These actions include the calls for approved grants and subsidies, the amount of which amounts to 17.2 million euros. Of this figure, 7.9 million will be destined to promote the ecological and fair transition through projects that promote employment and the green economy; 6.2 million to improve the environmental sustainability of the fisheries and aquaculture sector, and the rest, more than three million euros, will go to the conservation of terrestrial and marine biodiversity, as well as projects to adapt to climate change.
This 2020 Action Plan includes the development of more than 30 projects, including several initiatives co-financed with European funds, such as the LIFE Shara, Mystic seas III and LIFE IP INTEMARES, the largest marine conservation project in Europe.
As the most prominent initiatives of LIFE INTEMARES, the governance strategy of the Natura 2000 marine network in 2020 and pilot projects will be launched for execution. Likewise, the management plans of 9 Sites of Community Importance in the Valencian Community and 24 in the Canary Islands, the Master Plan of the Network of Marine Protected Areas will be approved and the processes for the development of species conservation strategies and plans will continue. The study of the vulnerability of the marine environment to climate change and the environmental education program will also begin.
More than 17 million euros in aid calls
The Biodiversity Foundation will publish calls for grants and subsidies to support the development of biodiversity conservation projects, adaptation to climate change or promotion of the green economy, reorienting the objectives of some of these calls.
In this Board of Trustees, a first package of calls for grants and subsidies has been approved by the Employer Program with 7.8 million, which will place special emphasis on promoting the just transition in sectors linked to the green economy and supporting the hiring of unemployed people in this area There will also be a call to promote sustainable fishing activities under the High Tide Program, with an amount of 6.2 million euros. For projects encompassed in the terrestrial biodiversity line, 1.5 million euros, 1.2 million euros will be allocated for marine biodiversity projects, with specific support lines for projects to adapt biodiversity to climate change, and € 400,000 for Support international conservation policies with environmental organizations.
Adaptation to climate change and support to the scientific sector
In addition, within the framework of LIFE SHARA, and with the aim of strengthening adaptation to climate change and increasing resilience in Spain and Portugal, in 2020 the Iberian Conference on Climate Change Adaptation will be held, 15 narratives will be developed on successful experiences in adaptation, the new version of the AdapteCCA platform and will continue with the holding of sectoral seminars, training and informative breakfasts on the subject.
Synergies will also be reinforced with the close to 20 scientific societies to promote the conservation and knowledge of biodiversity and geodiversity.
This will also be the year of elaboration with the CENEAM of the Environmental Sustainability Action Plan through a broad participatory process. In parallel, the Biodiversity Foundation will relaunch other own projects such as the Environmental Volunteer Program, the Territory Custody Platform, the Spanish Aquaculture Observatory or the Emprendeverde network, which already has more than 9,000 entrepreneurs working in the framework of the green and blue economy.
Also, during 2020, the Biodiversity Foundation will continue registering and offsetting its entire carbon footprint.