In 2022, some camps are organising camp experiences for you to participate in. We are hopeful that they will be able to go ahead. Camps will follow the local conditions closely, and may have to cancel activities if the local COVID-19 situation forces them to do so. If you have already signed up for a camp-activity you will be informed when this happens. We will update the website also, when such decisions are taken. Please check your own local authority travel advisory to see if you can travel to or return from the camp after the activity. At all times, when at camps, please observe it’s COVID-19 policy (such as wearing masks, social distancing, washing hands, etc).
CAMP ALTIPLANO
Murcia, Spain
Ecosystem Restoration Course: 4 - 10 June 2023
Join us for a one week hands-on learning experience.
If you are interested in ecosystem restoration and regenerative agriculture, want to get your hands in the dirt, and experience life on a farm, then this is definitely the course for you.
During this one week program you will learn how ecosystems function and how they can degrade, in the context of the semi-arid plateau where Altiplano is located. We will look into possible solutions, such as regenerative agriculture, agroforestry and reforestation. We will talk about soil health and how to improve it, compost making, vegetable garden planning, rainwater harvesting and food forests. You will join both theoretical and practical sessions, while living completely off-grid at Camp Altiplano and sharing this experience with a motivated and inspiring group of people.
Camp Altiplano was established in 2017 as the first initiative of the Ecosystem Restoration Camps Foundation. The project is a 5-hectare parcel in the regenerative farm of La Junquera, located on a semi-arid plateau in the region of Murcia. We want to share with you our learnings and experience developed through these years on the field. The course is organised by Camp Altiplano with the collaboration of Jurre Zwart, Forest and Nature conservation expert and organic agriculture practitioner.
Sign up now!
What’s included
The course includes 3 organic and vegetarian meals per day, accommodation, and bikes to move around La Junquera farm.
About Altiplano
Camp Altiplano is our first camp on the high steppe of south-eastern Spain, in the Murcia region.
Murcia is one of the lowest income regions in Spain with high levels of rural to urban migration caused by lack of employment opportunities. This is a semi arid ecosystem that has been severely degraded by deforestation, industrial agriculture, water exploitation and climate change. The degradation of the landscape is intricately connected with the degradation of the social fabric too. Many of the villages in the region are semi empty, with shops closing the populations dwindle. The landscape was historically degraded by deforestation for making ships, followed by industrial agriculture.
The camp itself is a 5 hectare plot in the middle of the La Junquera farm of Alfonso Chico de Guzman, who is converting his 1,500 hectare organic almond and heritage grains farm to regenerative. Restoration work at the camp is supporting the local Alvelal collective to restore 620,000 hectares of degraded natural and agricultural land.
Expect a sparse, degraded yet beautiful landscape, with high heat in summer and frosty cold in winter. With only 250 mm (on average) of rain per year, this is a semi arid place, on its way to becoming a desert if action to revive this landscape isn’t taken.
Originally a highly degraded field of wheat, the area is now transforming into a haven for life, with ponds making up a wetland that is home to snakes, toads, frogs and dragonflies, a regenerative almond agroforestry system, an apple orchard, all growing out of soil that is growing in microbial, bacterial and fungal life.
Now in its fifth year of restoration, where many techniques have already been implemented to bring the land back to life. To learn more about these techniques, check out the restoration plan and reports.
Plant trees with us this Winter at Altiplano!
Tree planting season in Europe is about to start and we’re warming up for it! This year, Camp Altiplano, with the support of LifeTerra Europe and Volterra, will plant 10,000 trees and bushes in natural areas and hedges of fields at La Junquera in Murcia, Spain, and we need hands to make it happen! The season ends in May 2023. Join for a week or for the whole season! Monday arrivals only. Minimum stay one week.
We ask for a contribution to volunteers of 100€/month for accommodation, materials and transportation. Food is not included.
For more info, complete the form below, or send an email to info@campaltiplano.org
Want an outsider's view of camp life at Altiplano? Watch this video made by volunteer Dima Bass during his tree-planting experience at the camp last year
What to expect at Camp Altiplano
Expect a sparse, degraded yet beautiful landscape, with high heat in summer and frosty cold in winter. With only 250 mm (on average) of rain per year, this is a semi arid place, on its way to becoming a desert if action to revive this landscape isn’t taken. Expect group meals, bright blue skies, rare birds, teaching and learnings about regenerative techniques, practical restoration work, camp fires, mountain hikes, and beautifully affordable tapas and wine.
