The Spanish Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge has published the ‘Spanish Strategy for the Defragmentation of Habitats Affected by Linear Transportation Infrastructure’, approved by the Sectorial Conference on the Environment on July 24 of this year. This Strategy aims to ‘advance the improvement of territorial connectivity and achieve more effective biodiversity integration in the development of transport infrastructure in Spain.’ It is based on 8 strategic pillars and 37 specific actions, including the restoration of ecological connectivity and the reduction of biodiversity impacts from roads and railways in operation, as well as the promotion of measures that generate biodiversity benefits (such as the implementation of nature-based solutions) and the encouragement of research in transport ecology, among others.
This significant advance for biodiversity conservation in Spain has been made possible thanks to a large collaborative effort involving more than 120 experts from across the country, including representatives from administrations, research centers, universities, NGOs, and companies. It represents a key milestone in the integration of biodiversity into operational linear transport infrastructures. The next step is the development of the first Work Program (2025-2030) to implement various actions of the strategy into concrete measures that will benefit biodiversity.
MINUARTIA has participated in the technical assistance for the development of the strategy, supporting the definition of its scientific and technical foundation, facilitating expert participation from various fields, and contributing to the launch of the first Work Program.
Information on the strategy can be obtained here: Spanish defragmentation strategy.
