Carisma

Calidad ambiental de las reservas naturales fluviales internacionales y del medio acuático

Ponte Internacional San Gregorio Rio Troncoso - Proxecto Carisma Río Trancoso - Proxecto Carisma Río Laboreiro - Proxecto Carisma Río Laboreiro - Proxecto Carisma Olelas - Proxecto Carisma Várzea, á beira do Laboreiro - Proxecto Carisma Río Laboreiro - Proxecto Carisma Río Laboreiro - Proxecto Carisma CARISMA FLUVIAL

The CARISMA Project will establish the first international river reserve of the EU

  • The project combines the efforts of Spain and Portugal through the Confederación Hidrográfica Miño – Sil (Hydrographic Confederation of the Minho-Sil) and Administração da Região Hidrográfica do Norte (Administration of the Northern Hydrographic region)
  • The proposed actions will help protect, integrate and preserve the water resources of the cross-border territories through international cooperation regarding the environmental conservation and enhancement of the Troncoso and Laboreiro rivers and their surroundings
  • The plan will contribute to redirect the type of production in the area and promote eco tourism

The CARISMA Project (Environmental Quality of International River Nature Reserves of the Water Environment) is developed within the framework of the Cross-Border Cooperation Program Spain - Portugal 2007-2013, which promotes the development of border areas between both countries. Confederación Hidrográfica Miño – Sil (Hydrographic Confederation of the Minho-Sil) is coordinating this initiative, in which the Administração da Região Hidrográfica do Norte (Administration of the Northern Hydrographic region) and the town council of Melgaço are also taking part.

A pioneering strategy

The development plan is an innovative initiative that will set an example for good practices regarding the protection of river basins and water bodies both in Spain and Portugal, as well as internationally. Here in particular, it will preserve and improve the ecological condition of water bodies in the surroundings of the Trancoso and Laboreiro rivers, which are cross-border rivers proposed to be International Natural River Reserves.

To this end, the project CARISMA has been approved in the second round of the POCTEP (Cross-Border Cooperation Program Spain - Portugal 2007-2013) and has a budget of € 1,002,783.33 and a ERDF support of € 752,087.50 €, to be run until December 2012.

Cooperation regarding the management of water resources

The project envisions the installation of control stations to monitor the quality and flow rate of the water. It will also allow the transmission of data on the status of the rivers in real time on both sides of the border, which will generate a cross-border database. In addition, the installation of wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) will be carried out under the joint commitment to eliminate all sources of pollution resulting from population influence and to maintain the ecological quality of these two rivers.

The set of actions will improve the accessibility and the connection between the banks of both rivers, giving continuity to the cross-border riverside area and providing access to the trails. In addition, it also aims to promote environmental dissemination and the spreading of the rich and biodiversity of the area, a strategy that will stimulate and promote eco tourism, making the river nature reserve on a n area of significant value.