Encamp to Designate 528-Hectare Circ dels Pessons as Natural Park by 2027

Encamp's mayor, Laura Mas, alongside Environment, Agriculture and Livestock Minister Guillem Casal, presented plans this morning for designating the 528-hectare Circ dels Pessons area as a communal natural park by autumn 2027.

The parish will fully fund the park's annual operations, estimated at around €300,000, covering staff, guides, signage, outreach and management. "It will mean expenses of about €300,000 for the local authority," Mas noted, describing the protection as a historic parish aspiration pursued by recent councils.

The area featured in the previous Grau Roig-Pas de la Casa ski domain concession but was excluded from the current one signed in 2024. The government will offer technical support through the Department of Environment and Sustainability, without funding daily costs.

The Comú Council aims to approve a collaboration memorandum with the executive this Thursday, followed by technical reports, environmental and economic studies, landscape analyses, and biodiversity assessments. These will support the case ahead of a public consultation lasting more than two months, leading to final designation.

Existing uses—including hunting, fishing, livestock grazing and trails—will persist within the boundaries.

During the presentation, Casal, Demòcrates' secretary general, ruled out leading a centre-right coalition candidacy for head of government in upcoming general elections. "Right now, we haven't considered who should lead this project or stand at the front," he told media. "We need to find common ground, reach agreements with those who add value and want to advance this outlook based on concrete programmatic lines, without preconditions." He added that months remain to settle a candidate and platform.