, ecosystems, natural spaces and species derived from Directives 2009/147/EC (birds) and 92/43/EEC (habitats), as well as from Law 9/2021, of 25 November, on the conservation of the natural heritage of Euskadi and the decrees declaring the SACs and SPAs.

50,000 euros for habitats of interest in wolf areas

The aid is channelled entirely through category 6.1 “Conservation of Habitats of Interest”, to which all of the allocated 50,000.00 euros are directed. Only farms located in the area of “continuous wolf presence and occasional wolf presence” may apply, that is, the western Sierras of Álava bordering the province of Burgos, given the current situation of wolf populations in both territories.

The objective is to remunerate the maintenance of pasture habitats of interest and the livestock practices that generate the environmental service, so that conservation translates into an economic incentive for those who sustain these ecosystems.

Who can apply and how

• Holders of livestock farms registered with grazing rights in public utility mountains (MUP) or pasture communities may apply, as well as owners or holders with use rights over the land generating the PSA.
• The application submission period is fifteen (15) business days counted from the day following the publication of the call.
• Legal entities and entities without legal personality must submit the application through the Electronic Office of the Provincial Council of Álava (https://egoitza.araba.eus/es/).
• Natural persons may do so through the same channel or in person at the General Registry of the Provincial Council of Álava (Plaza de la Provincia, 5, 01001 Vitoria-Gasteiz), addressing the application to the Natural Heritage Service.

Requirements and content of the application

The application form, approved as an annex to the order, includes the farm data: number of head per species (sheep, cattle, goats and horses), grazing area (mountain range, community or MUP), approximate surface area of habitats of interest, membership in the Natura 2000 Network, grazing period, number of guard dogs and passive protection systems such as electric fencing.

• The farm must be registered in the Register of Livestock Farms and comply with animal identification and health regulations, including livestock health campaigns.
• Applicants must be up to date with the Provincial Treasury and Social Security; the managing body will verify these data directly unless express opposition is stated.

Procedure and appeals

Provincial Order 282/2026 exhausts the administrative route and takes effect the day after its publication in the BOTHA. It may be appealed optionally by filing a motion for reconsideration with the Provincial Deputy for Economic Development and Sustainability within one month, or directly challenged before the Administrative Litigation Courts of Vitoria-Gasteiz within two months.

The document is signed by the Provincial Deputy for Economic Development and Sustainability, Saray Zárate Fernández de Landa, and by the Director of Natural Environment, María José Madeira García.

The call turns into compensatory income the work of those who maintain mountain meadows and pastures in western Álava, a key territory for ecological connectivity between Álava and Burgos and for coexistence with the wolf. Payments for environmental services are thus consolidated as an instrument with which the Provincial Council translates European commitments to biodiversity conservation into economic incentives, with an application period of barely fifteen business days for interested parties.

Source: Official Bulletin of the Historic Territory of Álava (BOTHA), No. 92, Friday, August 14, 2026, Section I (official reference: Foral Order 282/2026, of July 29, doc. 2026-02339).