Volunteering for the conservation of biodiversity and the environment in southern Catalonia (Tarragona)

EUGEPEC21

Presentation

This document is aimed at young people, from 18 to 30 years old, interested in Nature and the environment and Europeans who want to come to the south of Catalonia to volunteer for 9 months, from January 2021 to September 2021, with our environmental NGO www. gepec.cat in the European Solidarity Corps project. One of the places is for young people with fewer opportunities. Our European identification code is E10151432. Our contact person is Susanna Cuadros Göttel (phone +34 676 22 72 77 email [email protected]) and she is the one to whom you have to send your motivation letters and curriculum vitae for later selection. If this is not your case but it is that of someone you know, we would appreciate it if you would send this document to them. Thank you very much in advance. A Mediterranean hug.

The Grup d'Estudi i Protecció dels Ecosistemes Catalans-Ecologistes de Catalunya (GEPEC-EdC) was born in 1985 as a result of the union of other small organizations focused on the conservation of biodiversity. The NGO grew territorially in the north of the province of Tarragona until covering the rest of Catalonia’s southern regions, including those that surround the Ebre river. It also grew in themes, incorporating work on energy, climate change, pollution, urban planning, organic production, etc. From the initial 30 members it grew to the current 700. Also, over the years, it moved towards criteria of transparency and overture, started incorporating professionals to the voluntary nucleus that manages the entity, focused bigger efforts on the communication carried out by specialists, let younger membres into the organization (70 kids every year take part in the so-called “Naturalists’ Schools”), etc. The entity's estate consists on the rental of a central office in the city of Reus, occupying another office in Cal Bofill (on Torredembarra beach, where GEPEC- EdC also has access to a warehouse) and classrooms at the naturalists’ schools in Canyadell (Altafulla, with an accommodation for volunteers), Parc del Pinaret (Cambrils) IES Horticultura (Reus), CEIP Sant Llàtzer (Tortosa) and La Ibérica (Roquetes). It also has an 11ha plot of land in Pratdip, as well as custody agreements with both public and private owners for more than 40 plots of land with more than 10,000ha in total, especially in the mountains near the sea.

The entity bases its work on the 400 volunteers divided into 16 existing volunteer groups and on the work of 6 full-time professionals, 3 part-time educators from the Naturalists’ Schools, as well as regular but occasional professional collaborations for certain projects or campaigns (lawyers, biologists, educators, etc). Also noteworthy are the alliances established both with other similar organizations (especially in the Xarxa Sud, Ecologistes de Catalunya federations and the Xarxa de Conservació de la Natura) as well as with local public administrations, small and large companies, unions, etc.

Although in the early years GEPEC-EdC’s actions focused on conducting environmental education and information, as well as the defense of natural spaces, over time it incorporated work against illegal hunting and pollution (fighting for a cleaner energy that respects the landscape) and for urban planning ecological agricultural production, correct management of water and household waste, etc. In 2019 GEPEC-EdC was awarded the Premi Medi Ambient (Environmental Prize Award) by the regional government (Generalitat de Catalunya), and has enjoyed the trust of entities such as La Caixa Foundation, the Biodiversity Foundation, the European Commission itself (in 2003, for an investigation into the illegal traffic of hazardous waste in Spain), as well as numerous municipalities and public and private entities in these more than 35 years of life.

Currently the organization is divided into 5 large areas of work:

1. Projects for the conservation and custody of the territory: This area focuses on the knowledge of the territory and especially its practical application on processes and actions that favor the conservation of biodiversity and sustainable development. Examples of this are projects such as the conservation of specific fauna species (such as bats, pollinating insects, birds such as the kentish plover or Bonelli's eagle, and reptiles like the loggerhead sea turtle), owned plots of land (Les Setjoles, Pratdip) or others with agreements with its owners (public or private, up to 40 zones with thousands of hectares).

2. Education, volunteering and activities: The star of the association are the Naturalists’ Schools, an extracurricular activity project aimed at children with 5 locations in 5 municipalities. In parallel, activities are organized on a closed calendar, on demand as ecotourism and also for schools, and are enjoyed by thousands of people every year.

3. Environmental defense: This area is dedicated to monitoring and, where appropriate, reporting projects which could be potentially harmful to biodiversity, the environment and health, safety of people and the economy. In this area we can speak of both pollution processes and habitat destruction.

