The Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry of the Environment grants project grants worth 3,000,000 euros to 47 non-profit entities throughout Spain to carry out activities related to the environment for the period 2007/2008.

The entities benefiting from these grants develop projects that fall within one of the modalities established in the Call for Grants, published on 1 February 2007. For each of these modalities, which coincide with the nine strategic lines of the Biodiversity Foundation, a budget was established and assigned.

This call presents a novelty. It is the incorporation of two sublines. One of them, 1B, is specifically dedicated to the Spanish Biosphere Reserves of UNESCO’s MaB programme, while the second, 9B, is dedicated to the Network of Biosphere Reserves in Portugal and Latin America.

The allocation of the budget for each of the strategic lines was planned as follows:

1A – Collaboration in the conservation of the territory and National Parks: 600,000 euros.

1B – Collaboration in the management and conservation of Spanish Biosphere Reserves. 300,000 euros.

2 – Contribution to the conservation of species: 200,000 euros.

3 – Contribution to wetland conservation: 175,000 euros.

4 – Contribution to the conservation of the marine environment: 275,000 euros.

5 – Contribution to forest conservation: 250,000 euros.

6 – Genetically modified organisms: 50,000 euros.

7 – Fight against threats to biodiversity: 500,000 euros.

8 – Support for programmes against erosion and desertification: 125,000 euros.

9A – International cooperation to improve the sustainability of development: 325,000 euros.

9B – International Cooperation in the Network of Biosphere Reserves in Portugal and Latin America: 200,000 €

These 47 entities will carry out environmental activities contemplated within the nine strategic lines of the Biodiversity Foundation. Thus, according to the strategic lines in which they are framed, they are distributed as follows: 7 in strategic line 1A; 7 in strategic line 1B; 5 in strategic line 2; 3 in the strategic line 3; 4 in strategic line 4; 3 in strategic line 5; 1 in strategic line 6; 6 in the strategic line 7; 3 in strategic line 8; 6 in strategic line 9A; and 2 in strategic line 9B.

These entities are framed in different sectors: public administration, association, environmental sector foundation, academic sector, and others. On the other hand, these entities develop their initiatives in one or more autonomous communities, nationally and internationally. Thus, the classification of the projects by autonomous communities is as follows. 4 are developed in Andalusia; 1 in Asturias; 2 in Cantabria; 7 in Castilla y León; 4 in Catalonia; 1 in the Valencian Community; 1 in Extremadura; 1 in Galicia; 4 in the Balearic Islands; 1 in Madrid; 1 in Murcia; 1 in Navarre; 2 in the Basque Country; 7 are national and 8 international.