Alicante is promoting the initiative ‘Climate Bridges: Port-City Biodiversity Islands’, aimed at developing climate change adaptation projects and enhancing biodiversity through the creation of green spaces in the port area. Alicante City Council and the Port Authority will jointly undertake this initiative, valued at half a million euros, with each institution contributing 50% of the total budget.
At an extraordinary meeting, the City Council’s Governing Board agreed to apply to the Ministry for the Ecological Transition for access to European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) resources to cover up to 60% of its contribution. The application falls within the 2026 call for funding for urban renaturalisation and resilience projects in Spanish cities, aimed at promoting climate change adaptation, improving urban biodiversity and developing green infrastructure in urban environments.
Under this arrangement, Alicante City Council undertakes to submit the project and assume half of its total cost, equivalent to €250,000. Of this amount, €150,000 (60%) would be covered by European funding, while the remaining €100,000 (40%) would come from municipal funds.
The planned actions pursue several objectives, including increasing the presence of functional green spaces in urban and peri-urban areas; strengthening ecological connectivity between the city and the port environment; improving environmental and landscape conditions in the areas concerned; contributing to climate change adaptation through nature-based solutions; enhancing the climate regulation capacity of the spaces involved; promoting environmental awareness and public participation in renaturalisation initiatives; and developing monitoring and evaluation tools to measure the project’s environmental and social impacts.
Luis Morata, Councillor for Strategic Plans and European Projects, emphasised that “the collaboration between Alicante City Council and the Port Authority of Alicante also represents a model of institutional cooperation that makes it possible to coordinate resources and capabilities to achieve shared environmental objectives, generating synergies that enhance the positive impact of the planned actions.”
“The implementation of the project, which will involve creating bioclimatic spaces or areas with shade and vegetation, will deliver lasting environmental, social and landscape benefits, supporting biodiversity conservation, improving public spaces, facilitating climate adaptation and raising public awareness. It will also help strengthen Alicante’s image as a city committed to sustainability and the implementation of innovative solutions to address today’s environmental challenges,” the councillor added.
A working group has been established to develop and prepare the project, bringing together technical staff from the Port Authority and the City Council’s Urban Planning Department, under the coordination of the European Projects Department within the Strategic Plans and European Projects Service.
