- The ‘Canya a la canya’ project is supported by the Fundación Biodiversidad of the Ministerio para la Transición Ecológica y el Reto Demográfico (MITECO) within the framework of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (PRTR), funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU.
8 May 2024.- The mayor of Sueca, Dimas Vázquez, and the mayor of Fortaleny, Antonio Sellés, inspected the area covered by the Canya a la canya project in their municipalities, accompanied by the president of the Consorci de la Ribera, Josep Mur Díaz-Hellín.
The Consorci de la Ribera, an entity formed by the Mancomunitat de la Ribera Alta and the Mancomunitat de la Ribera Baixa, was also represented by the president of the Mancomunitat de la Ribera Alta, Paqui Momparler Orta, and the vice-president of the Consorci de la Ribera, Toni Barea. Also present were Paqui Oltra, representing the Riola Town Council, and the councillor for the environment of the Sueca Town Council, Angela Marí.
During the visit to the area of action, technicians from the Canya a la canya project gave a technical explanation of the actions to the authorities and contextualised them within the overall project. Representatives of the Limne Foundation explained the communication, training and citizen participation actions planned for the project.
In this phase, the aerial part of the common reed (Arundo donax L.) will be cleared, and then a completely opaque covering will be placed manually, which will later be monitored and removed.
The clearing and covering with subsequent planting corresponds to an area of approximately 15,000 m² in Riola, approximately 10,000 m² in Fortaleny and 7,000 m² of total removal without covering in these three municipalities, and in Sueca, approximately 18,000 m² and approximately 3,500 m² of transformation of cultivated areas into river space.
The ultimate goal, in addition to the environmental restoration of the area, is to enhance the value of the Xúquer and bring this highly valuable space closer to the public. That is why the project also includes public awareness and education activities developed by the Limne Foundation.
The Consorci de la Ribera and the Limne Foundation have announced the creation of a large green corridor between Sumacàrcer and the sea, focused on the conservation and improvement of the Xúquer River through actions to manage and control invasive species, recover native vegetation, removal of obstructive material, transformation of abandoned farmland to create natural river space, and stabilisation and setbacks of riverbanks.
The actions designed for this large green corridor cover an area of 124,358 m² along 75 km of the Xúquer River as it passes through the municipalities of Sumacàrcer, Antella, Gavarda, Castelló, Alberic, Benimuslem, Alzira, Algemesí, Albalat de la Ribera, Polinyà de Xúquer, Sueca, Riola, Fortaleny and Cullera.
The Limne Foundation has mobilised almost 300 citizens in the project’s participatory activities and hopes to involve 29 schools by the end of the educational campaign, which means 7,500 schoolchildren will be involved in the project.
EUROPEAN FUNDS
The project presented by the Consorci de la Ribera and Limne, called ‘Canya a la canya’, has been awarded €3,747,949.03 in a call for grants promoted by the Fundación Biodiversidad of the 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.
The call, which received a total of 230 proposals, has selected 37 projects, including ‘Canya a la canya’, which presents initiatives that promote nature-based solutions that, in addition to restoring and increasing the biodiversity and environmental values of the Xúquer, contribute significantly to reducing flood risks in its urban sections. In addition, the project aims to raise awareness among the population of the importance of river restoration as a tool for reducing the impact of flooding and to transfer the knowledge acquired to other municipalities with similar problems, so that the benefits of the initiative can be multiplied.