- They are framed within the 150 million endowment of the Framework of actions for the sustainable territorial development of the area of influence of the Doñana natural area for the lines of action with the agricultural, forestry and extensive livestock farming sector for the period 2024-27.
- These first 40 million will be channeled through two calls for grants to be launched by MITECO’s Biodiversity Foundation in 2024.
- MITECO is holding several meetings with key sectors and entities in the Doñana area, as part of a participatory and consultative process to identify the needs of the territory.
The Ministry for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge (MITECO) has held this Thursday at the headquarters of the Biodiversity Foundation in Seville several meetings with the main sectors of the environment of Doñana -agricultural sector, municipalities in the area of socio-economic influence of Doñana, civil society organizations and scientific sector-, as part of the consultation process for the design of aid to the agricultural sector within the Framework of actions for sustainable territorial development of the area of influence of the natural area of Doñana.
With regard to allocations, of the 150 million foreseen for lines 1, 2 and 3 (agricultural sector, extensive livestock farming and forestry sector) in the Framework of Actions for Doñana (MAD) for the period 2024-27, two calls for aid will be published during this first year for an amount of 20 million each, which will give shape to lines of action 1.1. The following lines of aid for the diversification of agricultural production and lines 1.4, 2 and 3, for support to the agricultural, extensive livestock and forestry sectors.
During this meeting, the main characteristics of these two calls for grants to be managed by the Fundación Biodiversidad were discussed, which will also be subject to a process of consultation and public information.
The aid for agricultural diversification is being designed with a payment for environmental services approach and is aimed at achieving the maximum environmental benefit for the recovery of Doñana, prioritizing the reduction of aquifer extraction, renaturalization and the maintenance of local economic activity.
Thus, with respect to aid for agricultural diversification, a first proposal has been shared to distribute the 20 million that this call for proposals will consist of among the three types of aid envisaged in this line.
This first distribution proposal will be the subject of a study, taking into account the needs of the territory. In addition, the application of the aid will be progressive, which implies that new calls for these lines will be made in successive years, until 2027, which will make it possible to apply lessons learned from previous calls and increase the number of hectares benefiting from them. For their success, it is considered essential to provide continuity to these spaces for meeting and dialogue, which allow for a more accurate identification of the needs of the territory.
Specifically, aid for the renaturalization of crops will be directed to all irrigated plots within the scope of the Action Framework and may be applied for by individual farmers, municipalities or irrigation communities.
The second call, also endowed with 20 million, will be aimed at promoting projects that encourage activities compatible with the conservation of Doñana, to promote the ecological transition in this area through the promotion of sustainable agricultural models and systems, good agricultural practices and Nature-Based Solutions; the promotion of forestry and traditional uses; and the promotion of other types of uses and activities compatible with the conservation of Doñana, such as agrotourism or sustainable aquaculture. It will be aimed at non-profit entities in the agricultural, livestock or forestry sector, public universities and non-profit research organizations, city councils, provincial councils, private non-profit organizations, among others, as well as groups formed by the above.
FRAMEWORK OF ACTIONS FOR DOÑANA
With a budget of 356 million, MITECO presented in November 2022 the Framework of Actions for Doñana, aimed at reversing the environmental degradation of this emblematic area and recovering its ecological functioning. These short- and long-term measures were complemented in November 2023 with the Framework of Actions for the Sustainable Territorial Development of the Area of Influence of the Doñana Natural Area, endowed with 350 million. The latter aims to achieve development that consolidates environmental protection, economic prosperity and social inclusion.
NATURE RESTORATION LAW
The approach of both calls and, more specifically, of the actions focused on the renaturalization of spaces and the greening of agricultural habitats, is very much in line with the recently approved European Union Nature Restoration Law. This law is committed to dialogue with the economic sectors, giving the opportunity to all economic activities that depend directly on the good state of nature conservation to continue to develop.
The law aims to regenerate degraded ecosystems, contribute to achieving EU climate and biodiversity targets and improve food security. To achieve this, it has set a target of restoring at least 20% of its terrestrial and marine areas by 2030 and all ecosystems in need by 2050. Member States must restore at least 30% of degraded habitats by 2030, including wetlands, reaching 60% by 2040 and 90% by 2050. These goals also include the restoration of agricultural ecosystems, as addressed by both the call for diversification of agricultural production and the call for demonstration projects. With a view to improving agroecosystem biodiversity, EU countries should make progress on two of these three indicators: the grassland butterfly index; the proportion of agricultural land with diverse landscape characteristics; and organic carbon stocks in mineral soils on cropland. In addition, they should take measures to increase the index of common birds linked to agricultural environments, as they are good indicators of the general state of biodiversity.
