- The Consorci de la Ribera opens up effective and real participation in the development, modification and review of plans, programmes and provisions related to the environment to all citizens.
- ‘Canya a la canya’ is a project developed by the Consorci de la Ribera and the Fundació Limne in 13 municipalities in the lower Xúquer basin, which involves the creation of tools to facilitate access to information about the project and the milestones that are being achieved.
- The project has the support of the Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge (MITECO) within the framework of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (PRTR), financed by the European Union – NextGenerationEU.
16 October 2025.- The Consorci de la Ribera, formed by the associations of municipalities of Ribera Alta and Ribera Baixa, has launched the new Advisory Council for the promotion and conservation of the river ecosystems of the Ribera de Xúquer. The aim of this initiative is to open up effective and real participation to all citizens in the development, modification and review of plans, programmes and provisions related to the environment.
The ‘Canya a la canya’ project, which is being implemented by the Consorci de la Ribera and the Fundació Limne, includes, among its cross-cutting actions, the creation of tools to facilitate access to information about the project and the milestones that are being achieved, allowing new contributions to be gathered to improve the achievement of the established objectives. Therefore, the Consorci de la Ribera has decided to create a Council that will serve as a means of participation and coordination for the associative fabric in the specific field of the promotion and conservation of the river ecosystems of the Ribera de Xúquer.
The Advisory Council will promote the protection and promotion of the river ecosystems of the Ribera de Xúquer, the improvement of water bodies and flood risk management, as well as the participation and coordination of associations in this field, promoting their fluid relationship with local entities.
The functions of this body are to assess the problems and needs of the river ecosystems of the lower Xúquer basin, promote communication between administrations in order to harmonise interventions, facilitate access to public information, encourage citizen participation, ensure the continuity and sustainability of river conservation and restoration actions, ensure that citizen participation processes are aligned with local and regional prevention strategies and the standards and plans of the administrations, advise other local entities and natural and legal persons on river restoration and flood risk prevention, and suggest the adoption of the necessary measures to the relevant bodies.
The Advisory Council is made up of the president of the Consorci de la Ribera or their delegate, one representative from each of the associations of municipalities of the Ribera Alta and Ribera Baixa, representatives from local councils in the lower Xúquer basin, a representative from the Limne Foundation, and representatives from trade unions and business organisations whose objective is to protect the environment, as well as organised citizen groups and individuals involved in river conservation.
At the request of the chair, the Advisory Council shall hold at least two ordinary meetings per year. It shall also hold extraordinary meetings when agreed by the chair or requested by the facilitating entity. In this case, the chair must convene the meeting within five days of the request and the meeting may not be postponed for more than ten days from the date of the request. Any member of the Council may propose items for the agenda when it is drawn up. Notices of meetings shall be sent out one week in advance.
The Council’s agreements shall be adopted by consensus whenever possible. If a vote is required, agreements shall be established by a simple majority of those present and entitled to vote, i.e. when there are more votes in favour than against. Each representative shall have the right to one vote. The agreements will be in the form of an opinion, considered as a recommendation for the governing bodies of the Consortium or other public institutions. The Advisory Council will remain in force indefinitely.
The Advisory Council is part of the ‘Canya a la canya’ project and aims to give it continuity through other projects such as ‘EmpleaXúquer’, as well as the regional strategic plan for the regulation of the uses of the Xúquer. Looking to the future, projects financed by the European Union’s ERASMUS+ programme and coordinated by the Consorci de la Ribera are being launched, such as the ‘RISE Resilient Communities’ project, which aims to prepare for disasters through adult education, digital learning and innovation, and the ‘EMMA’ project, which aims to effectively manage and coordinate volunteering during climate emergencies in small and medium-sized municipalities.
This initiative to create the Advisory Council for the promotion and conservation of the river ecosystems of the Ribera de Xúquer benefits from a call for grants, promoted by the Fundación Biodiversidad del Ministerio para la Transición Ecológica y el Reto Demográfico (MITECO), for the restoration of river ecosystems and the reduction of flood risk in urban environments, within the framework of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (PRTR) financed by the European Union – NextGenerationEU.