ICONA

Instituto para la Conservación de la Naturaleza (Nature Conservation Institute), better known by its acronym ICONA (1971–1995) was the administrative entity that was established in Spain in order to preserve and research the natural environment in the Spanish territory.

Founded four years before Francisco Franco's death, ICONA played an ambiguous role regarding its ability to take care of the natural protected areas.

[1] Certain policies implemented by ICONA in the 1970s contributed to the depopulation of remote rural areas in different points of Spain, like for example in Acrijos, Soria and the Solana Valley in Aragon.

[2] Among the government departments that were founded in Spain for similar purposes, the following deserve mention:

Former ICONA mountain hut at Ordiales, Asturias .
Soviet Mil Mi-2 helicopter hired by ICONA in the 1980s in order to fight forest fires . Museo del Aire, Cuatro Vientos , Madrid .
Burgos 2019. Original forest of Q. pyrenaica. In use.
Burgos 2019. Icona's action on the original forest. Deforestation and plantation of pinus .
Burgos 2019. Icona's action on the original forest. Deforestation and plantation of pinus .