- The Vice-President of the Government and Minister for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, Sara Aagesen, today presented the LIFE Wetlands project accompanied by partners and entities involved in this initiative
- With an initial budget of 160 million euros but which will reach 271 million, LIFE Wetlands will promote 284 actions for the restoration of 26,100 hectares in the 17 autonomous communities and an additional mobilization of 111 million is expected
- Led by MITECO, it has a partnership of 24 partners, represented by four units of the ministry itself, 12 autonomous communities, two provincial councils, four companies and public foundations, as well as four environmental NGOs
Spain is launching the largest LIFE project in history, the European Union’s main funding instrument dedicated exclusively to environmental protection and climate action, which has financed more than 6,000 projects since its inception in 1992.
On the occasion of the celebration of World Wetlands Day, the Vice-President of the Government and Minister for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, Sara Aagesen, presented today in Irún (Guipúzcoa) the LIFE Wetlands project, in a day that included a visit to a Plaiaundi wetland that will be restored by the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO) within the framework of this initiative.
“Protecting wetlands is not only a matter of ecology, it is water security, resilience, public health, green economy. It is intergenerational justice. We believe in a country that grows by taking care of what belongs to everyone, that generates prosperity by improving the environment and leading together,” said Aagesen during his speech at the presentation of the project.
Previously, the vice-president was able to learn first-hand about actions already carried out by MITECO in this environment, such as the naturalisation project of the Artia canal, in the section between the GI-636 and the Bidasoa estuary, in Irún. This action has had an investment of 3.7 million and is in its final phase of execution. The intervention has made it possible to recover the ecological functionality of the riverbed, increase its naturalness and improve the integration of the space into the Natura 2000 Network, making environmental restoration compatible with public use.
A TRANSFORMATIVE
PROJECTThanks to LIFE Wetlands, over the next 10 years more than 26,100 hectares will be restored, exceeding the target set in the PEH2030 by 30%. In total, 284 actions will be implemented in wetlands located in 107 areas of the Natura 2000 Network in the 17 autonomous communities.
Collaboration in this project will be essential, as demonstrated by the 24 partners who will participate: 12 autonomous communities: Andalusia, Aragon, Principality of Asturias, Cantabria, Catalonia, Castilla-La Mancha, Castilla y León, Galicia, Community of Madrid, Region of Murcia, La Rioja and Valencian Community; as well as with the provincial councils of Álava and Guipúzcoa. Likewise, four public companies and foundations are partners: the Natural Heritage Foundation of Castilla y León, TRAGSA, SARGA and Orekan, and four environmental NGOs: the Nature and Man Foundation, Global Nature Foundation, SEO/BirdLife and WWF-Spain and four units of the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (General Directorate of Biodiversity, Forests and Desertification; General Directorate of the Coast and the Sea; Spanish Office for Climate Change, and Biodiversity Foundation, which coordinates the project).
The LIFE Wetlands project Promoting knowledge, management and restoration of Natura 2000 Network wetlands in Spain will have a special focus on the recovery of wetland ecosystems and the conservation status of priority habitats and species.
Until 2036, actions will be developed to increase knowledge and information about wetlands, improve their management and planning and integrate sectoral policies such as agriculture and tourism to contribute to the good state of conservation of these ecosystems. The governance system between the different social agents will also be strengthened and awareness will be reinforced in all areas of society about the benefits they bring and the importance of their conservation.
The application of nature-based solutions will contribute to the restoration of 43 types of habitats and 41 species of community interest in wetlands of different types such as high mountain lagoons, inland wetlands, coastal lagoons or marshes, among many others. To this end, measures will be implemented that address the hydromorphological and ecological restoration of the wetland, the improvement of the vegetation edge, the removal of waste, the control of invasive exotic species or the installation of nest boxes, among others.
Likewise, the project’s approach, methodologies and solutions will be transferred to other regions of the national territory and the continent to contribute to the conservation and improvement of wetland ecosystems and their biodiversity.
FUND
INTEGRATIONTo develop this extensive programme of actions, the LIFE Wetlands project has an initial budget of 160.5 million. Of these, 96 million are provided by MITECO, 34.5 million by the project partners and 30 million by the European Commission. Likewise, the mobilization of up to 111 million of complementary funds is expected during the period of action of the project, of which 26 million have already been committed. All this will add up to an overall budget of more than 271 million.
It is part of a typology of projects of the LIFE Programme called strategic integrated projects. Through them, the European Union seeks to make it easier for Member States to implement European environmental and climate legislation. To implement them, funds are allocated for plans, programs and strategies developed at the regional or national level.
Thus, the project will complement the financing of the LIFE Programme with other sources, such as the EAFRD, ERDF and ESF+ structural funds, in addition to the General State Budget and private contributions, among others.
WETLANDS, KIDNEYS OF THE PLANET
Today, on World Wetlands Day, the international community highlights these ecosystems, which are fundamental for the conservation of biodiversity and our well-being. They fulfill multiple and important functions. They provide water and food, help mitigate the effects of climate change, contribute to drought mitigation and flood control. In addition, they help filter water, protect the coast, improve air quality, and provide raw materials, genetic resources for medicines, and hydropower.
Despite their importance, they are disappearing at an accelerated rate due to causes such as the overexploitation of aquifers and rivers, pollution, climate change or the proliferation of invasive species. The world has lost more than a third of the planet’s wetlands in just 50 years.
Degraded wetlands are less protective against extreme weather events, mainly floods, and have less capacity to act as green filters and retain greenhouse gases, which generates a greater acceleration of global warming.
THE WETLANDS OF SPAIN
Spain is recognized for hosting the greatest diversity of ecological types of wetlands within the European Union, including unique ecosystems such as marshes, cryptowetlands and hyperalkaline lagoons. It has more than 2,000 wetlands, of which 92% are continental and, of these, freshwater areas are the most numerous (46%).
The location between two continents and their geological, geographical and climatic variability accentuates the biodiversity of Spanish wetlands. Occupying a key place in the migratory routes of many species of waterfowl, the presence of numerous rare, endemic and/or threatened animal and plant taxa, and the high concentrations of wildlife, which include up to 40% of the waterbirds that winter in the western Mediterranean, stand out.
Spain is also the third country with the most wetlands included in the International Ramsar List with 76 spaces, occupying more than 300,000 hectares of surface.
However, during the last 200 years, between 60% and 75% of the wetland area of our country has disappeared and it is considered that half of the existing wetlands are altered or very altered. This situation is worsened by the lack of knowledge in some areas and the need to improve the compatibility of productive activities with the conservation of these ecosystems.
GOVERNMENT
COMMITMENTIn recent years, the Government has been working to reverse the situation of vulnerability suffered by the country’s wetlands. In three large wetlands alone – Mar Menor, Doñana and Albufera – more than 1,500 million have been mobilised. The actions led by MITECO are based on broad processes of participation, scientific knowledge and social innovation. In fact, the action in one of these wetlands, the Mar Menor, has been recognized by the UN as a Global Flagship Initiative for Ecosystem Restoration for its social innovation.