Download the Camp Handbook to learn more about Camp Altiplano, the experience you will have and how to prepare for becoming a camper.
The kitchen building at Camp Altiplano
The wood and staw bale bunkhouse at Camp Altiplano can accommodate up to 8 people
Interior of the bunkhouse
The roundhouse is a little cob building with two floors. Each floor is a little room that can accommodate 2 people
There are 3 bell tents, each accommodating two people
Our vision
We envision a healthy, resilient regional ecosystem made up of a mosaic of productive and biodiverse farms, natural areas and a regenerated economy.
Who is needed
Anyone who has a passion for bringing our degraded landscapes back to life and wants to get their hands in the soil to make this happen. Our different camp experiences mean that there is something for everyone, from lots of physical activity to gentle physical activity. The camp needs everyone to come and take part in the restoration of this beautiful, but highly degraded landscape.
Got questions about Altiplano? Contact us!
Established camp
Camp Altiplano partners
Testimonials from some of our past course participants
To be honest, I reflect on my time at Altiplano nearly every day. When I step out of my house in the morning with my morning routine Cappuccino and see the stars, I remember the incredibly impressive starry sky in Altiplano. When I buy vegetables on the market I remember harvesting fruits and vegetables from the garden, when it rains, I remember the gratitude that we had for water as the basis for life on earth. And I take every opportunity to spread the word on the importance of healthy ecosystems throughout our organization. So, yes – I am still there in my thoughts. Philipp
The camp experience confirmed my ideas about the positive aspects of what can be achieved when like minded people get together and work together. Denise
I recommend everyone to go to a camp and experience nature. I hope to change some minds and to push forward a sustainable transformation. Philipp
Spending time with a group that seems to be looking at the world in a similar way, to be struggling with the same thing and to be just as open to face the predicament the world is in and willing to act, it makes you less lonely, more hopeful and thereby strengthened. It’s good to not only know there are many out there but to actually meet, talk and spend time together. Bart
There were many encounters and moments in which I learned about myself or the world. It was an experience that touched many aspects and areas which play a big role in my life. The experience has awakened these aspects, made them more real, which in turn inspires my path ahead and makes it more clear. Stan
Facilities
Camping (Basic/BYOT)
Kitchen (vegetarian)
Toilets (compost) + Outdoor Showers
Electricity
Cell service
Swimming facilities
Restoration activities
Water retention
Tree planting
Composting
Soil restoration
Regenerative entrepreneurialism
Erosion prevention
Food planting
Community building
Restoration of livelihoods
Restoration holidays
Natural building
Fire prevention
Other camp activities
Here are some of the other ways you can experience ecosystem restoration camping at Camp Altiplano (all prices on request):
Restoration Experience
Restore the ecosystem by doing whatever needs to be done at the time.
Mind, Body & Soil Retreats
Heal yourself whilst healing the land with yoga, meditation, group therapy, nutrition and restoration work (1 week).
Restoration Holiday
Have a holiday that restores the land around you with activities such as hiking, foraging, homemade wine and cheese tasting, archery, wild swimming, and taking part in small restoration activities during your stay.
Restoration Courses
Learn all the skills for restoring an ecosystem and take part in the restoration needed at the time.
Corporate Restoration Experiences
CSR experiences and management trainings.
Read about our achievements to date
Latest news from the camp
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What you must do to ensure your own safety at an Ecosystem Restoration Camp
Your safety is very important to us. Most camps are in locations that are completely safe for you to travel to. Some camps are in locations where there is civil unrest, higher levels of crime, or in areas where there could be severe nature events (earthquakes, tornados, vulcanic eruptions). We strongly advise you to check with your national authority’s travel advisory service to see if there are specific travel advisories for the region you are travelling to. We strongly advise you to comply with that travel advisory. If there is a negative travel advisory for the area you plan to go to, we want to impress on you that it is your decision to not heed the warnings and go. ERC can then not be liable in that situation if something happens to you.
Work at camps is usually safe. The camp coordinators make your safety their highest priority too. But you will be working with tools and sometimes even (heavy) machinery. Sometimes the terrain can be slightly treacherous. Heat or cold can become a problem for people at work that do not take the necessary measures to prevent injury from weather conditions. Especially in remote locations, all people at an Ecosystem Restoration Camp will need to watch out for eachother’s safety. For this reason we ask you to also sign our Code of Conduct, through which you commit to contributing to a safe environment at camps for all that are there with you. Take yours and all other camper’s safety seriously! Together, while watching over eachother, we can restore our ecosystems safely and successfully.
