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The main objective is to halt the loss of biodiversity and the degradation of the ecosystem services of the Bay of Santander as far as possible, by creating the green and blue infrastructure “Green Belt of the Bay of Santander“, which provides ecosystem services to society in general and, specifically, to the population of the area.

To achieve this, it has the following specific goals:

• Design the Green Belt of the Bay of Santander, with a view to long-term permanence and sustainability, developing appropriate management and financing instruments.
• Restore the characteristic ecosystems of Santander Bay, including the elimination of invasive exotic species, particularly the duster(Cortaderia selloana) in Santander Bay.
• To improve the connectivity of the natural areas of the Bay of Santander, from an ecological point of view and in terms of sustainable mobility, allowing to link the areas that make up the “Green Ring of the Bay of Santander” among themselves and between these and the population centers.
• To raise awareness among the population about the natural, cultural and social values of the Bay of Santander through the Green Belt, highlighting the value of the territory as a sustainable tourist destination, creating a lobby of companies that support the Green Belt from different points of view (financial, developing and/or sponsoring restoration actions, etc.).
• Encourage the expansion of the Green Belt through the ongoing search for land stewardship agreements with public and private landowners.

• Creation of the Green Belt of the Bay of Santander.
• Green Belt connectivity study.
• Search for new land stewardship agreements.
• Restoration of coastal and inland wetlands, relict oak groves and islands in the Bay of Santander.
• Elimination of invasive species in the Green Belt and Santander Bay Reserves.
• Creation of reserves linked to residential and/or industrial zones.
• Monitoring of conservation actions, socioeconomic impact of the project and ecosystem services.
• Development of the Green Belt website and mobile applications.
• Development of the “Educational Reserves” environmental education program and commitment of the industrial sector to the Green Belt.
• Dissemination of the Green Belt as a tourist attraction.
• Workshops on green infrastructure in metropolitan areas.
• Installation and maintenance of bulletin boards for the dissemination of project activities.
• General dissemination of the project.

The LIFE project “Green Belt of the Bay of Santander: connecting nature and the city” has made progress in the protection of certain areas of the green belt, as well as in the development of restoration actions in areas adjacent to the reserves, in about 24 hectares, achieving the recovery of biodiversity in this area, so affected by human action. through plantations, clearing, pruning and elimination of invasive exotic species.

In addition, emphasis has been placed on environmental awareness and education, with a greater focus on educational centers, as well as on the management of the public use of this green infrastructure.

In short, the project has achieved its goal of recovering and connecting nature and the city in the Bay of Santander, promoting a citizen use compatible with the presence of a natural environment in good ecological condition as a formula for closer contact between citizens.