Combining Participatory Processes and Sustainable Development Goals to Revitalize a Rural Area in Cantabria (Spain)

Abstract

Due to industrial civilization, the decline of the countryside has become a global phenomenon. Spain is a good example that reflects this issue in the rural areas of the European Union because more than half of all municipalities in the country are at risk of extinction. This manuscript aims at combining social engagement and the application of sustainable development goals (SDGs) to propose a sustainable rural revitalization plan. Several multi-sectoral working groups participated in three consultation rounds to prescribe 52 customized actions directed to Pesquera-San Miguel de Aguayo area. Social (17) and environmental (16) dimensions collected the highest number of initiatives, whilst the institutional dimension was only addressed by eight proposals. Furthermore, 40 out of the 169 SDG targets of the 2030 Agenda were put forward in the rural strategy, which also contemplated most priorities adopted by the Rural Development Programme for Cantabria. A cooperative association was identified as the most preferred governance system in order to build a community spirit and promote social empowerment, inclusiveness, and gender equality. Municipal and regional authorities were not invited to join the participatory process in order to not constrain the involvement of the selected stakeholders.