MAPAMA (Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Food and Environment), through the Biodiversity Foundation, has joined the “Let’s Clean Europe” initiative with the volunteering programme “Beaches, rivers, volunteering and land stewardship” aimed at improving and conserving the coastline and watersheds. This initiative, which was launched in 2012, aims to promote the involvement of citizens in the conservation of the coastline and the areas that make up the inter-community watersheds, as well as to develop a stable network of volunteers for the maintenance and improvement of these spaces through different volunteer programmes.

In this edition, the “Beaches, rivers, volunteering and land stewardship” programme will join forces with the “Clean Europe Clean” initiative, which, with the support of the European Commission, will be held on 10 May to promote citizen action in the prevention and generation of waste.

Within the framework of this programme, until 30 November, conservation activities will be carried out on the coast and rivers of Spain’s inter-community river basins, with an emphasis on waste prevention and collection. In addition, with the aim of enhancing the role of citizen action, a series of volunteering actions will be launched with land stewardship entities in the autonomous communities located on the coast and in those that make up inter-community river basins (Miño, Sil, Eastern and Western Cantabrian, Duero, Tagus, Guadiana, Guadalquivir, Segura, Júcar and Ebro).

Cleaning, training and environmental awareness

Specifically, in the areas of action, activities related to the removal of waste and cleaning of beaches and watersheds, improvement of the landscape of urban beaches and the river ecosystem, recovery of deteriorated areas, restoration of heritage and promotion of public use in watersheds, as well as training activities, will be carried out. communication and environmental awareness about the coastline and the conservation of rivers.

Likewise, activities will be developed linked to the sustainable uses carried out by the hospitality establishments participating in the “Responsible Beach Bars” contest, convened by the Biodiversity Foundation.

More than 10,000 volunteers

Since its launch in 2012, the programme has had the collaboration of 10,600 volunteers and 71 land stewardship entities, which have carried out 79 activities for the conservation of coasts and rivers.

In its beginnings, this initiative focused on promoting the involvement of citizens in coastal conservation through the development of volunteer programs on the beaches.

In 2012, the “Beaches, volunteers and land stewardship” programme mobilised more than 5,000 citizens on 100 beaches, where they carried out actions promoted by 30 land stewardship entities.

Last year, in which the programme extended the scope of action to inter-community river basins, 5,600 volunteers participated through 41 land stewardship entities.