PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
Zaragoza is one of the biggest municipalities in Spain, both in terms of surface area – around 1 000 km2 - and population - around 700 000 inhabitants. It is crossed by three rivers in the central area of the Ebro basin, an arid area with a distinctive natural heritage, both in terms of nature and geology. Several type of landscapes co-exist with human activity, which results in a rich biodiversity, made up of 1 312 species of flora and 402 species of fauna.
In all, about 40% of the land area of the municipality is significant in terms of biodiversity. This includes 24 651 hectares of Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) under the Habitats Directive, and 11 358 ha of Special Protection Areas (SPA) under the Birds Directive. It also includes 167 natural protected areas under national law. Priority habitats cover 23 542 hectares.
However, these conservation areas suffer from isolation and fragmentation due to urban encroachment, degradation of river basins, deforestation, inadequate legal protection, and lack of awareness among the local population.
OBJECTIVES
The LIFE Zaragoza Natural project aimed to protect, improve, give value to and raise awareness of the existing biodiversity in Zaragoza, including in Natura 2000 areas, and other areas of natural interest within the city’s boundaries. A key objective of the project was to improve the quality of green infrastructure (GI) in Zaragoza. This GI is a network of high quality green spaces and other environmental features that deliver a wide range of environmental and quality of life benefits for local communities.
The project planned to design and manage Zaragoza’s GI by structuring it around a ‘blue matrix’ of infrastructure, including rivers, riversides and wetlands, and a ‘green matrix’, focusing on forest and steppe areas. It aimed to improve the ecological status of these two aspects of GI as well as their inter-connectivity and coherence to provide a multifunctional resource.
It would conduct eight technical studies and draft plans for the management of Zaragoza’s GI. It would then partially or fully restore eight nature areas – about 5 ha - including the planting of more than 1 000 trees. It would also undertake legal and administrative actions focused on providing GI with legal recognition and protection, and promote further land stewardship activities, including signposting.
Supporting activities would include: promoting local heritage sites; actions to promote green employment; promoting local nature tourism; and awareness-raising activities targeting local inhabitants. It also aimed to create a European network of cities with GI to continue developing EU expertise on this topic beyond the project.
RESULTS
The LIFE ZARAGOZA NATURAL project successfully implemented different policies to protect several environmental areas in Zaragoza (southern steppe areas, Vedado de Peñaflor) and improved the ecological status of different points in the green and blue ‘matrices’ within Zaragoza’s green infrastructure.
In addition, the beneficiary approved a Green Infrastructure Master Plan for the city of Zaragoza, containing more than 150 proposals for actions in the municipality. This master plan was the road map for the city council to develop further environmental protection actions within the city boundaries.
The project’s concrete actions included the following:
- The blue matrix was analysed through different studies: one on the environmental functions of Galacho de Juslibol, another on the relationship between river dynamics and riverine ecosystems, and a third on the creation of a flood area in La Lenteja de San Juan de Mozarrifar (Gállego river);
- Field work completed on the blue matrix involved the connection between the Ebro and Gállego rivers and the connection between the Ebro and Huerva rivers in Bruil Park. In addition, work in the Ojo del Canal area and wetlands route signalling were completed;
- Field work on the green matrix included restoration work in the La Peña del Cuervo area and forestry treatments in the Montes de Torrero and Vedado de Peñaflor areas;
- Las Almunias ravine was the subject of a technical study to define the current ecological status and an intervention plan to protect it; and
- A route more than 16 km long through urban parks and tree-lined avenues was designed and signposted, with an extra-urban paths route covering almost 15 km around Zaragoza.
Dissemination of the project actions was exhaustive, through leaflets, notice boards, roll-ups, the project website, newsletters, a travelling exhibition, civic centre lectures, and training courses for students and potential green employees.
Moreover, the beneficiary organised the ‘Meeting of European cities with green infrastructure’, held on 20-21 October 2016, which attracted more than 180 people. The project was named one of the three most innovative, interesting and creative urban greening projects in Europe and globally at the 2nd European Urban Green Infrastructure Conference in Budapest in November 2017.
Further information on the project can be found in the project's layman report and After-LIFE Communication Plan (see "Read more" section).
