The Minister of Agriculture, Food and the Environment, Isabel García Tejerina, today chaired the meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Biodiversity Foundation, in which the projects promoted throughout the first half of 2014 were evaluated. The Minister of Agriculture, Food and the Environment, Isabel García Tejerina, today chaired the meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Biodiversity Foundation, in which the projects promoted throughout the first half of 2014 were evaluated.
 
During this period, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment (MAGRAMA), through the Biodiversity Foundation, has continued to focus on the green economy as a priority as a driver of job creation and more competitive companies.
 
Among these initiatives are the European Business Awards for the Environment in its Spanish section, which in this 2013/2014 edition has been awarded by the MAGRAMA. A total of 12 companies were awarded in recognition of their environmental performance at a ceremony presided over by the Prince and Princess of Asturias on 5 June. The winning companies will compete with the other winners in other EU member states and candidate countries.
 
At the meeting of the Board of Trustees, the agreements for the promotion of employment and green companies, signed within the framework of the fifth edition of the Empleaverde Programme co-financed by the European Social Fund, were also highlighted. In this edition, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment has supported the implementation of 36 projects with an investment of 1.8 million euros.
 
Along these lines, the great reception of the Emprendeverde Network, which has 5,380 members, which represents a growth of 17% compared to December 2013, has also been valued. Within this framework, the II Edition of the Red Emprendeverde Awards has been announced, which helps the award-winning entrepreneurs to create or consolidate innovative companies and businesses with potential for growth and job creation.
 
Among its own projects, the Biodiversity Foundation has published three calls for grants aimed, on the one hand, at carrying out activities in the field of terrestrial biodiversity, marine and coastal biodiversity, climate change and environmental quality and, on the other, at promoting environmental information in the media, as well as the development of activities carried out by NGOs.
 
It has also launched a new edition of the “Coastal Conservation Actions” Programme, with the aim of promoting the dissemination of good environmental practices to contribute to the improvement and conservation of the coastline in Spain. For the third consecutive year, this initiative includes the Beaches, Rivers, Volunteering and Land Stewardship Program, in which it is estimated that more than 5,700 volunteers will participate in 41 projects that focus on waste prevention and collection.
 
Within this framework, the III edition of the Responsible Beach Bar Awards has also been published, aimed at beach establishments that sell food and drinks with the aim of encouraging their participation as interlocutors and speakers of the conservation of the coast.
 
Among the community-wide projects, the MAGRAMA coordinates since this year the project “Conservation of ecosystems and sustainable artisanal fisheries in the Mediterranean Basin (ECOSAFIMED)”, which within the framework of the European ENPI Mediterranean Basin Program aims to create scientific recommendations to guarantee the sustainability of artisanal fishing in the Mediterranean.