There are few people in the province with a curriculum as interesting as Oriol’s. Born and raised between Girona and Aiguaviva, just a few miles from Camiral Resort, the passionate biologist has completed more than ten courses and degrees in Life Sciences in the past decade.
A Master in Biology of Plants under Mediterranean Conditions, Oriol has also specialised in education and environment, and has worked as a researcher and teacher. Until 2013, like most in his field, Oriol was a firm believer that the Golf industry was environmentally damaging and ignored responsibilities towards the local fauna and flora.
“From the very beginning, Camiral Resort was a pioneer in the use of purified water and this showed a high sense of responsibility. In fact, back in those days the resort hosted several visits from Girona University students. But it wasn’t until I started working for the resort that I fully realised its potential. Camiral Resort not only stimulates the local economy but most importantly it stimulates the ecological environment and aesthetics”, explains Oriol who has since become an enthusiastic pro-Golf activist bringing his former university colleagues to see the resort on a regular basis.
“We were all wrong. When Golf is planned correctly it can create a great diversity of habitats and therefore act as host for an incredible diversity of species. And Camiral Resort has been planned with an environmental focus. The most incredible thing that most of us don’t realise is that purified water is only clean enough to maintain a small number of species. Storing it in lakes for months and distributing it over a widespread area, results in a much more effective depuration. Here we have a very advanced water system that promotes this process and therefore the resort has the potential to become a micro-biosphere reserve”.
And this is Oriol’s task. Leading Camiral Resort’s nature project, the Biologist has already brought in hundreds of nests and works daily to promote the life of endangered local species in and around the golf courses. Another task is to pass his knowledge down to the next generation through Resort activities for the younger ones, such as visits to the Bird Nest and Tortoises.
“This is something that really brings me a sense of personal achievement. A lot of these children don’t have any connection to nature and I feel like a true pioneer in their lives, opening their minds to a whole new world for them. And seeing their excitement, their emotions is really gratifying. After all, they are the next generation to take care of the planet and it is very important to help create that connection to the Earth”.