The phenomenon of depopulation is essentially territorial. Its magnitude in Spain and its economic, social, demographic, and environmental consequences have made it a current topic and even a national challenge. Depopulation is related to negative values in natural population growth and migratory balance, typical of economically depressed areas. However, its causes are diverse and complex, requiring in-depth and specific analysis for each location, as it is not a uniform phenomenon. Although initially associated with a process typical of the inland areas of the Iberian Peninsula, it is now more widespread and affects highly populated regions with even positive growth, which present significant internal inequalities, with large cities and/or coastal areas attracting population to the detriment of peripheral and/or inland areas.

The dimensions it has acquired in the 21st century are so significant that the term “España vacía” (Empty Spain) has been coined ¹ . This term is associated not only with depopulation but also with the problems derived from it, such as territorial inequalities and the lack of opportunities for present and future generations. This impact makes it necessary to involve pre-university students in its knowledge and awareness. To do this, it is necessary to go beyond theoretical content and enhance competencies related to information search and education in values, especially considering that the latest curricular regulations for pre-university education already include this competency-based teaching of depopulation. It is necessary to foster in students the concern to understand the problems related to the eco-social causes and consequences of depopulation, to generate respect for the environment and the population living and working in rural areas, and to awaken interest in providing possible solutions.

The territorial and cross-cutting aspects of depopulation allow for numerous opportunities to work with students on different geographic concepts, as well as to incorporate digital tools such as Geographic Information Technologies (GIT) into their analysis. This reinforces digital competencies and information processing skills, which are essential for understanding eco-social phenomena and fostering citizenship education.

Depopulation is therefore a complex phenomenon that requires learning both contents and competencies. Precisely, the new curricular regulations explicitly address this topic as fundamental knowledge, sometimes linked to specific competencies in geographic learning. This circumstance is the starting point of this work. In this context, the objective of the article is to justify the design of a didactic proposal for the elaboration of a territorial report on a depopulated area, which will be methodologically structured as a research project supported by geotechnologies that provide the necessary territorial information. In line with the principles of education for sustainability, the project concludes with the development of management proposals based on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda.

Geotechnologies have proven to be highly effective in geographical learning, but they have barely been applied to the phenomenon of depopulation. In fact, so far, there are few studies that reflect on the didactic potential of depopulation in pre-university education. Some notable works include that of Velilla & Lagura (2019), in which they propose educational materials developed to be used in the Geography classroom, with students aged 14-18, to explain the depopulation in Spain using GIS. Others propose the design of educational materials to address the existing relationships between depopulation and different elements or phenomena such as landscape and cultural heritage (Guallart et al., 2020) or climate change and rural development policies (de la Vega, 2019; Velilla & Guallart, 2024). At times, these works employ the use of GIS to reinforce geographical and cartographic competencies. Additionally, there are some projects like the one called “Chimeneas sin humo: la despoblación en Aragón” [Smokeless chimneys: depopulation in Aragon] developed by the Center for Studies on Depopulation and Rural Development Areas and the “Rolde de Estudios Aragoneses” [Aragonese Studies Circle] in 2003, which generated interactive didactic resources. Or the interuniversity project titled “GEOVACUI: citizen science and cooperation initiatives against depopulation in rural areas”, which included workshops in the classroom with secondary school students ² . The purpose of these workshops was to disseminate the project’s results, raise awareness among younger populations about the topic, and encourage citizen participation in research activities to promote scientific culture in society. The storymap created by Zúñiga-Antón et al. (2022) should also be highlighted as a GIS resource to better understand the phenomenon of depopulation in Spain, although it does not present a specific pedagogical function.

The work presented here provides an innovative didactic strategy based on proven active methodologies. Additionally, it adds value to proposals on depopulation, whether they use geotechnologies or not, and whether they systematize learning in the development of a research project or not. This is because the phenomenon of depopulation is conceived as a “supracurricular” object of study, which must be approached both conceptually and competently. This can lead to a focus on education for sustainability and in values, with a preponderance of digital competencies and skills in searching for and managing reliable and complex information.

