Overview

• A Siadeco study for UEMA reports 128,000 people live in arnasgune zones, with only 0.3% of the population in municipalities where everyday use exceeds 80% and 4.2% in areas above 60%, warning that dominant-use areas are at risk of disappearing.
• Only five full arnasgune municipalities remain, all in Gipuzkoa—Abaltzisketa, Baliarrain, Elduain, Orexa and Zerain—with none above 90% use and significant losses since 1991 in the top-use brackets.
• Azpeitia’s Soreasu theater will host a two-day international conference this Thursday and Friday organized by UEMA, Soziolinguistika Klusterra, UEU and Coppieters with support from Gipuzkoa’s Provincial Council, the Basque Government and European funds, featuring cases from Ireland, Wales, Frisia and Voivodina alongside Basque researchers.
• Donostia has placed protection of arnasgune areas among its goals as debate intensifies, while the Basque Government’s justice minister, María Jesús San José, recently apologized to the Monbar Hotel victims’ families during a 40th-anniversary exhibition event.
• October’s community calendar includes the Gipuzkoan Gazte Tour in Aia with reinforced Lurraldebus UK08 service, Barakaldo’s Bunker fair on Oct 24–26, a free Basque-language children’s film series in Irun through late November, Fagus Alkiza biodiversity days on Oct 25–26 and Mendaro’s Oct 17–19 beer fair benefitting Aspanogi.