4. Communication: It is one of the two transversal areas of work, and until recently was carried out exclusively by non-trained volunteers. This area tries to introduce changes in the way the rest of the areas work so that they communicate more with each other, with associated people and supporters, as well as with the rest of society.

5. Administration and management: The legal, administrative, economic and management weight of the rest of the areas falls on this one.

Our motivation to host European volunteers

GEPEC-EdC is an organization that has relied on volunteers since its inception in 1985 and considers the volunteer as a structural figure in the development of its mission. In this sense, the motivation of the organization for its participation in the CES, the objectives it wants to achieve and the impacts are summarized in three points:

1. Spread the mission and the entity itself beyond its usual dissemination capacity

GEPEC-EdC was the host entity for many EVS program volunteers between 2003 and 2017. In 2017, the PROA association that carried out its volunteer management stopped working, and the work of GEPEC-EdC in this regard was reduced. The possibility of participating in the CES is a particularly interesting occasion to recover the rhythm of the metabolism achieved a few years back with the help of these volunteers and thus break boundaries and encourage a greater dissemination of GEPEC-EdC.

The participation of an international volunteer in the organization makes it possible to spread the message of the entity to its country of origin, but it is also a very interesting opportunity to highlight the organization's work in its territory, thus facilitating broadening the impact framework of organizing, motivating local volunteers and learning new ways of working and thinking (such was the case with the EVS program). It also allows for the expansion of the work to other fields such as the exchange of information with other organizations from other countries, preparing and participating in international projects and campaigns, etc. 2. Share actions and experiences in favor of sustainable development in collaboration with other experiences and initiatives on a European scale

We believe that the participation of a volunteer during a long stay will allow him/her to understand the entity’s structure in detail, as well as its organization, operation of the organization, mission and activities. This should allow the volunteer to, when he/she returns to his country of origin, propose actions or projects that can have a positive impact for the conservation of natural heritage and sustainable development in his/her reality.

3. Encourage the personal growth of the GEPEC-EdC volunteer and professional team with experiences from other territories, fostering greater interrelation with new European realities and strengthening the connection between people and EU territories

Through the participation of people from other realities and EU territories we also intend to achieve a growth of our technical team, which allows it to be even more open to a European perspective, while also indirectly impacting the community of which the organization is part as well as the creation of lasting bonds.

Project activities and profiles

Throughout this project, our purpose is to implement eight types of activities in which to a lesser or greater extent we want all the volunteers to participate:

1. Maintenance of the Canyadell space. 2. Maintenance of Cal Freu and Cal Bofill and opening to the public of Cal Bofill 3. Maintenance of lands in custody. 4. Kentish plover tracking 5. Support for Naturalists’ schools and other activities. 6. Support to technicians and volunteers of projects. 7. Support for local volunteer groups 8. Support for the entity’s communication and administration areas.

The number of volunteers that we would like to include in the project is 4. We’re looking for people motivated with the conservation of biodiversity and sustainable development, who appreciate environmental values and want to actively learn how to spread awareness about environmental problems and their possible solutions. We are looking for people capable of carrying out practical actions and understand the value of their permanent achievement, who are involved with the organization and are capable of developing teamwork, continuously and with a desire for personal improvement but also for the improvement of the team and the fulfillment of the organization's mission. Committed people, who without receiving a salary during their stay know how to commit and fulfill one hundred percent, who are willing to work from Wednesday to Sunday, who take into account that there will be a wide variety of jobs that include from hard physical jobs in the outside, (cold, heat, rain, mosquitoes ...) to computer or laboratory work.

In short, we are looking for profiles with the will to grow personally by learning the value of social and environmental sustainability for our society and the need to develop practical examples in the territory that favor a dynamic towards sustainable development.

Project management and organization

The person responsible for the volunteers is also responsible for the CES program. She will be in charge of managing and coordinating the project, together with the volunteers and the rest of the GEPEC-EdC team, while also tutoring the volunteers throughout their stay. In addition, and apart from the tutor, there will be a reference person from each work area to help the integration of the volunteer. Once the project begins, the management will proceed with the following steps, arranged more or less chronologically:

- Contact prior to the arrival of the volunteer to exchange updated information. In this prior contact, the tutor will answer all the questions asked by the volunteer and will act as a bridge between him/her and the different GEPEC- EdC areas if necessary. This also includes the possibility of putting the volunteer in contact with motivated local volunteers for the reception of the European volunteer.

