The president of the Biodiversity Foundation and Secretary of State for Rural Affairs and Water, Josep Puxeu, and the director of the Biodiversity Foundation, Ana Leiva, participated on May 1 in the inauguration of the Marçá Mediterranean Turtle Interpretation Centre, in Tarragona.

The event was attended by the mayor of Marçá, Josep Piqué Castellnou; the Secretary General of the Department of Environment and Housing of the Generalitat de Catalunya, Eduard Pallejà; the sub-delegate of the Government in Tarragona, Teresa Pallarés; the general director of Local Administration of the Department of Government and Public Administration, Carles Bassaganya, and the director of the Territorial Services of the Department of Government and Public Administrations in Tarragona, Francesc Tarragona.

In the International Year of Biological Diversity, the Biodiversity Foundation continues to support projects that, as in this case, promote the study and conservation of native species, as well as the protection of their habitats. This recovery and interpretation centre was born from a local initiative to protect the population of the Mediterranean tortoise (Testudo hermanni hermanni), in Marçá, Tarragona.
 

The centre, located in the Parc de Les Olors de la Miloquera de Marçá, has a zoological centre, with gardens and spaces for visitors and keepers and five cages for the specimens to stay. In addition, there is an isolation area, a hospitalization area and an area for the breeding animals to live in semi-freedom.

This center aims to contribute to the conservation and study of the Mediterranean tortoise, which has a scarce population that places it in danger of extinction. These facilities provide the possibility of recovering injured or sick specimens, reproducing the species in captivity to reinforce its populations in the natural environment and raising awareness among visitors about its importance.