ECODES has launched this project with the aim of carrying out and disseminating a river restoration experience.

The Ecology and Development Foundation (ECODES) has launched the project “Participatory river restoration experience in the Matarraña River Contract” with the aim of carrying out and disseminating a river restoration experience that favours the conservation of the landscape. To this end, it will seek the participation and involvement of citizens through different volunteer actions in the Matarraña river basin. The municipal managers of the area will also be advised. The actions are part of the Matarraña river contract, which is being developed in three autonomous communities and 27 municipalities within the Ebro Hydrographic Demarcation.

This initiative seeks to contribute to the connectivity and fluvial restoration of the river basin, in addition to transferring the methodology of good practices in fluvial restoration for its implementation in other Spanish basins. It is also intended to raise awareness, train and advise all users of the basin and, in particular, public entities related to water management.

ECODES will try to encourage the involvement of volunteers in respect for the river, the sustainable management of river systems and their restoration.

The expected results include making a guide to good practices in river restoration (with a special in the magazine “esPosible”), creating a website with information on the different activities of the project and training and advising water managers in the basin. There will also be an informative and awareness-raising talk on volunteering and an artistic story contest with the name of “Matarraña vivo”.

Another of the planned actions is to organize a day of cleaning and inventory of the pressures and impacts detected on the banks and disseminate all these activities in the media.

Some of the activities that will be developed within the framework of the project are:

• Sending of the Guide to public entities with competences in water management in the Matarraña basin, to the hydrographic confederations and to the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (FEMP)
• Dissemination of the guide in the ECODES communication channels
• Incorporation and continuous updating of the website of good practices on river restoration, request for advice form and section of project activities
• Design, programming and realization of the information talk
• Drafting and dissemination of the rules of the competition
• Reception and evaluation of the works presented
• Public presentation of the winners and awards ceremony