The Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Food and Environment, Isabel García Tejerina, received today, from the hands of Her Majesty Queen Letizia, the Gold Medal of the Red Cross, received for the trajectory of the Biodiversity Foundation, which celebrates its twentieth anniversary in 2018. The Spanish Red Cross highlights the development of activities of general interest in the field of conservation, study and sustainable use of biodiversity by a Foundation, created in 1998, which is the first and only public foundation in Spain dedicated to biodiversity conservation.
Her Majesty, accompanied by the Minister, was received by the President of the Xunta de Galicia, Alberto Núñez Feijoo; by the President of the Galician Parliament, Miguel Santalices; by the Government Delegate in the autonomous community, Santiago Villanueva; by the Mayor of Santiago de Compostela, Martiño Noriega; and by the President of the Spanish Red Cross, Javier Senent. This year, the Palacio de Congresos y Exposiciones de Galicia, in Santiago de Compostela, hosted the traditional awards ceremony of the Spanish Red Cross, which on this occasion celebrates its World Day under the slogan “Committed to the environment and to people”.
MORE THAN 150 MILLION EUROS FOR BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION
The Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Food and Environment celebrates its twentieth anniversary in 2018 and is currently the only public foundation in Spain dedicated to biodiversity conservation. It is the leading donor to biodiversity projects in our country and since its creation in 1998 has supported nearly 2,000 projects and more than 1,000 entities with more than 150 million euros for conservation projects.
The Fundación Biodiversidad channels grants and funds and implements large conservation projects co-financed by European funds. During these 20 years, it has participated in or coordinated 11 European projects that have channeled 77 million euros for biodiversity conservation in Spain. It currently coordinates the largest marine conservation project in Europe, LIFE Intemares, which aims to contribute to the fulfillment of international commitments to protect more than 10% of our marine surface.
200 SPECIES HAVE IMPROVED THEIR CONSERVATION STATUS
In these 20 years, the Foundation has worked with nearly 200 species. Thanks to this work, the conservation status of such emblematic species in Spain as the Iberian lynx, brown bear, imperial eagle, loggerhead turtle and posidonia has improved. It has also supported the recovery, reintroduction or reproduction in captivity of more than 15 species such as the black vulture, the bearded vulture, the red kite, the Bonelli’s eagle or the European mink. Thanks to its calls for grants, it has collaborated with NGOs, associations and foundations (70%), the academic sector, universities and research centers (10%), the media, public administrations and companies (20%), as well as with 40% of the universities in Spain. In relation to the conservation of ecosystems, the Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Food and Environment has worked on the declaration, management, conservation and/or financing of the Natura 2000 Network, National Parks and Biosphere Reserves, as well as other regional protection figures.
PROMOTING GREEN JOBS AND SUSTAINABLE FISHERIES MANAGEMENT
It currently promotes green employment and entrepreneurship in Spain through the Empleaverde Program, co-financed by the European Social Fund. Endowed with 68 million euros, its objective is to support more than 300 projects that promote a more sustainable, circular and low-emission economy. From 2017 to 2023, it is expected to have contributed to the creation of 4,800 jobs and the training of 24,000 people, in addition to supporting 3,000 companies. It also has the largest community of the green entrepreneurship ecosystem in Spain, the Emprendeverde Network, with 8,700 members.
In the area of fisheries, it works on the integration of fisheries management policies and biodiversity conservation within the framework of the Pleamar Program, co-financed by the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund. It has a budget of 30 million euros and aims to support, until 2023, more than 200 projects that contribute to the protection and recovery of marine biodiversity, to the practice of more sustainable fishing and aquaculture activities and to the strengthening of the management of these activities in marine protected areas.
OTHER AWARDEES
Together with the Biodiversity Foundation, the Spanish Red Cross awarded prizes to the newspaper La Voz de Galicia, for its Voz Natura initiative; the Ecodes Foundation; the Ethiopian Red Cross; ECOALF; and women scientists from the Acciona Team participating in the Homeward Buld project.
