The University of Barcelona participates in a project to ecologically restore Campredó quarries

The clay quarries in Campredó.
The clay quarries in Campredó.
Research
(28/10/2015)

On 23 October, the project to perform an ecological restoration of three clay quarries in Campredó (Tarragona) was presented on an event chaired by Jordi Jané, Catalan minister of Home Affairs. The project is included in the LIFE programme of the European Union. The University of Barcelona, the University of Zaragoza, the Complutense University of Madrid and the company CEMEX participate in it.

The clay quarries in Campredó.
The clay quarries in Campredó.
Research
28/10/2015

On 23 October, the project to perform an ecological restoration of three clay quarries in Campredó (Tarragona) was presented on an event chaired by Jordi Jané, Catalan minister of Home Affairs. The project is included in the LIFE programme of the European Union. The University of Barcelona, the University of Zaragoza, the Complutense University of Madrid and the company CEMEX participate in it.

Montserrat Jorba, professor at the Faculty of Biology, coordinates University of Barcelona's collaboration. Josep Maria Ninot, Santiago Mañosa and Eduardo Mateos take part in the project too. The project has received €1.8 million funding and it will be developed in a five-year period. The object is to reconstruct the ecosystem damaged by quarry exploitation by means of a reproduction of the natural relief of surrounding grounds. The former aim can be achieved thanks to the application of an innovative and pioneering method of relief reproduction and design: Geo Fluv. This technique allows designing landforms that are stable against erosion and promote sustainable land development. New landform generates more suitable habitats for region's fauna and flora, facilitating then the ecological restoration of degraded areas.


Researchers expect the ecological restoration of Campredó quarries to give rise to ecosystems with high biodiversity that will play a major role in the control of floods, the regulation of climate change, the increase of pollinator insects, the restoration of natural habitats, the improvement of landscape, fauna and flora, etc. The LIFE programme selected the initiative for its innovative character and opportunities for elaborating a management protocol that promotes the ecological restoration of abandoned quarries.