The project is aimed at providing the technical staff of the municipalities of the municipalities located in national parks and rural areas with knowledge and instruments to apply and implement measures to improve sustainability in their environment.

The theme of the project is:economic reactivation and the alternative development of the regions linked to economic activities of the primary sector in decline. Fight against the depopulation of rural areas.

For some time now, concern about environmental problems has been spreading in our society, among which the conservation of habitats and species occupies a fundamental place. National Parks are, due to their uniqueness, a spearhead of conservation policies in our country, which must necessarily be based on the integration of conservation objectives with those of participation of local communities.

Spain currently has 15 National Parks spread over 12 Autonomous Communities. These 15 parks cover an important area where around 100 municipalities are located, most of them small in size (less than 10,000 inhabitants). In total, these 100 municipalities have a population of about 700,000 people, which is decreasing day by day due to a process of rural desertification. The singularity is that the inhabitants of these municipalities live in the middle of an area of high natural and cultural value, little altered by human activity and which, due to its characteristics, deserves special attention for its conservation. Therefore, these municipalities have a special responsibility in terms of the direct impact that their actions represent on the immediate environment. As mentioned in the 2030 Agenda, public authorities must respect, protect and guarantee the Human Rights of their citizens, for this reason they are primarily responsible for the implementation of the SDGs at the local level.

The project we propose to you has two very different fundamental objectives:

-That the municipalities and public companies of these municipalities have prepared and trained personnel who are knowledgeable about the tools and instruments that can allow them to improve the sustainability of their municipalities, as well as quantify and value the natural resources they manage. In other words, to improve the qualification of these personnel in order to improve their performance in the current position or in future similar jobs.

– To help municipalities diagnose and develop strategies for the implementation of public policies that improve their environmental sustainability and increase their contribution to the achievement of the SDGs.

The percentage of participation of women in the project will be 50%, while the percentage of participation of other priority groups (sum of the rest of the groups except women) will be 30%.

The project will have an impact on the Natura 2000 Network.