Associations call for the protection of a centuries-old olive grove on eastern Costa del Sol

A number of associations in Vélez-Málaga on the eastern Costa del Sol are calling for greater protection for an area home to not only fifty thousand-year-old olive trees, but also the ruins of two old farmhouses and an eighteenth-century oil mill, as well as a lake which is a habitat to a variety of amphibians.

Gabinete de Estudios de la Naturaleza (GENA-Ecologistas en Acción, SAC (Sociedad de Amigos de la Cultura), Asociación para la Defensa de las Chimeneas y el Patrimonio Industrial and Olearum have held a protest to call for recognition of "the natural and historical wealth" of what is generally known as the Olivar de Poei in Vélez-Málaga.

The groups took a proposal to Vélez-Málaga town hall in in May 2024 for the protection of the ancient Poei olive grove, as a future "agro-urban park".

First of all, Antonio Guzmán, member of the Asociación Malagueña de Defensa de las Chimeneas and an expert in industrial heritage, showed the characteristics of the 18th century Los Pérez mill, "unfortunately" now in ruins, which probably milled Las Campiñuelas olives. "It is a remarkable building, protected by the town hall, but whose destruction process has not yet been halted, despite being an emblematic building of great historical interest," the expert explained.

Next, Paco Lorenzo, a well-known expert and member of the international association Olearum, explained the nutritional properties of olive oil. The specialist and taster of the different varieties also highlighted the importance of olive oil in the diet and how to differentiate between the different types of oils and what characteristics, packaging and preservation they should have in order not to lose their organoleptic properties. This was followed by a tasting test of three varieties of olive oil found in the Axarquía area.

Finally biologist Rafael Yus, spokesperson of GENA-Ecologistas en Acción, highlighted the importance of the source of the Negro stream, "where a very important biodiversity of amphibians has been developing, with up to six species of amphibians of the ten known in the Axarquía, a point of scientific and ecological interest, which should be included in the protection package of the Olivar de Poei".

A short tour of the Cortijo de Poei allowed participants to see several of the centenary olive trees that form part of this olive grove, one of which was measured and showed to have a perimeter of more than seven metres.

The demonstrators said that Vélez-Málaga town hall "has the key to acquire this land during the urban development process that will take place in the future in this area" and hope that they would save Molino de los Pérez and the olive grove from further abandonment and indeed urban development.