Life Fluvial

Environment

Improvement and sustainable management of river corridors in the Iberian Atlantic region [LIFE16 NAT/ES/000771]

Objectives

The general objective of the LIFE FLUVIAL project is to improve the conservation status of Atlantic river corridors in the Natura 2000 Network. For this purpose, the project develops a transnational strategy for the sustainable management of its habitats in various Atlantic river basins of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal). In this context, threat factors such as invasive species, intensification of uses, or phytosanitary problems cause the deterioration and fragmentation of river corridor habitats.

To achieve the general objective, specific objectives are proposed aimed at combating habitat degradation:

Development of a transnational model for sustainable management of river corridors to improve their conservation status, through the restoration of composition, structure, and functionality of their habitat types of community interest, improving connectivity and reducing fragmentation.
Control of exotic and invasive flora.
Elimination of non-native species plantations.
Planting of native species characteristic of riverside forests (priority habitat 91E0*) and oak forests (habitat 9230).
Improvement of the phytosanitary status of river corridors through partial removal of dead trees.
Dissemination of natural values, socioeconomic benefits, and ecosystem services provided by river corridors.
Improvement of training and technical capacity of agents involved in the management and conservation of river corridors.

Partnership

The proposal is presented as the result of collaboration between 8 public organizations, companies, and associations:

INDUROT-University of Oviedo.
IBADER-University of Santiago de Compostela.
ISA-University of Lisbon.
InterEo Association.
Mariñas-Betanzos Rural Development Association.
Ribadeo City Council.
Municipal Water Company of A Coruña (EMALCSA).
Agricultural Transformation Company SA (TRAGSA).

Execution Period

Start: September 1, 2017

End: August 31, 2021

Budget

3,032,223 € (EU Co-financing: 75%)

Actions

The actions to be implemented during the project will be:

Preparatory Actions

Prior assessment of action sites and technical planning of actions.

Diagnosis and territorial analysis of the project area, with management and monitoring indicators.
10 technical projects for the execution of concrete conservation actions and a project contingency plan.

Land Acquisition

Acquisition of land adjacent to the fluvial-estuarine riverbank in Ribadeo municipality (Galicia), with the purpose of naturalizing these lands through eucalyptus removal and natural habitat restoration.
Acquisition of 33 plots (44,579 m2) for restoration to native forest (91E0* and 9230).

Conservation Actions

8 conservation actions are defined in upper, middle, and lower sections of different river basins in 9 Natura 2000 sites in Spain and Portugal, to improve the conservation status of river corridors. Tasks included in these actions are: control of invasive species, removal of dead alders, restoration of natural vegetation cover.

Conservation actions will be carried out on 55.5 ha.

Increase of 7.1 ha and improvement of 3.7 ha of alluvial forests (91E0*) in the 14 km final section of the Eo River (SAC Río Eo-Galicia ES1120002, SAC Río Eo-Asturias ES1200023, SAC and SPA Ría do Eo ES1200016, SPA Ribadeo ES0000085).
Increase of 4.4 ha of habitat 9230 in SAC Río Eo-Galicia (ES1120002) and SPA Ribadeo (ES0000085).
Increase of 1.5 ha and improvement of 8.7 ha of alluvial forests (91E0*) along 56 km of the middle section of the Eo River (SAC Río Eo-Galicia ES1120002, SAC Río Eo-Asturias ES1200023 and SPA Ribadeo ES0000085).
Increase of 0.5 ha and improvement of 0.1 ha of humid forests (91E0*) around the wetlands of Arnao and Villadún, in the SAC/SPA Ría do Eo ES1200016.
Restoration of 2.1 ha of alluvial forests (91E0*) in Betanzos Estuary (SAC Betanzos-Mandeo ES1110007).
Recovery and sustainable management of 8.6 ha of habitat 91E0* in SAC Abegondo-Cecebre Reservoir ES1110004.
Improvement of conservation status of 9.8 ha of alluvial forests (91E0*) in 4 locations (Río Miño-Lugo, Río Miño-Rábade, Guitiriz and Lagoa do Rei) in the upper Miño river basin (SAC Parga-Ladra-Támoga ES1120003).
Improvement of conservation status of 9.0 ha of habitat 91E0* in the Estorãos river corridor (SCI Río Lima, PTCON0020).

Monitoring Actions

Follow-up actions to measure the project’s impact on target habitats, to evaluate the project’s socioeconomic impact, to assess the project’s impact on ecosystem functions, and to analyze project progress.

Assessment methodologies and monitoring indicators for the project’s impact on habitat conservation status, on the economy and population welfare (especially local), and on ecosystem functions. Criteria for transferability to other areas.
Evaluation of project impact indicators.
Cost-effectiveness and cost-benefit indicators of the project that demonstrate the economic and social interest of river corridor conservation measures, and promote the replicability of these types of solutions in similar contexts.

Public Awareness and Results Dissemination

These actions include the development of a Communication Plan, design, preparation and installation of informative, educational and awareness materials and equipment, design and implementation of an awareness and dissemination program, publication of an electronic newsletter, launch of website and establishment of relationships with other similar projects.

Among the different proposed restoration actions, the project presents a comprehensive strategy for eliminating exotic and invasive flora species as one of the most necessary actions, since the presence of invasive flora represents one of the biggest threats to river corridors in the Atlantic Region today. Due to this, the project also includes a series of awareness and dissemination actions about the threat these species represent to river environments, especially for priority habitat 91E0*.

We leave you a document so you can see the projects that were developed, such as the publication of the book “The Bolechas Go Along the River”.

Project Operation and Monitoring

Encompasses the set of project management and coordination tasks, including the audit process, as well as the design of a post-LIFE Conservation Plan.

Here you can see the bulletins:

Boletín 2018 (galego)