The director of the Biodiversity Foundation, a public foundation of the Government of Spain, under the Ministry of the Environment, Rural and Marine Affairs, Ana Leiva, participated today in Tarragona in the inauguration of the launch of the results of the “Project for the declaration of a marine protected area in Tamarit-Punta de la Móra”.

Together with Ana Leiva, the president of DEPANA, Mª Purificació Canals, the delegate councillor for sustainability, environment and health of the Tarragona City Council, Carme Crespo, and the general director of Medi Natural of the Generalitat de Catalunya, Maria Núria Buenaventura, participated in this event.

This meeting has served to present the results of the Project “Implementation of an integrated maritime-terrestrial coastal management area with the possibility of becoming a reserve in Tamarit – Punta de la Móra” in aspects such as the ecosystems and marine species of ecological value that this area houses, the legal figures in force to increase the protection of its marine biodiversity, the management of marine biodiversity, the participatory projects carried out to inform and involve citizens and public and private organisations in the Project and the administrative procedures initiated to achieve the Declaration of the area as a Marine Protected Area.

The Biodiversity Foundation has been collaborating with DEPANA – Lliga per la Defensa del Patrimoni Natural since 2005 in the project “Implementation of an integrated maritime-terrestrial coastal management area with the possibility of becoming a reserve in Tamarit – Punta de la Móra”. This project is the predecessor of the one that is now bearing fruit and consists of the creation of an integrated maritime-terrestrial coastal management area in this area with the aim of protecting these ecosystems and preventing their overexploitation and degradation.

Subsequently, since 2007, the objective has been the declaration of this enclave as a nature reserve, through the initiation of the relevant administrative procedures. More specifically, this initiative aims to carry out monitoring and comparative studies of the floristic and faunal communities of the area under management; prepare a management proposal; establish a proposal for indicators of management effectiveness and results; to study coastal dynamics; carrying out educational activities with informative material; to carry out environmental volunteering and participation activities; identify key sectors and request the declaration of the area as a reserve.