After presenting a theoretical framework on depopulation and the didactic use of geotechnologies, the results of the design elements of the presented teaching strategy are shown. These are designed based on a systematization of learning, sought in the successive steps of the project, which are then discussed according to their curricular, pedagogical, and didactic interest. The article concludes with some reflections on the relevance of this proposal and the added value and opportunity cost it entails.

The designed didactic proposal can be fundamentally discussed based on its curricular, pedagogical, and didactic interest. Beginning with a curricular perspective, depopulation is part of the most recent educational curricula in Spain for pre-university education, derived from the latest educational law (LOMLOE, 2020). Its presence is framed within the discipline of Geography, within the area of Natural, Social, and Cultural Environment Knowledge in Primary Education (RD 157/2022); Geography and History, in Secondary Education (ESO) (RD 217/2022); and Geography of Spain, in Baccalaureate (RD 243/2022). The associated learning is constituted in conceptual, competency, and value dimensions.

The conceptual dimension is present in all stages. In Primary Education, there is a basic content within the block of Societies and Territory, in the third cycle (10-12 years old), regarding the “Contrast between urban areas and rural depopulation.” In ESO, it is discussed in the first cycle (12-14 years old) about “Depopulation and sustaining rural areas”, in the Challenges of the current world block; and in the second cycle (14-16 years old), about the “Problem of rural depopulation,” in the Societies and territories block. In Baccalaureate (16-18 years old), within the Territorial planning in the ecosocial approach block, “The demographic challenge: aging and rural depopulation” is included.

In the competency dimension, only in Baccalaureate there is a specified competency learning related to depopulation, through the critical explanation of Spain’s territorial imbalances (specific competency 6). In the dimension of education in values, rural depopulation is already mentioned in ESO as one of the phenomena that need to be ethically questioned regarding their consequences, as well as a problem to address concerning the environmental quality of lived spaces, in the breakdown of specific competency 4 on landscape elements and their articulation in complex systems to be conserved and sustainably used. In Baccalaureate, depopulation is linked to one of Spain’s demographic challenges, as part of specific competency 6 on the critical explanation of territorial imbalances and the awareness of solidarity and commitment to cohesion.

The research project of the didactic proposal covers the conceptual dimension of depopulation, especially with questions 1 and 2, questioning what the phenomenon consists of and what its territorial distribution is, which constitute theoretical knowledge. The competency dimension is covered with question 3, which puts on the table the interrelationship of causes and consequences in different dimensions of the phenomenon, about which critical reflection is required, and from which ethical issues also arise. However, the question that most develops the value dimension is question 4, by proposing management measures within the framework of the SDGs, ensuring solidarity, environmental quality, and territorial cohesion in the fight against depopulation.

The use of geotechnologies is also based on educational curricula since Geographic Information Technologies (GIT) appear at all stages. In Primary Education and in ESO, they are part of basic contents, in relation to the production of georeferenced data and their visual representation. In Baccalaureate, they are also included among specific competencies: competency 4 refers to applying them to locate geographical phenomena and argue scale definitions and categorizations.

From a pedagogical point of view, the didactic proposal as a whole, presented as a project-based learning methodology, specifically cartographic research and as an example of education in sustainability, fits perfectly with the specific competency 3 of the subject in ESO, which proposes the “development of research projects and the use of reliable sources” to identify causes and consequences of current changes and problems, within the framework of sustainable development. Even previously, in Primary Education, a specific competency is established (no. 3) on project creation, highlighting the application of computational thinking. It divides problems into successive parts to solve until reaching the final product, as this project is proposed by systematizing the final resolution into smaller parts with their own resolution guidelines. In Baccalaureate, the Geography subject does not include project work but does include the use of geotechnologies (specific competency 4), which require their own systematization of computational thinking and project-based learning.

