The Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO) has published a new call for grants to promote research projects in the field of biodiversity management, with an endowment of two million euros. This line of aid gives continuity to those granted in 2021, and is also part of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (RTRP) financed by the European Union – NextGenerationEU.

The call, which can be applied for by scientific entities (up to four in the case of groups), provides grants of up to 300,000 euros per project. The duration of the initiatives may not exceed 31 December 2025.

This call is aimed at research projects in four areas: firstly, the promotion of renewable energies and the energy transition, where it is guaranteed that their development is respectful of natural heritage and biological diversity, with minimal impacts on terrestrial and marine biodiversity. On the other hand, the declaration and management of marine protected areas and their biodiversity, with the aim of contributing to the fulfilment of the international commitments assumed by Spain in this area. Among these commitments, the one to achieve the protection of 30% of the marine area by 2030, in accordance with the European Biodiversity Strategy 2030, stands out.

Similarly, the third area of research of these projects is framed in the improvement of knowledge on ecological restoration and its relationship with the conservation of biodiversity, through the application of Nature-based Solutions (NBS), a new concept that contains adaptation to climate change in the management of ecosystems and in their restoration. in addition to promoting green infrastructure to improve its development and integrity. Finally, the fourth line of the initiative is the prevention and reduction of land desertification, together with the restoration of affected areas. It covers the improvement of methodologies for the assessment of desertification risk and the preparation of prospective forecasts, according to different climatic and socio-economic scenarios.

The selection of proposals will be marked by objective criteria based on the scientific-technical quality and impact of the proposal, focused on the knowledge generated being able to be applied directly and applied to the transformative policies demanded by the ecological transition.

It should be remembered that in 2021, the Biodiversity Foundation published the first edition of this call, the resolution of which was published at the end of June this year. Thus, after the evaluation of the 107 proposals received in this first edition, nine projects were selected, based on the 2.5 million euros that the call had (three for biological corridors and green infrastructure, three for marine biodiversity and marine protected areas and three for energy transition and terrestrial and marine biodiversity).

These initiatives will develop research on the impact of wind energy on terrestrial and marine fauna, the influence of agricultural management on biodiversity or forest restorations. One of the projects will operate at the national level and the other eight in 12 Autonomous Communities.

SEVEN CALLS FOR GRANTS UNDERWAY

The Biodiversity Foundation has already launched seven calls for grants within the framework of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (RTRP). In addition to those supporting research projects in the field of biodiversity management corresponding to 2021 (€2.5M) and 2022 (€2M), there are those for the reinforcement of stranding and rescue networks for marine species (€4.25M), support for CITES rescue centres (€2.4M), renaturation of urban environments (€58M), support for large transformative projects of a scientific-technical nature that contribute to the promotion of the bioeconomy (€20M), already resolved, and the promotion of actions aimed at the restoration of urban river ecosystems and the reduction of flood risk (€75M), which will be resolved throughout the month of September. In total, as of today, 69 projects are in the starting phase, which will receive aid worth 80.5 million euros.

However, the Biodiversity Foundation plans to launch new editions of the calls for urban renaturation (€62M) and promotion of the bioeconomy (€72M) in 2022. Once all of them have been resolved, the Foundation will be managing grants within the framework of the RTRP worth €291.5M, for the promotion of projects to promote the ecological transition and the protection of biodiversity.