The new challenge of Kilian Jornet: to take care of the settings of his childhood

BarcelonaKilian Jornet decided a long time ago that his career cannot be limited to just racing. Determined to leave a legacy, he created a foundation that works on different projects. The latest one is very special, as it affects a setting he knows to perfection. The Kilian Jornet Foundation has presented a project, selected from 495 candidates from 75 countries, which will allow for the development of new restoration, protection, and scientific research actions over three years in the protected natural area of Tossa Plana de Lles-Puigpedrós, in Cerdanya. That is, in the Cerdanya Pyrenees, where he grew up. Jornet grew up in the Cap del Rec refuge in Cerdanya, where his parents worked, going on hikes all over the Tossa Plana de Lles area, one of the places that has changed the most recently and which needs protection.

The Pyrenean Mountain Resilience project has been one of the four winners awarded by the ISPO Impact Foundation, an independent foundation promoted by ISPO, one of the main international platforms in the outdoor sports sector. This initiative, with a total of 100,000 euros, will allow for the promotion of new ecological restoration, research, and environmental awareness actions over three years in the protected natural area of Tossa Plana de Lles-Puigpedrós. Thus, the Kilian Jornet Foundation will be able to expand nature conservation and regeneration actions to a protected natural area of more than 16,000 hectares in Cerdanya.

The Jornet Foundation, which has not competed for a few months now due to an injury that required knee surgery, has long been working to raise awareness and protect areas of the Pyrenees, together with local, public, and private entities. An area that has changed a lot due to climate change, the shift in human activities, and tourism. Activities that have caused the erosion of paths, the proliferation of informal trails, the degradation of wetlands, and disturbances to wildlife.

The project will work in this regard and will also strengthen scientific knowledge about species in the area. The project plans to restore more than fifteen kilometers of mountain paths, recover degraded trails, and renaturalize informal routes that fragment habitats. It also provides for the installation of raised walkways to protect wetlands, the restoration of traditional stone constructions linked to livestock activity, and the rehabilitation of mountain shelters.

The Foundation wants to involve local communities and mountain users in the protection of the environment. Through educational visits with schools, scientific outreach activities, Running Minds initiatives, and Restore the Trails volunteer days, the project seeks to promote a more responsible relationship with nature and make conservation a shared responsibility. The goal is to mobilize more than 600 people in educational, scientific, and restoration activities, and to reach more than 20,000 people through awareness campaigns.