The director of the Biodiversity Foundation, a public foundation of the Government of Spain, under the Ministry of the Environment, Rural and Marine Affairs, Ana Leiva; the secretary general of the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (FEMP), Gabriel Álvarez, and the president of the Provincial Council of Jaén, Felipe López, presented today in Jaén the joint work project for the increase of biodiversity in urban environments.

The Provincial Council of Jaén promotes the project for the conservation of endangered species in urban environments in the province of Jaén, worth 187,000 euros. The aim is to conserve populations of threatened species such as the lesser kestrel, barn owl, white stork, common and pallid swifts, barn swallow and house martin, as well as several species of bats.

Efforts will be made to restore the places that allow the conservation of urban fauna, ensuring connectivity between population centers; to promote the reproductive success and survival of endangered species in the urban environment; prevent and reduce the factors that threaten these species; as well as undertaking dissemination and awareness actions.

This project was one of the best valued in the “I Competition of projects for the increase of biodiversity”, promoted by the Biodiversity Foundation and the FEMP with the aim of financing actions that harmonize conservation and sustainability policies to increase biodiversity.

The Competition was addressed to City Councils, Provincial Councils, Island Councils and Island Councils belonging to the FEMP and, in turn, members of the Network of Local Governments + Biodiversity 2010. This Network, which is a Section of the FEMP, has the mission of promoting local policies for the sustainable use of natural resources, the conservation of natural heritage and the promotion of rural development with sustainability criteria.

The “I Competition for projects for the increase of Biodiversity” is part of the agreements signed between the Biodiversity Foundation, the Ministry of the Environment, Rural and Marine Affairs, and the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces. Thus, the Ministry of the Environment, Rural and Marine Affairs, and the FEMP signed an agreement for the implementation of a Common Strategy for the Preservation of Biodiversity, with the aim of promoting precise actions for the balanced integration of social, economic and environmental factors aimed at achieving a sustainable use of resources and the preservation of biodiversity in the field of Local Administrations.

For their part, the Biodiversity Foundation and the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces, FEMP, signed a collaboration agreement for the creation of the Network of Local Governments + Biodiversity 2010 and the implementation of the competition for incentives to increase biodiversity among the members of the Network.