Bankia S A : and Fundación Bancaja hold a virtual meeting on the environmental work done by 13 associations in Comunidad Valenciana

• These associations' projects, which protect biodiversity and promote the circular economy in the region, were selected in the '2nd Call for the Environment and Sustainable Development', endowed with 150,000 euros
• The meeting, a virtual event in response COVID-19 emergency measures, recognised the work of ten associations in the province of Valencia, two in Alicante and one in Castellón

Bankia and Fundación Bancaja held a virtual meeting on Thursday to acknowledge the work of the 13 associations in the Valencia region. All these projects were selected in the '2nd Call for the Environment and Sustainable Development', worth 150,000 euros.

The event was attended by the Regional Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development, Climate Emergency and Ecological Transition, Mireia Mollà; the chairman of Fundación Bancaja, Rafael Alcón; the corporate manager of Bankia in Valencia and Castellón, Jaime Casas; the Rei Jaume I Prize for Environmental Protection 2020, Fernando Maestre; as well as representatives of two entities that have received support from the initiative: Antonio Guillem, project coordinator of the Global Nature Foundation; and Pablo Vera, SEO technician / Birdlife.

The meeting reviewed the 13 sustainable development and nature conservation projects in the Comunidad Valenciana selected for the second edition. The programme supports initiatives that encourage the conservation, restoration and sustainable use of terrestrial, marine and freshwater ecosystems; that help reduce and recycle waste, particularly plastics; and that foster technological innovation and a circular economy.

The president of Fundación Bancaja, Rafael Alcón, congratulated all the selected organisations for undertaking 'projects that fight to improve our environment and, with it, our future'.

Alcón also highlighted 'the important work of associations in an unprecedented year in which nature has been one of the main protagonists: during the confinement, when we could observe our landscapes without the presence and activity of human beings; during our return to the streets, when open, natural spaces have been the safest places to meet; and now, with recent weather events reminding us that climate change is an emergency we cannot ignore'.

Similarly, Bankia's Corporate Regional Director in Valencia and Castellón, Jaime Casas, expressed his 'appreciation for the relentless work carried out by the selected associations in a call we have reissued with an excellent partner, the Fundación Bancaja'. 'Bankia is firmly commitment to society and the environment and we believe we have to rethink our future from a green perspective to overcome the COVID-19 crisis', said Casas.

Regional Minister Mireia Mollà thanked the entities supported by the call, highlighting 'the diversity of their projects that draw upon common synergies in the fight against climate change, ecological transition, innovation, ecosystem conservation and protection of biodiversity. They are all our social, political and economic road map'.

The Rei Jaume I Fernando Maestre Award shared a message of support to the organisations receiving the aid. 'The participation of the community, exemplified in your projects, is essential to safeguard our environment and to address challenges like the uncontrolled proliferation of plastic and climate change', said Maestre.

This second edition of the Bankia and Fundación Bancaja environmental aid programme will support ten initiatives in the province of Valencia, one in Castellón and two in Alicante.

The organisations supported in this edition were:

• Fundación Global Nature, for the project 'Restauración y monitoreo de fauna en humedales costeros valencianos'. (Valencia)
• The Sociedad Española de Ornitología (SEO/BirdLife), for the project 'Más playas naturales para el chorlitejo patinegro'. (Valencia)
• Acció Ecologista-Agro, for the project 'Conservación y mejora de la biodiversidad vegetal en la umbría de Benirrama (Vall de Gallinera)'. (Alicante)
• Interpreta Natura, for 'Forest Lab'. (Valencia)
• Asociación Amica, for 'Discapacidad como agente restaurador de la biodiversidad'. (Valencia)
• Xaloc. Asociación para el Estudio y Conservación del Entorno, for the project 'Regeneración de las dunas del entorno del Parador de El Saler'. (Valencia)
• Fundem-Fundación Enrique Montoliu de la Comunitat Valenciana, for 'Restauración de un área degradada y conversión en un bosque mediterráneo'.
• Fundación LIMNE, for 'Reconectando con el Rio Turia'. (Valencia)
• Fundación de la Comunidad Valenciana Victoria Laporta Carbonell, for the programme 'Desarrollo de un nuevo modelo apícola y consolidación del Jardín Api-botánico de la Finca Buixcarró'. (Valencia)
• Fundación Oceanogràfic de la Comunitat Valenciana, for 'Restauración de puntos de agua necesarios para la biodiversidad local, el gallipato como especie bandera'. (Valencia)
• Asociación Connecta Natura, for 'Mosaics de Vida'. (Castellón)
• Fundación Oxígeno, for 'Microplásticos, macrobasura. Conservación y mejora de playas contribuyendo a la reducción de las basuras marinas'. (Valencia)
• Aimplas, plastic and related materials research association, for its project 'Valorización de las basuras marinas en el marco de la Comunidad Valenciana'. (Valencia).