This is an initiative of the Cabildo of Gran Canaria and Canaragua to seek solutions based on nature that improve resilience to climate change.
Through a study, measures will be implemented to control pollution in the discharges of the stormwater network in the Maspalomas ravine.
The Minister of Environment, Climate, Energy and Knowledge of the Cabildo of Gran Canaria, Raúl García Brink, together with representatives of the Canarian company Canaragua, specialized in the management of the integral water cycle, and partners participating in the European project 'Natalie' They have carried out the first official visit to the Maspalomas ravine where a study will be carried out to control pollution in the discharges of the stormwater network. The programme, funded by the European Commission's HORIZON, addresses existing and threatening climate risks and proposes the application of Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) to participate in their resolution.
The attendees and participants of this initiative are the University of La Laguna, Aquatec, the Cabildo of Gran Canaria, the CSIC, Canaragua and the University of the Balearic Islands. This team will be in charge, over the next 5 years, of designing and testing the different Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) and Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS) to retain runoff water and the associated pollution load.
The Minister of Environment, Climate, Energy and Knowledge, Raúl García Brink, has stressed the value of this project for the south of Gran Canaria, “which will allow not only to develop sustainable urban drainage solutions, but also to create green employment, and “Innovative solutions that allow us to be at the forefront of these types of issues worldwide.”
In this sense, he emphasizes "the level of involvement that we have from the Gran Canaria Council against global warming is very high, because the future of future and current generations depends on it."
The Aquatec Climate Change and Resilience Unit of the Agbar Group will lead the work package on 'Resilience assessment methodologies, models and tools', to improve climate resilience in different locations of the archipelago.
The head of Aquatec, Jesús Soler, explains that “we seek to resolve the pollution of the stormwater network towards the Maspalomas Charca with the implementation of solutions based on nature, so that we try to ensure that this water arrives with the best possible quality. generating a series of co-benefits, both for biodiversity and for the well-being and health of people.”
Project “Natalie”
Natalie brings together 42 partners, eight demonstration sites and five replication sites, and will last five years, until August 2028. This is a scientific initiative that has participated in the European Horizon research program, the most prestigious in its category. , and has achieved financing of 100% of its budget, a total of 15 million euros.
