Biodiversity Foundation Eco-Green Project: Eco-management of green spaces and natural areas for agricultural and tourism use

DESCRIPTION: Eco-Green. Eco-management of green spaces and natural areas for agricultural and tourism use. It will be developed in Murcia and Andalusia (Almería). The priority area of action is the Alto Guadalentín region (Puerto Lumbreras, Lorca, and Águilas) in the southeast of Murcia, and the bordering regions in the east and north of the province of Almería: the Almanzora Basin and Levante Almeriense. These areas, although belonging to different autonomous communities, form a unique natural region sharing the same environmental, social, and economic challenges and important natural resources, including Cabezo de la Jara (Natura 2000 Area). The fundamental problem is high soil erosion and a significant water deficit caused by an extreme semi-arid climate and by the inadequate practices of the basic sectors of the economy: agriculture and tourism. It has the highest aridity in Europe (the precursor to the desert) and is among the regions most vulnerable to climate change.

In this area, erosion processes have been devastating for biodiversity due to several local factors:

1. Severe and long droughts with intense rains that frequently cause flooding.

2. Livestock farming practices and agricultural uses (terraces – greenhouses) have favored the acceleration of water erosion processes.

3. Agriculture depends on the transfer of water from the Negratín and Tajo Segura rivers, and its supply is not guaranteed.