- The initiatives will make the conservation and promotion of the park’s natural values compatible with environmental improvement, the bioeconomy and employment and new opportunities for the population
- Specifically, seven of the projects focus on promoting the agroecological transition, while another two focus on sustainable forest management and use
- They will act on more than 3,900 hectares covering the 14 municipalities of the Doñana Framework of Actions
The Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO) has resolved the call for grants aimed at environmental improvement in the agricultural and forestry field in the Doñana area of influence with the selection of nine projects. The initiatives approved in this call, which has an endowment of 11.5 million euros, will act with the aim of making agricultural activities compatible with the natural balance of Doñana and the promotion of other sustainable uses of the territory such as forestry, all based on the best available scientific knowledge.
In total, the initiatives aim to act directly on more than 3,900 hectares in the 14 municipalities of the Doñana Framework of Actions, in addition to including actions for transfer and replicability in other areas. Specifically, seven of the approved proposals are focused on promoting the agroecological transition: four focus on organic production and the application of good agricultural and fertigation practices, one addresses the recovery of natural elements in agricultural areas, another promotes the reuse of water for irrigation and a last one promotes extensive livestock farming. The remaining two projects are aimed at sustainable forest management and use, including reforestation actions, forest management linked to extensive livestock farming and pineapple harvesting.
The call is based on the premise that the conservation of Doñana and its socio-economic development requires the involvement of all social actors as a fundamental part of the solution.
Thus, 26 different entities participate in the initiatives either as coordinators or as part of the group, including organizations in the agricultural, livestock and forestry fields, a city council, scientific entities and third sector entities. Specifically, 6 of the proposals include organizations in the agricultural, livestock or forestry field, with 9 entities of this type, A city council, 6 scientific entities and 10 entities of the environmental third sector also participate in the projects.
From the beginning, the design of these grants has had the collaboration and participation of the different sectors involved: the agricultural and forestry sector; local government; entities of the third environmental sector and civil society and scientific entities, as well as with the technical support of the Technical Office of Doñana, coordinated by the Commissioner of the Water Cycle and Ecosystem Restoration of MITECO.
PROMOTION OF THE BIOECONOMY AND GREEN
EMPLOYMENTThe selected projects have an experimental and transformative approach that will promote the bioeconomy, the diversification of socio-economic activities and the environmental improvement of existing activities. It also seeks to stimulate entrepreneurship and green employment opportunities for the population.
In addition, the initiatives have a clear vocation to contribute to research, generation and increase of available knowledge on the effects of the project’s activities on the socio-economic, environmental and sustainability improvement generated, as well as to make use of the best available information.
FRAMEWORKS OF ACTIONS FOR DOÑANA
This call for grants reinforces the priorities of the Action Frameworks for Doñana, promoted by MITECO. The Framework for Environmental Actions, endowed with a budget of 356 million, is aimed at reversing the environmental degradation of this emblematic space and recovering its ecological functioning. These short- and long-term measures were complemented in November 2023 with the Framework of Actions for the Sustainable Territorial Development of the Doñana Natural Area of Influence, endowed with another 350 million. The latter aims to achieve development that consolidates environmental protection, economic prosperity and social inclusion and is the one in which this call for projects of the Biodiversity Foundation is framed.
Projects must be completed within a maximum of three years from the date of resolution.
