PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
To address the urgent challenge of nitrate contamination, a major threat to ecosystems and human health, this initiative focuses on creating sustainable and transferable solutions for mitigating nitrate pollution. Nitrate pollution largely results from agricultural runoff and inadequate organic waste management, causing significant environmental degradation like eutrophication and serious health issues including methemoglobinemia and increased cancer risk. Despite European Union policies in place, such as the Nitrates Directive, nitrate levels in groundwater remain alarmingly high in certain agricultural regions, notably Castilla y León and Aragón in Spain, where intensive agriculture and livestock farming results in water pollution. Tackling this persistent contamination requires integrated approaches combining monitoring, public awareness, and behavioral change, enhanced by participatory citizen science efforts and data sharing among stakeholders.
OBJECTIVES
Aim of the project is to develop and implement an integrated, sustainable, and transferable model to mitigate nitrate pollution in surface and groundwater within agricultural regions of Spain and Portugal. The project's approach combines citizen science, stakeholder engagement, and innovative governance tools to enhance nitrate pollution monitoring and reduction.
More in specific, the project will aim to:
• Deploy citizen science tools for participatory monitoring of nitrate levels in six pilot areas within the Duero and Ebro River basins, actively involving local communities.
• Establish a centralized Data Sharing Platform for Nitrate Governance to aggregate and share data among diverse stakeholders for informed decision-making.
• Promote adoption of Best Management Practices (BMPs) in fertilizer application and organic waste management to reduce nitrate runoff.
• Raise public awareness and foster behavioural change through education and community engagement initiatives.
• Prepare a replicability plan to apply the governance model and tools in new European regions, starting with the Mondego River basin in Portugal.
• Evaluate project impact using quantitative and realistic performance indicators to support regional, national, and EU policy. recommendations.
RESULTS
• Engage over 2,500 citizens in nitrate monitoring through citizen science activities.
• Collect at least 3,000 water samples from pilot areas covering 30,000 km² in Spain and Portugal.
• Develop a Data Sharing Platform compiling data from more than 8 sources.
• Expected adoption of Best Management Practices (BMPs) for fertilizer use among trained farmers: 15% by project end, increasing to 40% within five years following project completion.
• Conduct 45 awareness events reaching 900 people, increasing public knowledge.
• Replicate the project’s methods in the Mondego River basin (Portugal) and to five more EU regions, after the project end.