Castalla starts the creation of a path along the Río Verde riverbed to enhance the natural environment
- The project is the result of work carried out by the City Council together with the University of Alicante and the University Institute of Water and Environmental Sciences
Castalla Town Council has initiated the creation of a path along the Río Verde riverbed to enhance the value of this natural environment, which is so important for the town. The Department of Environment has launched this initiative with the aim of preserving the nature of this area of the municipality so rich in flora and fauna and rationally manage all the assets that this enclave can bring to the population. All the activities related to this initiative will be carried out under the slogan ‘Riu Verd, Riu Viu’. For its part, the Town Council has recently met with the technical managers of the Department of Environment of the Generalitat Valenciana to study the next steps to be taken and to visit some points of the Protected Landscape of the Sierra del Maigmó and Sierra del Sit.
According to the head of Environment, Asun Vera, “having a path in the Río Verde will offer us multiple options to enjoy it. Leisure, recreation and ecotourism are services that are increasingly in demand by our society, which are beneficial for the proper conservation of our landscapes”. As the councillor confirmed, “we will carry out restoration and cleaning actions to highlight the high ecological value of our river, which is very close to the town centre, and we will enhance the cultural heritage linked to it, mainly made up of old mills”.
Previously, in 2017, the Consistory already carried out a report together with the University of Alicante and the University Institute of Water and Environmental Sciences with the aim of having a management and action plan for the section of the Río Verde corresponding to the municipality of Castalla. As Vera explained, “the document helps us to lay the technical foundations for a sustainable revaluation of the river as a peri-urban space of high ecological and heritage quality, in order to facilitate its use and enjoyment by the public”.
At the same time, the intention is to raise awareness of the main heritage values of the Río Verde among the general population, especially those of school age. Councillor Asun Vera insisted that “the ecological, historical and ethnographic values associated with the rivers and which are present along this stretch of the river have an enormous educational potential that we cannot overlook”.
The study also offered an environmental characterisation and evaluation of the Río Verde – also known as Río de Cabanes, Monnegre or Río Seco – with a view to the conservation and improvement of its condition. In addition, in line with the intention of the Department of the Environment, it also contemplated the revaluation of the river as an ecological, educational and recreational resource. In a complementary manner, in order to achieve these objectives, the botanical characterisation of the vegetation that grows along the river course will be carried out. Another action planned is the approach to the vertebrate fauna that uses the river as a place of refuge and reproduction, taking into account its landscape matrix. In this way, the City Council has identified the areas of the riverbed that need preferential attention, where action will be taken in the short, medium and long term.