- Contact with the volunteers to guarantee a learning process and a growth process. This point consists of 5 phases that are developed throughout the project: initial tutoring; welcome and arrival tutoring; follow-up tutorials; tutorials on demand; and final tutoring.

- Contact with the support organization with which we will establish the following moments for communication and coordination: prior contact; monthly contact; and final contact. - Preparation of the logistical issues: transport, accommodation, welcome, etc.

- Informative and coordination meeting with the GEPEC-EdC team and with the person of external reference to the entity.

- Welcome and accompaniment during the first days.

- Beginning of the tutorials and the evaluation system that consists of the following points: monthly evaluation with the volunteers; monthly evaluation with the technical team; individual meeting with each volunteer; quarterly evaluation with volunteers; quarterly evaluation with the technical team; final evaluation.

Once the different points described above have been implemented, which are developed in other points of the project, the coordination and management of the project will be constant, since different spaces are guaranteed for this and also to improve, change and / or adapt throughout the project to ensure a positive experience for the participants and for the entity, as well as for the fulfillment of the volunteer's personal project. The relationship with the GEPEC-EdC partners and volunteers is also contemplated.

Accommodation, financing and activities spaces

Currently two of the main fieldwork sites are very close to each other in two contiguous municipalities: Altafulla and Torredembarra. Altafulla: GEPEC-EdC has a custody agreement with the owner (Altafulla’s city council) of an idyllic 13,000m2 estate (El Canyadell) consisting of a pine forest that leads to a cove of the same name, surrounded by the suburbs. The activities of one of the GEPEC-EdC's Naturalists’ Schools take place on this land, as well as the experimental nursery for native plants, a shelter for bats, etc. In addition to the classroom where the children keep their materials, a furnished apartment has been set up for the reception at the moment, up to 6 volunteers at a time. In it there is a kitchen and bathroom equipped like other common spaces. Volunteers of both genders will share the apartment in double rooms (separated by gender). In addition to being in a very beautiful environment and 5 minutes by bike from the train station that in 15 minutes takes you to Tarragona and in 1 hour to Barcelona.

Presentation pine farm Canyadell: https://youtu.be/dUOQJ595NrY

Volunteers will have their round trip to Torredembarra and back home fully funded and during their stay they will be paid 150, - € each per month for food, plus 180, - € per month for personal expenses.

Torredembarra: the entity has two premises also on the beach: an office (Cal Bofill) and a small storage room (Cal Freu). Both 10 minutes by bike from the former Canyadell estate. These places are the work center especially of the Protected Area of Els Muntanyans (natural beach with dunes and marshes and strong human pressure). In parallel, since the association works throughout the geography of southern Catalonia as a result of these projects and campaigns, it is usual to leave these two municipalities, either to help with field work in the mountains, as well as to help with activities or at the central office in Reus (30 min by train) or secondary office in Roquetes (1h by train and bus).

Description of the Activities

ACTIVITY ID: 1

NAME ACTIVITY Maintenance of the Canyadell Estate

ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION The 13,000m2 pine forest needs continuous maintenance work. These range from the extraction of invasive flora (Agave, Arundo, Senecio, Campsis), maintenance of the didactic classroom of the Naturalists’ School, maintenance of the forest nursery, cleaning of spaces for public use, updating of the exterior and interior signage, monitoring of bat shelters, maintenance of the organic garden, etc.

ACTIVITY TOPIC (S) Agriculture, forestry and fisheries Climate action, environment and nature protection Rural development and urban regeneration

LOCATION Finca El Canyadell, Altafulla. ACTIVITY ID: 2

NAME ACTIVITY Maintenance of Cal Freu and Cal Bofill and opening of Cal Bofill to the public

ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION These two premises are continuously used by volunteers and users of the buildings for which they need continuous cleaning and maintenance work, decoration, care of the plants, updating of the available information and attention to the visitors who enter the building with the objective to give them the best attention, as well as dynamization of the exhibitions present in it.

