The Cajamar Foundation was a beneficiary in the 2017 Call for Grants for the implementation of projects in the field of adaptation to climate change with the project “Biodiversity and biological control against the effects of global warming in intensive agriculture in areas of the Mediterranean coast”. The purpose of this has been to minimize The effects of climate change promoting functional biodiversity in the environment of intensive agriculture to promote biological control by conservation, and thus minimise the need for phytosanitary products in the main horticultural production areas of the Mediterranean coast.

To achieve the project, firstly, the interesting farms to establish the hedges were identified, 4 farms were chosen where 683m of hedges were planted and 977 plants belonging to 30 botanical species were introduced. Thanks to this, it has been possible to increase biodiversity in the environment of horticultural crops, up to 12% the presence of auxiliary fauna in the surroundings of the crops.

To raise awareness and disseminate, two training workshops were developed (Almería and El Pilar de la Horadada, Alicante), aimed at farmers and technicians. The topics discussed in these were: on the role of biodiversity in pest control; which plants are useful for conserving natural enemies; and How biodiversity is a fundamental tool to adapt agriculture to the effects of global warming. On the other hand, the objectives and results of the project have been disseminated in technical conferences and courses, informing the general public directly.

Thanks to meetings held with competent Public Administrations, as well as the Producers’ Associations, the incorporation of functional biodiversity as another tool in the integrated management guides of horticultural crops has been successfully negotiated. In these meetings, technicians from different cooperatives and horticultural companies from Almeria, Murcia and Alicante were informed about the role that the increase in biodiversity can have in the adaptation of intensive horticulture to the effects of climate change.