Promoted by the Ministry of the Environment, Rural and Marine Affairs (MARM), the programme aims to promote the participation of all sectors of society in the care, improvement and management of river ecosystems and their associated cultural heritage.

During her speech at the presentation of this new official call, Minister Rosa Aguilar thanked the selfless and altruistic work of the volunteers in favour of the environment in Spain and highlighted “the necessary involvement of water managers, users and citizens in general to keep rivers in good condition”. Importantly, the European Commission has declared this year as the “European Year of Volunteering”.

In this context, the Minister stressed that the National River Restoration Strategy, with its River Volunteering Programme, plays a fundamental role in reinforcing society’s awareness of its responsibility in preserving the natural environment and caring for bodies of water, promoting its capacity to intervene in the resolution of environmental problems.

The “Volunteering in Rivers 2011” Program was launched in 2007 and the MARM has invested 7 million euros so far, with the participation of almost 120,000 people and more than 100 different associations. In 2010, it also made it possible to collect more than 35 tonnes of waste, planted more than 10,000 trees on the banks and diagnosed the quality of the river ecosystem at 1,500 points.

In this way, the Minister of the Environment, Rural and Marine Affairs has reaffirmed her commitment to continuity with this Programme, which has been consolidated as a fundamental pillar of social participation and citizen involvement in the care of the environment and territorial structuring.

The bases of the new call can be consulted on the MARM website.