This endowment will make it possible to create new viewpoints, improve visitor centers or protect endangered fauna and flora, among other initiatives
The president of the Community, Fernando López Miras, announced this Wednesday on the occasion of the celebration of World Wetlands Day that his Executive will invest this year more than 11.5 million euros in priority actions within the Natura 2000 Network, and that said budget “will allow us to advance in the improvement of habitats in protected areas and in the conservation of our ecosystems”.
Said endowment will allow the regional government to “create new viewpoints, and improve public infrastructure and visitor centers, such as the one in San Pedro del Pinatar,” reported López Miras. In addition, actions will also be carried out to monitor and protect fauna at risk of extinction, and the conservation of threatened flora. Likewise, funds will be allocated to improve the management of the El Valle Wildlife Recovery Center.
López Miras announced these initiatives in an act next to the Quintín Mill in Lo Pagán, at the foot of the Salinas y Arenales Regional Park in San Pedro del Pinatar. This wetland with sandbanks in the northern part of the Mar Menor is of great importance, as it is a nesting and resting place for many species of birds. “We couldn’t have a better place to celebrate this World Wetlands Day,” said López Miras, who cataloged this location as “one of the most iconic in the Region.”
The Community will also allocate specific items this year for the benefit of wetlands, such as 1.5 million euros to activate environmental education campaigns on the importance of these ecosystems, or more than 1.4 million for the rehabilitation of the Visitor Center of San Pedro del Pinatar. These works include the interior remodeling, the improvement of accessibility and its energy adaptation.
These investments for the benefit of wetlands “will continue into 2023 thanks to the Next Generation Funds”, announced López Miras, who stated that “we have an important package of measures aimed at protecting our natural environment”, which will be financed through these European games.
“The Region has extraordinary biological diversity and natural wealth, which includes seven regional parks, a nature reserve and 98 wetlands,” stressed the president of the Community, who after the event held a meeting with students from the Los Angeles Elementary School. Pines, in San Pedro del Pinatar. “This environmental wealth must be protected, conserved and cared for, because it is one of the most important legacies that we can leave to future generations,” he concluded.