PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
FCLP carries out actions to protect natural sites and biodiversity, while also raising awareness and improving knowledge of environmental issues via its six education and visitors' centers located across the region. The centers and school programmes reached more than 80 000 people in 2019. The project proposal extends this educational outreach, focusing on three main areas: the European Green Deal, biodiversity protection, and the farm to fork approach.
OBJECTIVES
The LIFE GREEN PEDRERA project focused on achieving the goals of the European Green Deal, especially the EU’s target of becoming carbon neutral by 2050 and of reducing CO2 emissions by 55% by 2030. It also focused on the EU goals for renewable energy sources and carbon sequestration, including the need to increase the resilience of Mediterranean forests to climate change impacts, such as the increased frequency of fires and droughts. Another focus was the EU’s Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, especially in relation to climate change, forest fires, food production, disease control and the illegal wildlife trade.
RESULTS
The LIFE GREEN PEDRERA project successfully promoted FCLP’s educational programmes, focusing on key areas of the European Green Deal, climate change, biodiversity, and farm to fork. Through a variety of activities, including training, participatory events and dissemination efforts, the project effectively engaged a wide audience. Impressively, the project reached 99 123 individuals, surpassing its initial objectives and demonstrating significant impact on various citizen groups and stakeholders.
Implementation of the working programme was highly successful, with most activities achieving or exceeding expected outcomes. In WP1, the project conducted 16 Nature Summer and Work Camps with 544 participants, a Scientific Campus on Sustainability for 14 youth groups, a Nature Campus for 16 pre-university students, and an Environmental Training Programme for 338 university students. WP2 saw the organisation of 28 "citizenship in action" events with 1 162 participants. WP3’s educational activities reached 97 049 people across six FCLP centres. WP4 focused on communication and dissemination, ensuring the project's visibility and assessing the effectiveness of its activities.
Some deviations occurred, particularly in WP1, where the second and third editions of the Scientific and Nature Campuses were cancelled due to low initial participation. These activities were substituted with additional Nature Summer and Work Camps, which had higher demand. This strategic adjustment was deemed appropriate and justified, ensuring the project’s resources were utilised effectively without compromising overall success. Despite these changes, the project achieved substantial results, maintaining high effectiveness and participant engagement.
Highlights of the project include the unexpectedly high participation in the Nature Summer and Work Camps, which attracted 544 participants instead of the anticipated 224. The project also saw a significant increase in volunteer engagement, with the volunteer group growing from 1 200 to 1 700 individuals. The Climate Change, Biodiversity, and Farm to Fork activities hosted over 25 000 participants, far exceeding the expected 7 800. These outcomes underscore the project's success in fostering environmental education and active citizenship aligned with the European Green Deal’s goals.
