The host venue for the inaugural Catalunya Championship was recently recognised by STRI Group, administrators of The Golf Environment Awards, for its commitment to developing and preserving its green infrastructure.
PGA Catalunya Golf and Wellness, was among the 2022 Golf Environment Awards finalists and was applauded in particular for paying attention to the important role biodiversity – of both fauna and flora – plays in the day-to-day running of operations on and off the Stadium Course and Tour Course, as well as around the wider resort.
Since 2015, Spain’s no.1 golf resort, located in the La Selva region of the Costa Brava - arguably one of the most biodiverse areas in Europe and close to 16 other protected areas like Estanys de Sils - has been committed to increasing the biodiversity of every micro-ecosystem found at the 36-hole venue.
It has done so by adopting a maintenance methodology that falls more in line with the practices used to look after natural parks and sanctuaries and that addresses the policies laid out in the European Green Deal and the EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020 and to 2030.
PGA Catalunya’s efforts – in particular over the past three years – have focused on restoring the wetland ecosystem, including the cultivation of lake perimeter vegetation, the seasonal creation and preservation of ponds and addressing the regression of natural streams and their flora.
In-house biologist Oriol Dalmau, who has completed more than ten degrees in Biological Sciences over the last decade, including a Masters in Plant Biology in Mediterranean Conditions, is a strong advocate for how golf courses and resorts can, if approached correctly, provide a great diversity of habitats where an incredible number of species can thrive.
Dalmau said: “All our actions and efforts contribute to our resolve to become a natural reserve with a robust green infrastructure, rich in a multitude of species that have been in regression throughout the territory.
“We have enabled the recolonisation of near-extinct species, such as the Lutra lutra, an endangered species of otters that has found refuge and nourishment within the PGA Catalunya reservoir, and birds sucj as the Alcedo atthis and Upupa epops.”
Before welcoming its first DP World Tour event since the 2014 Open de Espana this week, PGA Catalunya’s Stadium Course benefited from a sustainability-focused €1million upgrade, which has also enabled the greenkeeping team to enhance the management and maintenance of the onsite golf courses and the environmental quality of the resort, while improving the wellbeing of players and residents.
For more information about PGA Catalunya Golf and Wellness, visit www.pgacatalunya.com
Sustainability is one of the three key pillars of ‘Golf for Good’, the umbrella name for the European Tour group’s overarching Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme.
This is centred around the Green Drive initiative, which was launched in 2021 to coincide with World Environment Day, and reaffirms our strengthened commitment to sustainability with a vision for the Tour to become a showcase for social and environmental responsibility, delivering net positive impacts around the world. Find out more here.