Project-based learning (PBL) is a widely used and well-researched didactic methodology (Ruiz Hidalgo & Ortega-Sánchez, 2022). It can be defined as an active methodology aimed at learning about the process of completing a project, in which the teacher acts as a facilitator or guide, helping students to develop critical reasoning skills and acquire greater autonomy (Thomas, Mergendoller, & Michaelson, 1999). PBL has been shown to be very effective for learning complex geographical phenomena because, as Torres Enjuto, Aguado-Moralejo, & Ormaetxea Arenaza (2022, p. 22) relate, “instead of starting the learning process with exposure (...), it begins with observations, data interpretation, case study analysis, or solving a problem that the student must solve in an active way”, which leads the student to build step by step, systematically, and in a simpler way, their knowledge about the phenomenon. The presented didactic proposal has been divided into phases precisely to enable this progress, guided and supported by geotechnologies, towards the final product of making proposals for depopulation management.

This task would not be viable or would not have academic success if the information were not previously systematized to be built gradually, from the defining variables of the phenomenon to the explanatory ones and finally those related to its implications. In this methodology, the systematization in project phases and the search for reliable information are fundamental. Therefore, the chosen structure and the institutional condition of the proposed geotechnologies are noteworthy, showing students the importance of official sources and critical thinking in information retrieval. It is an importance aligned with curricular competencies of pre-university education on computational thinking and information retrieval, configured as part of students’ scientific literacy and fundamental in today’s citizenship (Motoa Sabala, 2019).

Iranzo-García, Escribano Pizarro, Jardón Giner, Ruescas Orient, Fansa Saleh, & Arnal Aniorte (2022) successfully applied PBL to understand the depopulation of an inland area of Valencia and highlight that this methodology has served to involve students more and convey the phenomenon more clearly, resulting in greater awareness. Similar results could be expected from the proposed project in our proposal, with the addition of providing geotechnologies as support for its elaboration. Having therefore proposed a digital cartographic research project, it is also interesting to base the expected disciplinary learning outcomes on educational research on the didactic use of geotechnologies.

Firstly, proposing activities for visualizing layers of overlaid geographical information can facilitate the understanding of complex territorial realities. Martínez-Hernández, Yubero, Ferreiro-Calzada, & Mendoza-de Miguel (2021) demonstrate this for touristification phenomena, stating that geotechnologies generate interactive visual results that significantly represent the interrelation of factors, as occurs in the case of depopulation, with all its causes and consequences recorded in the script of Table 1. Without the systematization of PBL and the didactic strategy of GIT, understanding these phenomena becomes complicated; Velilla & Guallart (2024) empirically demonstrated this for depopulation topics and also for climate change and migrations.

In addition, the geoviewers used have a simple interface that does not require extensive prior technical knowledge. Henry & Semple (2012) believe that webGIS, like geoviewers, are no longer intimidating to students as they were in the past due to their technical complexity of use. SIDAMUN and SIGNA present a toolbar and conventional symbology of applications.

Some studies highlight the limitation of access to data when proposing didactic activities (Álvarez-Otero & Lázaro-Torres, 2017). The fact of resorting to institutional geoviewers, which function as repositories of official territorial information, hosted in the cloud, allows easy, direct, and reliable access to data and solves this problem. The advantage in terms of data storage provided by didactic activities with webGIS is one of the most prominent aspects in educational research (Lázaro y Torres et al., 2016).

Geotechnologies applied in the understanding of complex territorial phenomena promote the development of digital competence and spatial thinking (Martínez-Hernández et al., 2022), understood as the ability to solve spatial problems based on location data and their cartographic representation at an appropriate scale (Huynh & Sharpe, 2013). This is what is expected with the phenomenon of depopulation, which requires the location of a series of variables and their graphical expression through maps, for determined scales of study areas, as shown in Table 1.

The implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development by the UN in 2015 has given more weight to education in sustainability, which consists of learning the values, behaviors, and lifestyles necessary for a sustainable future and a positive transformation of society (Wals, 2009). Any subject is susceptible to incorporating aspects of training and awareness in sustainability, but precisely Geography, due to its holistic aspect and territorial approach, is one of the most-linked disciplines to education for sustainable development (Crespo & Rodríguez, 2020; Martínez-Hernández & Mínguez, 2023), and as such it was advocated by the International Geographical Union (Haubrich et al., 2007). Depopulation is a geographical phenomenon that fully fits these characteristics, as it constitutes a challenge for territorial cohesion and the fight against inequalities. So, it can be expected that, having incorporated a specific question about management within the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), students will acquire citizenship education in awareness and ethical commitment, avoiding that their learning is based on ideologized interpretations (Carretero Rodríguez, 2019).

