The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and the Environment, through the Biodiversity Foundation, allocates 4.2 million euros to carry out activities related to biodiversity, climate change and environmental quality. Thus, 121 projects have been beneficiaries in this Call for Aid, on a competitive basis.

Of the 121 beneficiary projects, 64 are initiatives for the conservation of natural heritage and biodiversity (53%), 34 focused on the fight against climate change (24%), and 23 are actions for the conservation of the marine environment (23%).

Thanks to these grants, projects will be developed within one of the themes of this call: conservation of terrestrial biodiversity (grants worth 2.2 million euros), conservation of marine and coastal biodiversity (almost €980,000), climate change and environmental quality (more than 1 million euros).

This call has received a total of 904 applications. The grants granted to each project do not exceed 70% of the final budget of each of them. Except in the case of Public Administrations, their related or dependent bodies, state public sector foundations, as well as similar entities of the Autonomous Communities, in which case the co-financing of the projects does not exceed 50%.

Of the 121 projects approved, 28 correspond to the Partial Resolution published on September 17, 2013. The rest, 93, were approved in the Final Resolution of this Call.

The projects presented in the terrestrial biodiversity line promote the maintenance of essential ecological processes and ensure the conservation of natural heritage and biological diversity. These projects and activities develop Lines and Programmes of Action of the Strategic Plan for Natural Heritage and Biodiversity 2011-2017.

The applications in the marine and coastal biodiversity line aim to conserve the marine Natura 2000 Network and protect both the coastal and marine environment, against the potential impacts it may suffer and ensure its sustainable development and exploitation.

Finally, the projects submitted to the climate change and environmental quality line seek to comply with Spain’s commitments on climate change, as well as initiatives that promote environmental quality and its involvement with biodiversity and human health, with the aim of improving social welfare, economic growth and environmental protection.

The typology of the approved projects is diverse; the restoration of wetlands, initiatives linked to land stewardship, the conservation of species such as the Cabrera vole or the Green Turtle, information on marine litter on the beaches of the Spanish coast, recovery of river environments and volunteering in rivers, conservation of cetaceans and seabirds, actions to improve sustainability in longline fishing or the evaluation of the potential of wetlands in the fight against climate change.

The resolutions relating to this call for grants, including the entire list of selected projects, are available on the Biodiversity Foundation website: www.fundacion-biodiversidad.es