RCE Galicia - 2024

Location

Spain
See map: Google Maps
ES
ReNatur_Outes: Community-based Renaturalization of the River Tins
CSV
Basic Information
Title of project : 
ReNatur_Outes: Community-based Renaturalization of the River Tins
Submitting RCE: 
RCE Galicia
Contributing organization(s) : 
Fundación Montescola (project partner)
Concello de Outes (project partner)
Fundación CEER (project partner)
University of Santiago de Compostela (project partner)
University of Coruña (project partner)
University of Vigo (project partner)
With the engagement of CEIP Plurilingüe de Outes
With the support of Fundación Biodiversidad (Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge)
Focal point(s) and affiliation(s)
Name: 
Joám Evans Pim
Organizational Affiliation: 
Fundación Montescola
E-mail: 
info@montescola.org
Format of project: 
Online, printed materials, audiovisual, etc.
Language of project: 
Galician
Date of submission:
Sunday, September 15, 2024
Web link: 
https://renatur.outes.gal/
Additional resources: 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/renatur_outes/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Renatur_Outes-61550916645484/
CEIP Plurilingüe de Outes (primary school): https://www.edu.xunta.gal/centros/ceipoutes/
Does this project link to any education and/or sustainable development policy or policies?: 
Yes
Plan hidrolóxico da Demarcación Hidrográfica Galicia-Costa 2021-2027
At what level is the policy operating?: 
Subnational
Plan de Xestión do Risco de Inundación de Galicia
At what level is the policy operating?: 
Subnational
Estrategia Nacional de Restauración de Ríos 2023
At what level is the policy operating?: 
National
EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030
At what level is the policy operating?: 
International
EU Nature Restoration Directive
At what level is the policy operating?: 
International
UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration
At what level is the policy operating?: 
International
Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework
At what level is the policy operating?: 
International
Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2023
At what level is the policy operating?: 
International
Geographical & Education Information
Region: 
Europe
Country: 
Spain
Location(s): 
Outes, Galicia
Address of focal point institution for project: 
Concello de Outes
Rúa Capela, 13, 15230 Outes, A Coruña (Galicia)
Ecosystem(s):
Fresh water, Urban/Peri-urban, Wetlands
Target Audience:
Community, Primary, Secondary, Youth (Informal)
Socioeconomic and environmental characteristics of the area : 
Outes is a municipality in the province of A Coruña in the autonomous community of Galicia in northwestern Spain. It has a population of approximately 6,000 and an area of 100 km². The main town in the municipality is A Serra de Outes, which is crossed by the River Tins, flowing into the Muros-Noia estuary, a Natura 2000 protected area. Fishing, shelfish gathering, farming and agriculture are important economic activities. Industrial activities include ship-building and sawmills.
Description of sustainable development challenge(s) in the area the project addresses: 
The River Tins is critical in vertebrating the municipality and is a key feature of the main town. However, urban planning over the past decades has mostly ignored the river as the town developed. This led to ill-designed infrastructure, poor integration of the river in the town, recurring problems with flooding, environmental degradation and ecosystem desintegration due to river barriers, reduction of the riverine forest areas, invasive exotic species, waste, etc. The project set out to renaturalize the River Tins actively engaging the whole community.
Contents
Status: 
Ongoing
Period: 
January, 2023
Rationale: 
The relationship between the town of A Serra de Outes had shifted over the last century years from being a community in which the River Tins was a central element to an urban centre living with its back to the river. ReNatur_Outes set out to develop an ambitious programme of renaturalization, again integrating the river as a living ecosystem with the urban environment. Participation, governance, the building of awareness and the active involvement and engagement of the community in the project was a critical factor for long term success.
Objectives: 
The project had 5 main objectives: (1) Drafting of an overarching strategy for river renaturalization, flood risk reduction and reorganization and integration of the riverine space; (2) Restoration of the riparian forest; (3) Promotion of the biodiversity associated with the river; (3) Cleaning-up the river; (4) Removal of potentially problematic invasive and exotic species; (5) Building public awareness and engagement for long-term success. Each of these objectives was set up as a series of actions and subactions with a wide range of indicators to measure progress. Additionally, the project sought the active involvement of the local community in all actions, through participatory, governance and educational activities.
Activities and/or practices employed: 
The project set up a participatory process with numerous meetings and gatherings. The first governance session included a futures workshop to build a shared vision of the River Tins 20-years from now. This led to the adoption of the Declaration of rights of the River Tins and a permanent participatory body.
The active engagement of the CEIP de Outes primary school stands out as major achievement, through the school's development and adoption of an Integral Didactical Project (PDI) pivoting on the River Tins. The school thus became a main driver for transforming the community's relation with the river working for the whole year on subjects such as waste, invasive species, trails, urban infrastructure, native biodiversity, ethnographical, cultural and oral traditions, educational signs and observation areas and the complete transformation of the school playground to integrate it with the contiguous riverine area.
Hundreds of volunteers from all walks of life have also engaged in the project's work to remove invasive exotic species, plant hundreds of riparian trees and bushes, map biodiversity (citizen science) and pick up waste. This has allowed a growing concern and engagement of the local community in the whole process.
Size of academic audience: 
1,000
Results: 
The project's participatory process led to the adoption by citizens in December 2023 (and subsequent unanimous vote at the municipal council in March 2024) of the Declaration of rights of the River Tins and of responsibilities of its riverine community. This was the first time the rights of a river were formally acknowledged by a public body in Spain, and has become a benchmark for the recognition of the rights of nature. The Declaration is to serve as a guiding policy for the future, and has led to other communities replicating the process. Subsequently, a Riverine Council was launched in August 2024 to facilitate continuous community engagement in the governance of the River Tins.
The two local schools (as well as a number of local and regional associations involved in informal learning) has been fully engaged in the process, and the CEIP de Outes primary school developed its annual didactical project focusing on the school's integration with the riparian space. The school's outstanding innovative educational approach built around nature and care has come to prominence winning the Innovagal Educational Award in 2024.
Lessons learned: 
(1) Renaturalization in urban areas can be challenging, due to huge differences in perceptions on 'what amount of nature' between community members and different types of relationships and uses with/of the space with the urban-nature interface.
(2) Education and participatory governance is critical for the immediate and long-term success of renaturalization projects. Both provide tools to allow for a better understanding of the why renaturalization is important and necessary, what its benefits are and how can communities engage and negotiate how such processes are carried out.
(3) Supportive schools with committed teachers can bring about swift change for community engagement.
(4) Partnerships between local municipalities, universities and research institutions, environmental organizations; local communities and institutions of formal and informal education.
(5) Acknowledging the Rights of Nature to whole ecosystems such as rivers can be positive strategy to acknowledge nature connectedness and open up systemic change in community's relationship with surrounding ecosystems.
Key messages: 
The long-term success of ecosystem restoration and renaturalization projects is hugely dependent on the capacity to engage and make local communities active participants and owners of such projects. This is especially true in urban areas where conflicts can emerge between renaturalization efforts and existing practices and uses. Education (both formal and informal) and participatory strategies have great potential to build such community support and engagement.
Relationship to other RCE activities: 
The project build on previously developed experiences at the RCE involving volunteer-based initiatives for exotic species removal ("See you in the forest! / Vemo-nos no monte!" project) and participatory community-led conservation efforts.
Funding: 
The project is funded by the Fundación Biodiversidad of the Spanish Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO) within the framework of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (PRTR), financed by the European Union - NextGenerationEU.

