ICONA
Encyclopedia
Instituto para la Conservación de la Naturaleza (Nature Conservation Institute), better known by its acronym ICONA (1971 - 1995) was the administrative entity that was established in Spain
in order to preserve and research the natural environment
in the Spanish territory.
Founded four years before General Franco's death, ICONA played an ambiguous role regarding its ability to take care of the natural protected areas. Certain policies implemented by ICONA in the 1970s contributed to the depopulation of remote rural areas in different points of Spain, like for example in Acrijos, Soria
and the Solana Valley
in Aragon
.
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
in order to preserve and research the natural environment
Natural environment
The natural environment encompasses all living and non-living things occurring naturally on Earth or some region thereof. It is an environment that encompasses the interaction of all living species....
in the Spanish territory.
Founded four years before General Franco's death, ICONA played an ambiguous role regarding its ability to take care of the natural protected areas. Certain policies implemented by ICONA in the 1970s contributed to the depopulation of remote rural areas in different points of Spain, like for example in Acrijos, Soria
Acrijos, Soria
Acrijos, used to be a municipality in the province of Soria, Spain. At the end of 1966 the population of the village fled away due to the pressure induced by ICONA, the National Institute for Forestal recovery that had bought the land surrounding the village....
and the Solana Valley
Solana Valley
Solana Valley is a valley in the Pyrenees. It is located in Aragon, Spain. River Ara cuts across the valley from east to west and its average altitude is 850 m.-History:...
in Aragon
Aragon
Aragon is a modern autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. Located in northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces : Huesca, Zaragoza, and Teruel. Its capital is Zaragoza...
.
History
Among the government departments that were founded in Spain for similar purposes, the following deserve mention:- 1833, establishment of the Dirección General de Montes'
- 1855, foundation of the Junta Consultiva de Montes, which later saw its name changed to Consejo Forestal, and then Consejo Superior de Montes, until it disappeared in 1967 after merging with the Consejo Superior Agrario
- 1928, the name of the Dirección General de Montes is changed to Dirección General de Montes, Caza y Pesca Fluvial during General Primo de RiveraPrimo de RiveraPrimo de Rivera is a Spanish family prominent in politics of the 19th and 20th centuries:*Fernando Primo de Rivera, Spanish politician and soldier, 1831-1921*Miguel Primo de Rivera , dictator of Spain from 23 September 1923 to 1930...
's dictatorship; from then onwards it would depend from the Ministerio de Fomento. - 1931, on top of the existing organizations, the Instituto Forestal de Investigación is founded during the Second Spanish RepublicSecond Spanish RepublicThe Second Spanish Republic was the government of Spain between April 14 1931, and its destruction by a military rebellion, led by General Francisco Franco....
- 1971, the Dirección General de Montes is replaced by ICONA
- 1991, ICONA is dismantled and merged into the Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria
- 1996, foundation of the Ministerio del Medio Ambiente (Natural Environment Ministry) and the Dirección General de Conservación de la Naturaleza within it. The latter had two branches, the Subdirección de Conservación de la Biodiversidad and the 'Subdirección de Política Forestal which presently have become the Subdirección de Montes.