ACTIVITY TOPIC (S) Climate action, environment and nature protection

LOCATION Cal Freu (Torredembarra Maritime Club) and Cal Bofill (Torredembarra seafront, 100m from Cal Freu)

ACTIVITY ID: 3

NAME ACTIVITY Maintenance of land in custody

ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION On the beaches of La Paella / Els Muntanyans (Torredembarra, Creixell and Roda de Berà), but also on others (mainly Mur Verd in La Canonja and Les Setjoles in Pratdip) it is necessary to carry out maintenance actions ranging from manual cleaning to the monitoring of flora and fauna, through the control of invasive species or the monitoring of the sand on the beach for possible consequences of climate change.

ACTIVITY TOPIC (S) Agriculture, forestry and fisheries Climate action, environment and nature protection Rural development and urban regeneration

LOCATION Especially beaches of La Paella / Els Muntanyans (Torredembarra, Creixell and Roda de Berà), Mur Verd (La Canonja) and Les Setjoles (Pratdip). ACTIVITY ID: 4

NAME ACTIVITY Kentish plover tracking

ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION This bird only nests on the beaches and between the months of March and August. Due to the extraordinary pressure it is under, it is necessary to monitor and protect it physically with the installation of protective cages for nests and fencing with sticks and ropes, among other complementary surveillance and information tasks.

ACTIVITY TOPIC (S) Climate action, environment and nature protection

LOCATION Beaches in the north of the province of Tarragona and south of Barcelona, between the municipalities of Vandellós-L’Hospitalet de l’Infant and Sitges.

ACTIVITY ID: 5

NAME ACTIVITY Support for Naturalists’ schools and other activities

ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION Each school site has a schedule and a program of activities that is adapted to the needs and concerns of the participating children. The activities are carried out outside on a regular basis, therefore the safety of minors is the first priority of the educators and any support in this regard is very important for the tranquility and better management of the activities. In addition, the volunteers can help with the preparation of teaching materials such as games or field study tools.

ACTIVITY TOPIC(S) Climate action, environment and nature protection

LOCATION La Ibérica (Roquetes), CEIP St Llàtzer (Tortosa), El Canyadell (Altafulla), El Pinaret (Cambrils) and IES Horticultura (Reus). ACTIVITY ID: 6

NAME ACTIVITY Support to technicians and volunteers of projects

ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION Every year the technicians and volunteers of projects obtain funding and material and human resources to carry out projects and campaigns of a very diverse nature: conservation of fauna, flora, habitats, agricultural improvement with wild pollinators, social insertion in environmental work with people with disabilities, conservation of rivers and monumental olive trees, etc. Every year is a surprise and the collaboration of young Europeans can sometimes make the difference between working alone or in good company, learning from each other while moving forward with the projects.

ACTIVITY TOPIC (S) Agriculture, forestry and fisheries Climate action, environment and nature protection Rural development and urban regeneration

LOCATION Province of Tarragona mainly.

ACTIVITY ID: 7

NAME ACTIVITY Support for local volunteer groups

We have 16 volunteer groups: 1. Finca Les Setjoles, 2. Dry stone 3. Kentish plover 4. Red-tailed lizard 5. Sea lily 6. Cleaning in Roquetes 7. Mediterranean forests 8. Aggressions to the natural environment 9. Pollution and waste 10. Territorial groups 11. Flora 12. Loggerhead turtle 13. Els Muntanyans natural beach 14. Support in the opening and management of the association's headquarters 15. Fairs and stops 16. Conduct of activities Many of them will appreciate the participation of young Europeans. These young people have different functions shared by all the groups: increasing the spirit among the volunteers, increasing their regularity, contributing new points of view and mutual knowledge.

ACTIVITY TOPIC (S) Agriculture, forestry and fisheries Climate action, environment and nature protection Rural development and urban regeneration

LOCATION Province of Tarragona mainly.

ACTIVITY ID: 8

NAME ACTIVITY Support for communication and administration of the entity

ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION There are tasks that, without having some knowledge of Catalan or Spanish, can still be performed and be of great value for the communication and administration areas: support in the distribution of materials, the organisation of events, the management of social networks, the recording and editing of videos, etc.

ACTIVITY TOPIC (S) Agriculture, forestry and fisheries Climate action, environment and nature protection Rural development and urban regeneration

LOCATION Province of Tarragona mainly. Office tasks can be done at Cal Bofill (Torredembarra).