The Beaches, Rivers, Volunteering and Land Stewardship Programme promoted by the Biodiversity Foundation, has mobilised nearly 6,000 volunteers throughout this year. The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and the Environment, within the framework of the Beaches, Rivers, Volunteering and Land Stewardship Programme promoted by the Biodiversity Foundation, has mobilised nearly 6,000 volunteers involved in the conservation of the coastline and the areas that make up the inter-community watersheds throughout this year.
 
This programme also allows the development of a stable network of volunteers for the maintenance and improvement of these spaces through different volunteer programmes.
 
Until 30 November, the date on which this edition of the Programme ended, waste clean-up days, reforestation, elimination of invasive species, training and environmental awareness have been carried out through land stewardship entities.
 
In total, since the program began last March, 220 volunteer activities have been carried out through 41 projects located on beaches and rivers throughout the country. All of them have been carried out through 37 land stewardship entities from all the autonomous communities, which have managed to mobilise 5,700 volunteers.
 
The activities carried out in the coastal area have focused on waste collection, reforestation, elimination of invasive species, species monitoring and training and awareness days on beaches and dune systems in Andalusia, Asturias, Cantabria, Catalonia, Valencian Community, Canary Islands, Balearic Islands, Galicia and the Basque Country.
 
In the river basins, the activities carried out have focused on waste cleaning, conservation of ecosystems, reforestation, placement of nest boxes for birds and training and awareness days in the communities of Andalusia, Cantabria, Castilla-La Mancha, Castilla y León, Catalonia, Galicia, La Rioja, Madrid, the Basque Country and the Region of Murcia.
 
The novelty of this year 2014 has been the adhesion to the European initiative “Lets Clean Up Europe” on waste prevention and generation, for which work has continued on the improvement of the coastline and river basins, with special emphasis on the collection of marine waste and litter. In total More than 32,000 kg (32 tons) have been removed and transferred to the containers and clean points provided by each municipality.

In addition, this year, coinciding with the Second European Land Stewardship Week, 7 of the entities participating in the program held volunteer days between September 26 and October 5.