Pilot Project 2 draws on technical and governance studies and, through field trials, will develop Strategies, Manuals, and Action Guides with multiple purposes:
- Improve agricultural practices and, indirectly, the profitability of farms by reducing fertilizer use and tillage, and preventing the loss of the topsoil, the farmer’s main asset.
- Mitigate environmental risks by reducing the runoff of sediments and chemicals into the sea.
- Restore the health, functionality, and morphology of rivers.
The erosion that occurs at the headwaters of rivers produces gravel and sand that are trapped in reservoirs. Because this sediment no longer flows freely, the riverbanks and riverbed in the middle reaches of agricultural fields become distorted, altering the river ecosystem. This ecosystem is impoverished, and the water that the river carries to the sea does not provide the sand needed to replenish beaches, nor does it have the desired quality. Therefore, it is necessary to restore the rivers.
Pilot Project 2 will promote the creation of green infrastructure in rivers within the Pilot Areas, designing Nature-based Solutions for river restoration that will allow these rivers to function once again as ecological connectors and, by restoring their ecosystems, reduce the pollutants that reach the oceans.
