The "Asociación Sociocultural de Las Hurdes (ASHURDES)", was established in 1985. It organized the ""II Congreso Nacional de Hurdanos y Hurdanófilos"" in 1988, where it sought to ask for greater participation of the local people in policies concerning Las Hurdes. The chief concerns of the ca. 6,000 present day inhabitants of the region are to fight against the stigma issues affecting Las Hurdes and to reverse its depopulation. Despite the presence of experts in the congress, its effect and responses have been less marked than during the 1908 church-led philanthropic effort.