Description of the initiative

This municipality aims to restore and recover the stretch of the Guadalquivir River as it passes through the town. To this end, it has launched the project “Kissing, embracing the Guadalquivir”, whose main objective is the ecological restoration of the Guadalquivir’s riverside vegetation and the reduction of flood risk by using nature-based techniques and reconnecting the river.

In addition, the project seeks to reintegrate the river into the city and thus restore the Guadalquivir’s social, environmental and economic connection with the people of Andújar. To this end, different citizen participation processes have been created around the recovery of the Guadalquivir, thereby facilitating citizens’ identification with their natural environment.

The objectives of the initiative are:

• Restore the river channel
• Restore riverside vegetation
• Promote citizen participation
• Integrate the river into the city
• Promote renaturalisation, biodiversity and ecological connectivity

Implementation period

From January 2023 to December 2025.

Methodology

The methodology has been based on the creation of working groups and on the development and coordination carried out by the technical area of the City Council’s Environment Department.

Resources

The project has technical resources and has received a grant from European Funds to co-finance the initiative.

Stakeholder engagement and partnership building

To carry out this project, Andújar City Council has had the collaboration of the Biodiversity Foundation, under the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, and other local entities committed to the recovery of biological diversity, such as the Citizen Participation committee, the Green Citizens’ roundtable, external consultancies, technical staff and citizen outreach (social groups, nursery and primary schools, secondary schools, etc.).

What elements must be taken into account for the replicability, scalability and transfer of the initiative to another Local Entity?

The involvement of the technical team in the Environment area has been essential in shaping the project, as has the collaboration of the rest of the government teams.

Obstacles: What have been the main obstacles encountered in the different phases of the project?

Social opposition regarding certain specific issues and the economic-financial budget have been some of the obstacles that have been overcome during the process.

Triple impact: Is the project sustainable from an environmental, economic and social point of view?

The economic, social and environmental triple impact has been taken into account in the design and implementation of the initiative. Each has been assessed and measured in order to seek a balance between impacts. Andújar is one of the towns at greatest risk of flooding due to the high erosion resulting from olive cultivation and the reduction of the floodplain due to the construction of defensive embankments, which cause the riverbed to rise through sedimentation and narrowing. These factors, among others, will be mitigated by the project’s actions, preventing potential natural and economic disasters for the population and facilitating coexistence between the inhabitants of Andújar and the Guadalquivir river channel, which currently has hardly any prominence in the municipality.

Results, measurement and impact

The results and impact sought by the initiative are:

• Increase the natural hydrological capacity of the channel and expand floodplains in the upstream, urban and downstream sections.
• Improve the ecological quality of the riverbank in the urban-rural section by restoring the native riparian vegetation series.

• Create a social and emotional link between the city of Andújar and its inhabitants and the Guadalquivir River, connecting the city and providing low-impact public-use facilities and nature interpretation along a 3 km riverside trail.
• Increase drainage capacity in the surrounding area.
• Improve institutional planning, together with an integrative, female and inclusive awareness in ecological solutions: the population, the city and the basin.