Mijas sows 33,000 Super Seed Balls to restore Sierra and fight desertification

Mijas distributes 33,000 super-seeds across its Sierra to regenerate plant life scorched by wildfires and combat creeping desertification.

In a hands-on bid to reverse decades of environmental damage, the Spanish town of Mijas has distributed more than 33,000 “supersemillas” across its Sierra, aiming to regenerate plant life scorched by wildfires and threatened by creeping desertification.

The plan, led by the Ayuntamiento de Mijas in partnership with the local firm Exploramás, relies on a centuries-old Japanese technique known as nendo dango. Volunteers crafted small balls of clay, natural fertilizer, substrate and meadow seeds. Once scattered on the ground, the clay casing shields the seeds from birds, wind and sun until rainfall gradually dissolves it, allowing germination without any need for planting or irrigation. A similar nendo dango approach has already been used on the Costa del Sol dunes.

Deployment of seeds follows successful experiments

The second phase of the project saw the seed balls dispersed around the former Los Arenales quarry near Mijas Pueblo and in the Hipódromo area, zones still recovering from recent fires. The effort builds on an earlier workshop held between 20 and 21 October at Cortijo Don Elías, where roughly 700 residents, students and association members rolled the balls by hand. Participants included pupils from the Las Lagunas, Sierra de Mijas, Torre Almenara and Villa de Mijas institutes, students from Kampus Formación, and members of the Fuenmijas Parkinson’s association and Afesol.

Organisers had originally planned for 27,000 seed balls; the final tally exceeded 33,000, a figure chosen in part to symbolically represent the workforce of General Electric, which supported the social action through Exploramás.

Mayor Ana Mata takes part

Mayor Ana Mata joined Environment Councillor Marco Cortés and Education Councillor Juan José Torres for the distribution. She described the Sierra’s recovery as a collective responsibility and stressed that involving schools, associations and businesses turns a practical restoration project into broader environmental education. This latest action continues broader volunteer-led efforts to revive the fire-damaged forests of the Sierra de Mijas.

“When administrations, companies, young people and social groups work together, we achieve results that go far beyond a single environmental action,” Mata said. “We are also teaching values and respect for nature.”

By combining traditional low-tech methods with broad community participation, Mijas is betting that a few tens of thousands of carefully made seed balls can help tip the balance toward greener slopes and greater resilience against the Mediterranean’s intensifying dry spells.