The tasks of the didactic proposal based on photointerpretation also contribute to education in sustainability thanks to the direct observation of degradation evidence, visualized in their real forms, more significant than when they take the form of symbology (Lázaro y Torres & González González, 2014). Photointerpretation also favors a more realistic understanding of the environmental consequences and land uses of depopulation, transcending the intangibility of the data. For this additional reason to the specifics of webGIS, some authors emphasize the convenience of including photointerpretation tasks in geography teaching (Luque Revuelto, 2011).

Finally, there is a challenge surrounding the proposal related to the digital teaching competence (DigCompEdu) (Redecker, 2017). For its viability, the level of digital competence should be at least intermediate, and the teacher must have a good understanding of the foundations and characteristics of digital cartography. Geotechnologies based on geovisors, which are a type of webGIS, are not especially demanding in terms of technical knowledge when applied to the classroom (Kerski & Baker, 2019). However, in the Spanish context, where Geography teachers typically have a scientific background in History, it is not unusual for there to be limitations in handling in-depth geographical concepts and digital cartography tools (de Miguel, de Lázaro, Buzo, Reyes, Kiss, & Mineiro, 2023). The level of details provided in Table 1 is precisely intended to mitigate this risk.

Depopulation is a pressing phenomenon in the Spanish territorial reality. Its study is being approached from different perspectives due to its multiple dimensions and implications (demographic, social, economic, spatial, cultural, environmental...). Its territorial, research, and media importance have led to the inclusion of the phenomenon in the current educational curricula of pre-university education, as part of geographical learning. The aim is for the new generations to understand the phenomenon, not to stigmatize depopulated areas or those who inhabit them, and to acquire a sensitivity inherent in values education, within the framework of education for sustainability, leading them to awareness and mobilization against territorial inequalities. Addressing depopulation from an ecosocial approach reinforces the idea of human responsibility in the interaction with nature.

The multidimensionality of the phenomenon requires holistic learning, facilitated by geographical education, through various ecosocial, interconnected, and cross-cutting themes, and geographical thinking competencies. The novelty and relevance of the topic, at the curricular and social levels, make it essential to design didactic activities that facilitate its theoretical and competency-based learning and are effective in dealing with its complexity.

In this context, a didactic proposal on depopulation has been designed through a PBL methodology and the support of geotechnologies, which has been based on curricular, pedagogical, and didactic grounds. It can be concluded from this foundation that the pedagogical and didactic benefits already researched of PBL and the educational use of geotechnologies can be applicable in this case, thus improving the teaching of depopulation within the current curricular framework of basic contents of the topic, digital competencies, critical thinking, and autonomous work.

It is noteworthy, on the one hand, the ability of geotechnologies to cross georeferenced variables and allow a clearer conception of various interconnected territorial factors. On the other hand, the benefit of PBL in systematizing complex issues into compartmentalized steps that come together until the final result is achieved is remarkable. In relation to PBL, the importance of institutional information, created and configured for territorial consultations in the professional and citizen sphere, is equally notable. In this case, the geoinformation provided by the SIDAMUN and SIGNA geoviewers, which guarantees reliable data in a global context of post-truth, contributes to the scientific literacy of students and becomes a didactic resource of great potential.

However, the proposal has a significant limitation related to its non-implementation. This circumstance precludes the availability of empirical results that support the theoretical expectations that scientific literature and curriculum analysis lead us to have regarding expected learning outcomes. This is a pending task for later phases of research that could improve the proposal. At the level of learning assessment, the appropriateness of the students’ responses to the report’s questions can be assessed based on criteria of presence and depth tailored to the curriculum of each educational level.

The presented proposal thus becomes a pioneering example of a didactic strategy for comprehensive, integral, and competency-based teaching of the depopulation phenomenon, thanks to the methodological support of PBL and geotechnologies.