In one corner of the mortuary temple of Queen Hatshepsut lies the gnarled, twisted, and dusty stump of a tree, weathered by the passage of millennia. Nearby, murals in the temple depict how the Egyptian monarch brought thirty-one Boswellia trees by ship from the land of Punt—possibly located in today's Horn of Africa—with their roots protected in baskets. This stump is said to be a remnant of the grove planted there around 1500 BC, marking what may be the first recorded instance of tree transplantation in history.

Centuries later, artificially cultivated woodlands with various tree species became known as arboretums. An early example is the Derby Arboretum, opened in 1840, one of the first Victorian public parks in the UK, intended for all citizens to enjoy. Like Hatshepsut’s grove, it symbolized humanity's affinity for nature—but also its destructive tendencies: the Derby Arboretum was almost completely devastated by pollution during the Industrial Revolution.

One of ACCIONA's key missions is to reconnect with nature through sustainable development. Alongside our work in renewable energy, we focus on maintaining and regenerating green spaces. 

Parks and urban forests serve as an intersection of the natural and built environments, offering people a connection to nature. In this article, we explore the vision of a sustainable city through our work in Madrid’s forest parks and historic gardens, spaces that embody the coexistence of human culture and biodiversity.

When we secured the contracts for the conservation and upkeep of ten of Madrid's historic parks a decade ago, it presented a challenge that demanded a multidisciplinary approach. We needed to engage agronomists, garden technicians, hydraulic infrastructure specialists, and arborists, as well as stonemasons, restorers, locksmiths, and other professionals focused on maintaining and, at times, restoring historical heritage. All of this was driven by a common goal: sustainability.

In 2024, we renewed this collaboration with the Madrid City Council and expanded our work to include five forest parks over four years, significantly increasing the area under ACCIONA’s care. The aim is to help Madrid remain one of the greenest cities in the world.

Currently, as part of its work in Madrid’s historic parks and gardens, ACCIONA manages six areas: El Capricho de la Alameda de Osuna, Quinta de Los Molinos, Quinta de Torre Arias, Quinta de la Fuente del Berro, Parque del Oeste, and Dehesa de la Villa. The latter is one of the largest green spaces in Madrid, classified as a Singular Space of Special Protection.

Carmen Lázaro, head of the comprehensive maintenance contract for Madrid’s historic parks, speaks about the conifers, ancient trees, and various shrubs in these areas, the scent of lilacs in bloom at the El Capricho garden, or the almond blossoms in the Quinta de Los Molinos park.

But caring for this biodiversity, which includes birds and animals, is only one aspect of ACCIONA’s role. Equally important is the preservation of the historical heritage housed within these spaces. This includes the palace within the Quinta de Torre Arias, along with the “caprices”—small architectural structures designed for the nobility's amusement—that characterize the El Capricho garden.

While historic gardens prioritize careful tending to hedges, flowers, and centuries-old trees, along with their historical heritage, the management of forest parks requires a more forest-oriented perspective. These parks have recently become part of the green spaces under our care. Currently, they include the Cuña Verde de O'Donnell and Fuente Carmona, the Parque Forestal de Valdebebas-Felipe VI, the Parque Lineal del Manzanares Sur, the forest areas of the Bosque Metropolitano, and the Parque de las Comunidades.

Each park is unique. Most are composed of existing forests, but Valdebebas is the largest newly established forest park in Europe. What was once a landfill has been transformed into a Mediterranean and river forest, attracting waterfowl, booted eagles, ferrets, hedgehogs, amphibians, and reptiles.

As Alberto Rigaud, head of the integrated forest park maintenance contract, notes, managing these vast forest areas involves the use of agricultural machinery, and care must be taken not to disrupt the breeding cycles of birds and other animals. It is about “letting nature follow its course” while providing infrastructure like trails and playgrounds for visitors.

In 2021, the Filomena snowstorm forced the closure of Madrid’s large parks due to the heavy snowfall, which posed a risk to both the flora and park-goers. This event highlights the increasing likelihood of extreme weather as climate change progresses. On a day-to-day basis, climate change also impacts the water needs of parks and green spaces.

Over the past ten years, we have had to adjust irrigation schedules to match the growing water demands of drier areas and optimize water usage. Total digitization of data collection, analysis, and processing for each park has been key to improving efficiency.

Decarbonization is at the heart of the fight against global warming, and the maintenance of parks and forested areas had to especially exemplify ACCIONA's commitment, which has been carbon neutral since 2016. In these ten years, we have reduced carbon emissions by 80–95% across all operations, with one of the main strategies being the electrification of our vehicle fleet and tools

What does 1,000 hectares look like? To grasp the scale of green spaces under ACCIONA’s stewardship in Madrid, consider that this figure is nearly three times the size of New York's Central Park. Another telling figure is the more than 92,000 trees spread across these parks and forests. The number of plant species is practically endless, with specimens from around the world. Additionally, this effort has created about six hundred jobs. 

But perhaps the most significant aspect, though difficult to quantify, is the improvement in quality of life for the people who enjoy these green spaces.

For ACCIONA, this decade of experience has involved applying knowledge from sectors like infrastructure and culture, but it has also been a learning process. In the calm of these parks, we have come to understand their natural rhythms. As Carmen Lázaro reflects, we have learned to respect their cycles and listen to the life unfolding within them.