At the Biodiversity Foundation we value the management of water resources as a key element for the conservation of biodiversity. We have allocated more than 5 million euros to 100 projects related to water.

World Water Day is celebrated every March 22 to remember the relevance of this vital resource. This year it is commemorated under the motto: the valuation of water, and seeks to highlight the environmental, social and cultural value that the world population gives to water, as well as its importance for all living beings.

Under the title #Water2me the United Nations has developed a campaign on social networks where conversations have been generated, opinions and comments from people around the world have been collected about water and what it means to them. The goal is to understand how we value water, as it has a different meaning depending on the person and their environment. By sharing the different ways water benefits our lives, we can value water appropriately and safeguard it effectively.

At the Biodiversity Foundation we value the management of water resources as a key element for the conservation of biodiversity. For this reason, we support projects related to this topic. Through calls for grants, we have allocated more than 5 million euros to more than 100 projects related to water, of which 20 are in execution.

Thus, for example, the Management Association of the Valles de Omaña y Luna Biosphere Reserve is developing the ‘Somos Agua’ project, which aims to provide knowledge on the effect of the availability of water resources on the conservation of natural resources and biodiversity. It is carrying out applied research for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity as a strategy for adaptation to climate change in this biosphere reserve.

The ‘CoCrea Picos’ project of the Cambera Network Association aims to communicate, disseminate and encourage social participation on the state of conservation of the Picos de Europa National Park and its Natura 2000 Network environment, promoting the sustainability of productive, educational, cultural and tourist activities to minimise their effects on aquatic ecosystems and improve their state of conservation.

BC3 Basque Centre for Climate Change works on the restoration of environmental services and the water cycle in a context of adaptation to climate change in Mediterranean Basins. In order for the water cycle to be recovered, it is necessary to address the design of ecological restoration processes in a participatory way with all the agents involved in the design of the actions. It is also developing the ‘MASBIO’ project, which aims to propose sustainable land management actions at the watershed level in the Mijares River, adaptation actions that generate synergies between the hydrosphere, atmosphere and biosphere, and promote sustainable rural development.