The director of the Biodiversity Foundation, Ana Leiva, together with the secretary general of the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (FEMP), Isaura Leal, and the president of the Network of Local Governments for Biodiversity, Felipe López, inaugurated today, at the headquarters of the FEMP, in Madrid, the workshop “Tools for the integration of biodiversity in municipal policies”.

The director of the Biodiversity Foundation, Ana Leiva, together with the secretary general of the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (FEMP), Isaura Leal, and the president of the Network of Local Governments for Biodiversity, Felipe López, inaugurated today, at the headquarters of the FEMP, in Madrid, the workshop “Tools for the integration of biodiversity in municipal policies”.

This is the third of the four workshops that are being developed, between March and April, with the aim of facilitating the task of presenting candidatures to the “Capital of Biodiversity” contest, organized by the Biodiversity Foundation and framed within the LIFE + Project “European Capitals of Biodiversity”, in which the Network of Local Governments + Biodiversity 2010 of the FEMP participates and collaborates.

The “Capital of Biodiversity” competition, whose presentation of candidatures, in four categories (according to the amount of population of each municipality), is open until April 30, aims to protect the natural heritage in Spanish municipalities, through the promotion of conservation initiatives.

In this sense, the workshops provide local managers with the necessary tools to launch or intensify their efforts for the protection of biodiversity. More than 70 people participate in the meeting in Madrid and more than 30 municipalities from different Autonomous Communities are represented.

Designed specifically for local authorities, mayors, department directors, technicians and experts with direct responsibility for decision-making, the workshop agenda addresses the integration of biodiversity protection into municipal regulations and planning instruments; the design of measures for the conservation and protection of biodiversity; communication techniques for carrying out awareness-raising campaigns and financing instruments for local biodiversity protection initiatives.

During the day in Madrid and the following and last one, which will be held in Gandia on April 19, detailed information will be provided on the characteristics and requirements for participation in the “Capital of Biodiversity” contest. That is, the municipalities that are interested in participating in the contest will be attended to in a personalized way.