Sustainability
A GOLF AND WELLNESS RESORT MANAGED AS A NATURAL RESERVE

The resort has long been committed to environmental conservation and sustainability. In 2013, it was the first European Tour destination to receive the GEO Certificate from the Golf Environment Organization. In 2020, it received the IAGTO Sustainability Award for Nature Protection in recognition of excellence in environmental and social responsibility.

In 2023, Camiral Golf & Wellness has been recognised in a new ‘Green 100’ listing by Golf World and GEO Foundation - which identifies the most environmentally conscious and socially responsible golf courses in Europe.

The maintenance and upkeep of the resort is akin to that of a natural sanctuary, with resident biologist overseeing its native fauna and flora. This differs to the methodology underpinning most golf courses, in line with policies established in the European Green Deal and the EU biodiversity strategy 2020-2030.

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GREEN ENERGY AND SOLAR PANELS AT HOTEL CAMIRAL

Five-star Hotel Camiral and its new 1,000m² Wellness Centre has reduced its energy consumption by 50% with a number of new, sustainable energy initiatives. State-of-the-art air conditioning units, an on-site power station and solar panels help cut more than 362 tonnes of CO2 emissions each year.

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THE GOLF COURSES AND GARDENS USE 100% RECYCLED WATER

The resort recycles 100% of its water; irrigating the golf courses and green spaces using recycled water that is treated and purified, derived from both nearby towns and the complex's own buildings. Moreover, the Stadium Course now benefits from a new irrigation system which requires 25% less watering and uses recycled water, underlining our sustainable efforts to encourage the area’s eco-diversity.

Plastic free in the golf courses

In order to reduce the plastic bottles at the golf courses, Camiral Golf & Wellness has installed water fountains in different points of the golf courses and Club House in order to fill own bottles. With this action, Camiral will remove more than 70,000 plastic bottles each year.

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WORKING FOR A QUALITY GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE TO IMPROVE AND PRESERVE BIODIVERSITY

Since 2015, Camiral Golf & Wellness has paid close attention to the important role biodiversity – of both fauna and flora – plays in the day-to-day running of operations both on and off the courses, as well as around the wider resort.

The 36-hole venue, located in La Selva region of the Costa Brava, arguably one of the most biodiverse areas in Europe and close to 16 different type-level of protected areas like Estanys de Sils, has been committed to increasing the biodiversity of every micro-ecosystem found at the resort and developing and preserving its green infrastructure. It has done so by adopting a maintenance methodology that falls more in line with one used to look after natural parks and sanctuaries and that addresses the policies laid out in the European Green Deal and the EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020 and to 2030, rather than your common golf course.

Wetland ecosystem restoration

Cultivating a landscape that is congenial to the indigenous species and its structural diversity is at the heart of Camiral’s methodology. Without this, it would be impossible to nurture botanical diversity and the variety of fauna, including insects, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals.

Over the past couple of years, the biologist and the green-keeping team have focused specifically on the resort’s most vulnerable and scarce ecosystems: its wetland micro-ecosystems, which bear great consequences to the correct functioning and stability of the golf courses’ ecology.

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The flora within the streams serves as a habitat for species that are very important for the natural maintenance of the golf course, such as Picus viridis and Dendrocopos major, particular types of woodpeckers that help preserve the roots of the resort’s different types of grasses, especially those of the courses, by feeding off any caterpillars; while the streams help create natural slopes and run-off points that, in Camiral’s case, prevent water from entering the playing areas, therefore helping avoid flooding.

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These streams also act as biological corridors that improve the ecological connectivity between different habitats, providing the backbone of a green infrastructure – a key objective Oriol and his team are striving towards which marries with Spain’s and Europe’s new environmental policies.

By preserving green infrastructure and biodiversity, Camiral Golf & Wellness is helping stabilise its broader ecosystem by providing a multitude of eco-systemic services, such as landscaping, knowledge transmission, cultural identity, biodiversity, connectivity and ecological complementarity.

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CAMIRAL’S COMMITMENT TO PROMOTING THE KNOWLEDGE OF ITS NATIVE FLORA AND FAUNA

At Camiral Golf & Wellness, the team is committed to demonstrating how golf courses and resorts can have a positive impact on the environment by providing a great diversity of habitats where an incredibly variety of species can thrive.

In this vein, the 36-hole resort has created numerous activities that encourage visitors, residents and golfers to become familiar with the indigenous flora and fauna, how they benefit from such a rich natural landscape and how they can help preserve and take care of it. Such activities include:

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Bird watching

A point has been set up at one of Camiral’s lakes where, together with the biologist, you can see some of the birds that live at the resort or are passing through during their migratory season.

Unique tree trail

We have created a unique trail to discover the Mediterranean vegetation and trees that grow at Camiral.

Turtles

The biologist explains all about these amazing creatures and families can measure them to send this important information to the official institution to control the turtle’s families living at Camiral Golf & Wellness.

MEET ORIOL DALMAU, OUR BIOLOGIST

“When golf is planned correctly it can create a great diversity of habitats and therefore act as host for an incredible diversity of species. I want to re-educate people so they understand a golf resort can have a very positive impact on the environment”

Spearheading this focused approach is in-house biologist Oriol Dalmau, who has completed different degrees in Biological Sciences over the last decade, including a Master's degree in Plant Biology in Mediterranean Conditions. Once a firm believer in how detrimental the golf industry was to the environment, ignoring its responsibilities to local wildlife, Oriol is now a strong advocate in how golf courses and resorts can, if approached correctly, provide a great diversity of habitats where an incredible number of species can thrive.

“All our actions and efforts contribute to our resolve in becoming a natural reserve with a robust green infrastructure, rich in a multitude of species that have been in regression throughout the territory."

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LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR SUSTAINABILITY PROGRAMME

RECENT RECOGNITIONS/AWARDS

Camiral has collected the IAGTO Sustainability Award for Nature Protection 2020. It recognises excellence in environmental and social responsibility. They are awarded by global golf tourism trade association IAGTO (International Association of Golf Tour Operators) in conjunction with non- profit golf sustainability body, the GEO Foundation, and sanction GEO Certified venues in three key areas of sustainability – Nature, Resources and Community.

The resort has been included in the EEI 2019-2020 Invasive Species Extinction report, produced by the Generalitat de Catalunya. The 36-hole venue is the first golf resort to be included in this list along with all the natural parks and entities that work to improve the environmental quality of the territory.

Camiral was recognised by STRI Group, administrators of The Golf Environment Awards, for its commitment to developing and preserving its green infrastructure. Camiral Golf & Wellness, among the 2022 Golf Environment Awards finalists, was applauded in particular for paying attention to the important role biodiversity – of both fauna and flora – plays in the day-to-day running of operations on and off the courses, as well as around the wider resort.

In 2023 Camiral Golf & Wellness recognised as one of the Best Sustainable Golf Courses in Europe. In a new ‘Green 100’ listing that identifies the most environmentally conscious and socially responsible golf courses in Europe, Camiral Golf & Wellness has been recognised for its approach, commitment and understanding of how golf is an integral part of the local nature and landscape

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