Management and restoration of a protected Catalan wetlands

CODE: CAT08/26

Work:

The general objective of the workcamp is to show the environmental reality of a territory and how to intervene in it by:
1. Contributing to the improvement and conservation of the Natural Area of Sils wetlands.
2. Knowing the biodiversity and the characteristic habitats of these humid zones
3. Knowing the land stewardship, the actors in the territory that participate and good practices.
4. Transmitting values of cooperation and respect towards the environment and its inhabitants.
5. Offering a space for exchange and discovery of the different realities of the participants, mainly in environmental issues and for the conservation and management of natural spaces.
6. Encouraging responsible consumption in every way. On the one hand, as an important measure for our environment; on the other hand, in the use of new technologies and other aspects related to the care of oneself and the community.
7. Promoting participants to become diffusers.
8. Showing Catalan culture through vividness and networking.
The volunteers will work 6 hours a day from Monday to Friday, and the rest of the day there will be environmental education workshops, games, swimming pool and leisure time. The local population will not participate in the actions but they will participate in the leisure activities such as traditional dances, the astronomy workshop, etc.

Accomodation and food

The accommodation for the workcamp will be located at the Cultural Centre of La Laguna, known as the Sala Cultural de La Laguna.
La Laguna is a vibrant cultural space with several multifunctional areas. On the ground floor, there is a large entrance hall that serves both as the main entrance and as an activity space due to its size. Nearby, there are separate toilets and showers for different genders. Next to this area is a large hall where all volunteers will sleep together in a shared sleeping space.
The main hall, usually used for cultural activities such as theatre performances and dance events, will serve as the sleeping and resting area for participants during the workcamp.
Upstairs, there are two additional spaces: “El Galliner” (a smaller upper-level room) and a large corridor that is sometimes used for activities. The building also includes two offices and a storage and cleaning room. The centre is equipped with a basic kitchen. As far as possible, food products will be organic.
The menu will be balanced and prepared daily using fresh products, ensuring all necessary nutrients while respecting environmental sustainability. Fish consumption is minimal and meat consumption is limited, meaning meat will not be served every day.
The hosting organisation welcomes vegetarian and vegan participants and takes food allergies and intolerances into consideration. Participants who are vegetarian, vegan, or have any allergies or intolerances must indicate this during registration so that alternative menu options can be arranged.
There will be five meals per day: early breakfast, a mid-morning fruit/snack break, lunch, afternoon snack, and dinner.
Participants will be organised into small groups and will cook on a rotating basis. The kitchen is basic but fully functional and includes a microwave. Participants are kindly asked not to use the kitchen outside the established meal times.
The dining area is equipped with tables and benches. We also hope to access the local swimming pool and, exceptionally, use the showers there if needed.
The venue has Wi-Fi and electricity. There is no washing machine or dryer; therefore, participants will need to wash their clothes by hand and hang them to dry upstairs.

Location and leisure

Sils Lake is a protected natural area included in the Plan of Spaces of Natural Interest (PEIN) of Catalonia. It is part of the European Network of Natural Spaces Natura 2000, which is at the core of European biodiversity policies. In recent centuries, areas of natural flooding have receded, and today they are scarce in Catalonia.
In the Mediterranean context, the conservation of spaces such as the Sils Lake has become of the highest interest. Due to its special humidity and flood conditions, several species of flora and fauna characteristic of wetlands are still preserved in this area.
Sils will be your accommodation town in your stage in Catalunya. Sils is a municipality and town of the “comarca de la Selva”. It is located at the bottom of the “comarca” plain, and its southern third was occupied until the mid-nineteenth century by the lake of Sils, which we will restore. The town has 6,093 citizens, and it’s located near Girona, Lloret de Mar, or Sta. Coloma de Farners.
Lake Sils is a protected natural area in accordance with the legislation of the Generalitat de Catalunya and has been proposed to be included in the European Natura 2000 network. It is the remains of a lagoon that was drained in the past in order to obtain new farmland and fight malaria. However, thanks to the conditions of special humidity and the annual floods, species of flora and fauna characteristic of the humid zones are still conserved. In recent centuries, areas of natural flooding in Catalonia have suffered a major recession and are currently scarce in Catalonia. On the other hand, in a predominantly Mediterranean context, the conservation of natural spaces such as the Sils lake is one of the most interesting.

There will be leisure activities every day, and some days some excursions. Here is an attached list of the main activities that will be done:
• Knowledge activities
• Group cohesion dynamics
• Self-management activities: "Do it together"
• Excursion to Can Moragues, headquarters of Fundació Emys. A country house, situated in Riudarenes, next to Sils.
• Excursion to Girona
• Excursion to Costa Brava town
• Excursion to Farners Castle

Project hosted by

Emys Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to the conservation of nature, especially wetlands and the terrapin Emys orbicularis, which gives the name to the Foundation. Born in 2003, the Emys Foundation is located close to Riudarenes on a country farm called Can Moragues. Emys orbicularis is the native terrapin of Catalunya, North Africa, and most parts of Europe. In 1987 a group of young people discovered through a talk that in his region there was an endangered terrapin, the Emys orbicularis. They decided to do something to help that species. Those people started doing custody agreements with local territory owners to protect ponds, streams, and lakes. And this is how the Emys Foundation starts. Actually, Emys orbicularis is still endangered because of the destruction of the habitat, exotic species, and water contamination. In the Selva region, we found the best-preserved population in Catalonia, with more than 500 animals. The organization works with a conciliatory view, where the challenge is involving the owners, managers, and users of the territory in the natural heritage values, its sustainable management, and its long-term conservation. All this is done by voluntary work, land stewardship, research, conservation, education, and consciousness-raising. The organization has been groundbreaking in the field of amphibians and reptiles and has been awarded on different occasions. The research projects made by the Emys Foundation receive advice from investigation groups of different universities (University of Barcelona, University Autonoma of Barcelona, University of Girona, and also the Aranzadi Science Society). The technicians of the Emys Foundation are also university investigators and take part actively in the writing and publication of scientific articles, congress executions, and technical conferences. All the information collected in the research projects of the Foundation is used to evaluate and improve our methods of natural environmental management.

Directions to meeting point

The meeting point will be on the first Saturday at 16:00h at Sils train station. The workcamp leaders will be waiting for the volunteers there. The train station is located only 100 meters from the accommodation.
To reach Sils by public transport:
By train: To reach Sils train station, take the R11 regional train line from Estació de Sants in Barcelona, which connects Barcelona, Granollers, Girona, Figueres, and Portbou.
Sils train station is served by the R11 line, offering convenient connections from major cities in the region.
By car: From Girona, take the N-II road. Follow the signs and take the exit towards G-155, heading to Mallorquines. From there, take the C-63 towards Sils. From Barcelona, take the C-33 motorway and then join the AP-7. Continue on the AP-7 until exits 9A–9B in the direction of Palamós. Then continue on the C-35. Follow the N-II and then the C-63, and finally take Carrer de l’Estany to Plaça de l’Estació in Sils.
LAST DAY OF THE CAMP: The workcamp will finish after breakfast at 9:00h, and volunteers can leave to take the train back to Barcelona, but for more information, feel free to contact EMYS directly.

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