The Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and the Environment publishes its call for applications for 2015 The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and the Environment, through the Biodiversity Foundation, has announced the granting of grants for the implementation of activities related to the environment for the year 2015. With these three, it now has 25 published calls for proposals, which have supported more than 1,100 entities that develop projects in the field of terrestrial biodiversity, marine biodiversity, climate change and environmental quality.
In addition to this call for grants, it has published a specific one, as it did in 2014, aimed at the development of collaboration and representation activities before the General State Administration, the European Union and international organisations; and a last one for the promotion of environmental information in the media.
The total amount that will be allocated to these grants for the development of projects that fall within some of the established modalities is 3.4 million euros. The granting of the grants is established on a competitive basis, and its regulatory bases can be consulted on the website of the Biodiversity Foundation (www.fundacion-biodiversidad.es).
PROMOTING BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION
The first call is aimed at non-profit entities to carry out activities in the field of terrestrial biodiversity, marine biodiversity, climate change and environmental quality. The projects presented in the terrestrial biodiversity line must ensure the conservation of natural heritage and biological diversity with a prominent focus on the species listed in the Annexes to the Birds and Habitats Directives and in the Spanish Catalogue of Endangered Species.
The main objective of applications in the marine biodiversity line will be the conservation of the Natura 2000 Network in the sea and the protection of both the coastal and marine environments, against the potential impacts it may suffer and to ensure its sustainable development and exploitation.
Finally, the projects submitted to the climate change and environmental quality line must seek to comply with Spain’s commitments on climate change, promote the rational use and saving of energy and promote renewable energies and mitigate the threats that poor environmental quality poses to biodiversity and human health. at the same time that social welfare, economic growth and environmental protection are sought.
The maximum overall endowment of this call is up to 2.6 million euros, corresponding to terrestrial biodiversity 1.7 million; €600,000 to marine and coastal biodiversity; and €300,000 for climate change and environmental quality. Each project can apply for a maximum of 70% co-financing with a maximum grant of 100,000 euros.
Entities that wish to apply for this call have until April 15 and July 15, 2015 to submit their application. Applications must be submitted in electronic format through the website of the www.fundacion-biodiversidad.es Biodiversity Foundation.
The second call is aimed at non-governmental organisations that are part of the Environmental Advisory Council, for the development of collaboration and representation activities before the General State Administration, the European Union and international organisations in the field of biodiversity, climate change and sustainable development.
The maximum overall endowment of the call is up to €460,000 and the maximum amount that can be granted for each aid application cannot exceed €115,000. This amount will be used to cover the costs of the activities necessary within the framework of collaboration with state bodies of public participation for the preparation, implementation and monitoring of environmental policies between the General State Administration and the social and economic sectors.
PROMOTION OF ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION
Finally, grants have been announced to promote the publication of information with environmental content in the media – whether in the written press, radio or digital media – in order to achieve greater environmental awareness in society, given the role played by the media as providers of information and generators of opinion among citizens.
These grants, endowed with a total of 375,000 euros, seek to promote the increase of information that addresses the conservation of natural heritage, biodiversity, sustainable development or climate change, among other environmental content that is a way to promote greater education, awareness and information among society. It also promotes those spaces that offer information on the business-biodiversity binomial, sustainable economy, green employment and entrepreneurship.
From the publication of this call, interested media have 60 days to present to the Biodiversity Foundation the information projects that are planned to be carried out during this year. They may not exceed 75,000 euros per application and a maximum of 70% of the total budget of the project submitted.
