The Biodiversity Foundation and the Red Cross have jointly developed the environmental project ‘Learning from the forest’ in which, since last July, 1,600 people have participated, including the elderly, the disabled, immigrants and schoolchildren.

The results of the project have been presented at the stand of the Youth Fair (Juvenalia 2006) –which is held from December 21 to 30 at the Juan Carlos Primero Exhibition Center in Madrid (IFEMA)– by the president of the Spanish Red Cross in the Community of Madrid, Carlos Payá, and the director of the Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry of the Environment, María Artola.

Both have stressed that the objective of the project is “to train and raise awareness so that people enjoy and love our forests”. In addition, 27 volunteers have been trained with manuals on good environmental practices and an attempt has been made to promote the consumption of sustainable products.

The project included visits and guided trails around La Pedriza (Regional Park of the Upper Manzanares Basin), activities to discover the forest “with all the senses”, and the distribution of 500 first aid kits for the personal health care of those who carry out sports activities in nature.