- 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), financed by the European Union – NextGenerationEU.
27 February 2024.- The mayor of Algemesí, José Javier Sanchis Bretons, together with Paqui Momparler Orta, president of the Mancomunitat de la Ribera Alta representing the Consorci de la Ribera, and Jorge Rodil, councillor for parks and gardens and natural spaces in Algemesí, visited the Canya a la canya project works in the municipality of Algemesí.
During the visit to the area, 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 actions planned in the project in terms of communication, training and citizen participation.
In order to achieve the main objective of this project, a total of six actions have been defined, which bring together a series of measures focused on this goal. In the case of the municipality of Algemesí, three of these actions are currently being carried out.
The first action is the management and control of invasive alien species with the elimination of cane through shading. This action is currently being carried out, with a duration of approximately two weeks to complete the covering, and the subsequent uncovering will take place in approximately eighteen months.
The second action being carried out is the management and control of native vegetation, with tree management being carried out in cases where a danger to human safety or a danger arising from flood risks has been identified.
The ultimate goal, in addition to the environmental restoration of the area, is to promote the Júcar 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 Júcar River through actions to manage and control invasive species, recover native vegetation, remove obstructive material, transform abandoned farmland to create natural river space, and stabilise and restore riverbanks.
The actions designed for this large green corridor cover an area of 124,358 m² along 75 km of the Júcar 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 expects 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 for proposals, which received a total of 230 proposals, has selected 37 projects, including ‘Canya en la canya’, which presents initiatives that promote nature-based solutions that, in addition to restoring and increasing the biodiversity and environmental values of the Júcar, contribute significantly to reducing the risk of flooding 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, thereby multiplying the benefits of the initiative.