Pictures:

File Name Caption for picture Photo Credit
Image icon Tins_school_playground.png (2.51 MB) Renaturalizing the CEIP de Outes school playground Montescola
Image icon Tins_school_playground2.png (439.67 KB) Renaturalizing the CEIP de Outes school playground Montescola
Image icon Tins_planting_trees.jpg (738.49 KB) Planting riparian native tree species with volunteers Montescola
Image icon Tins_planting_trees2.jpg (677.54 KB) Planting riparian native tree species with volunteers Montescola
Image icon Tins_planting_trees3.jpg (983.07 KB) Planting riparian native tree species with schools Montescola
Image icon Tins_governance_sessions.jpg (171.41 KB) Imagining the River Tins in 2040 participatory session Montescola
Image icon Tins_Declaration1.jpg (119.82 KB) Drafting of the Declaration of Rights of the River Tins Montescola
Image icon Tins_Declaration2.jpg (162.47 KB) Drafting of the Declaration of Rights of the River Tins Montescola
Image icon Tins_exotic_species_removal.jpg (506.85 KB) Removing exotic tree species from the river area with kids Montescola
Image icon Tins_exotic_species_removal2.jpg (613.67 KB) Removing exotic tree species from the river area with volunteers Montescola
References and reference materials: 
PDF icon Declaracion_Dereitos_Rio_Tins_web.pdf
PDF icon Strategic_Plan_River_Tins.PDF
PDF icon Maps_Strategic_Plan_River_Tins.PDF
PDF icon Annexes_Strategic_Plan.PDF
PDF icon Invasive_Species_Guide.pdf
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
(https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdgs) and other themes of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD)
SDG 3 - Ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all at all ages 
Indirect
SDG 4 - Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all 
Direct
SDG 6 - Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all 
Direct
SDG 11 - Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable 
Indirect
SDG 13 - Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts 
Indirect
SDG 14 - Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development 
Direct
SDG 15 - Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification and halt and reverse land degradation, and halt biodiversity loss 
Direct
Theme
Disaster Risk Reduction 
Direct
Traditional Knowledge  
Indirect
Curriculum Development 
Direct
Ecotourism 
Indirect
Forests/Trees 
Direct
Plants & Animals 
Direct
ESD for 2030-Priority Action Areas
Priority Action Area 1 - Advancing policy 
state: 
Indirect
Priority Action Area 2 - Transforming learning and training environments 
state: 
Direct
Priority Action Area 3 - Developing capacities of educators and trainers 
state: 
Indirect
Priority Action Area 4 - Mobilizing youth 
state: 
Direct
Priority Action Area 5 - Accelerating sustainable solutions at local level 
state: 
Direct
Update: 
No
I acknowledge the above: 
Yes