SECCIÓN PRIMERA Disposiciones Generales

Context and situation

Our school, the CPEB (Public centre of basic education) of Cerredo is located in a high mountain area in Asturias, in the north of Spain. Cerredo is a small village (around 1000 habitants) at high altitude (1060 m). This centre has singular characteristics due to the adverse geographical conditions: poor communications with neighbouring towns and important cities and also severe climatic conditions due to low temperatures the presence of significant amounts of ice and snow,

mainly in winter. Our school covers all the levels of compulsory education in the Spanish education system, since we have pupils from 3 to 16-17 years old.

An important part of our municipality is integrated in a natural park (Fuentes del Narcea, Degaña e Ibias), and the traditional life consists in agriculture and forestry. Since the middle of the last century, the main economical source is the exploitation of coal mines, even in open air mines and underground galleries. This coal is entirely employed in the production of electrical energy in two thermoelectric power plants situated at 30 and 50 kilometres far from the location of the extraction areas. In this environment, we have analysed how the wildlife is being affected by the extraction, transformation and transportation of coal to the thermoelectric plants.

Figure 3. General view of the small village of Cerredo and the glacial lake

The natural park of Fuentes del Narcea, Degaña e Ibias

Declared Natural Park in 2002, is situated in the southwest of the region of Asturias, in the occidental part of the Cantabric Mountains, with an altitude between 400 m and 2000 m over the sea level and an area of 47.589 ha. The name of the park is given by the main rivers Narcea and Ibias. Inside this area there is a region of 60 km2 of special protection: the integral natural reserve of Muniellos; the access is restricted to a maximum of 20 persons per day with authorization, which constitutes an effective way to safeguard and improve the environmental values. This park is particularly rich in flora and fauna characteristic of European high mountains. Between the vegetal species are especially important the oak (quercus robur and quercus petraea) and beech (fagus sylvatica) forests and there is also chestnut trees (castanea sativa) and birches (betula celtiberica) as well as other small species, mainly different ferns, moss (muscus) and lichens. We have organized several visits to our environment, where our students were guided in order to see, identify and collect the different species or parts of trees and plants.

The wildlife species more important in this park are the bear (ursus arctos arctos), with an estimated population of around 40 members but with clear signs of resurgence in the last years, and the tetrao urogallus, more important due to the special situation of this species in Europe than to the number of members. Regarding this aspect are more important the wolf (canis lupus), the fox (vulpes

vulpes) the wild boar (sus scrofa) and the deer (capreolus capreolus) between the mammalians and the goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) and the sparrow-hawk (Accipiter nisus) in the group of the birds.

Figure 4. Students are identifying different plants and trees in the forest and Students are analysing the wreckage of the coal mines

As it can be understood, it is not easy to find and observe such species directly in their natural environment and this even more difficult with a group of students. Nevertheless, an interpretation centre has been visited and we could examine some bibliographical and audiovisual materials related to the wildlife.

The coal extraction and handling

Cerredo belongs to the south-Cantabric coal basin, one of the most important coal areas in Spain. Anthracite and soft coal are the more abundant types of coal extracted.

The coal is extracted following two different methods:

• In open air mines using heavy machinery, mainly in the highest parts of the mountains.

• In underground galleries, with different levels and interconnected indoors. The second method is obviously more complicated from the technological perspective and economically more expensive. Nevertheless, the effects on the environment are more significant in the open-air techniques due to the powder emission to the atmosphere, the noises provoked by the movement of the machinery and the detonations, and the destruction of the natural environment and the visual impact. This methods of coal extraction have been evaluated by our students by means of visits to the mines (except the underground galleries because it is forbidden for people aged less than 18 due to security reasons) and interviews and talks with the responsible for the environmental management of the company and the engineer.

Once extracted, the coal is processed in industrial plants usually placed close to mines, with the purpose of separate the unwanted and useless parts of rocks and soil from the coal used as combustible in the thermoelectric power plants.

Figure 5. Open-air coal mines

This washing process generates a large amount of dirty water that needs to be treated before dumped directly to the river. Nevertheless the rain usually drags important amounts of coal and rests of soil to the watercourses.

After the washing procedure, the coal should be milled and converted in small pieces before be sent to the destination. This milling process constitutes another important element of air pollution and also noise pollution that affects directly to the population of the village, since the treatment plants are placed very close to the houses.

Organization of the work

The project was launched in November of 2007 when the CPEB de Cerredo was selected to participate, together with other European schools.

The students of the upper course of this school (fourth level of secondary compulsory education) were selected by the leading teachers to be in charge of this project and all the tasks related. They were guided and organized by the teachers of natural sciences and biology. The national moderators of the project helped also them concerning some procedures and the dates and deadlines to manage the different activities.

The title of our project is: “Coal mines and natural surroundings, can they be integrated?” and, during the school year, the following activities have been developed:

 An initial search for information in different sources (mainly webs, books and the monthly magazine of the local coal extraction company) about two key topics: the characteristics of the natural park and the procedures directed to the coal extraction and handling.

 Exploration on the environment and research and study directly on the same themes: in the neighbouring nature and in the mines and coal handling industrial plants.

 Inquiries to experts who could provide precise and technical information concerning the preservation of the nature values and the waste treatment in the mines and how the coal mines affect the environment.

 Discussions about the information obtained from bibliographical sources as well as from inquiries to experts.

 Elaboration of a set of results, including data obtained and the conclusions of the discussions.

 These outcomes have been presented both in a written version and also as an audiovisual production. In this movie each participant student presents a particular section concerning the tasks carried out and the results obtained, combined with different scenes and outlooks in relation to the environment and the different mining activities.

 Collaboration to the elaboration of the YEP Report to be sent to the UNESCO.