Ecological connectivity is crucial to the vitality of Spain’s landscapes and seascapes, and their contribution to the Mediterranean Region as a global biodiversity hotspot. Connectivity has long been an area of research and innovation among Spanish scientists and research institutions.
Since the IUCN Guidelines for conserving connectivity through ecological networks and corridors were translated into Spanish, demand has continued for connectivity science, policy, and practice across the country.
In recent years, Spain has adopted increasingly strong policy underpinning a commitment to ecological connectivity. First, as a party to the Convention on Biological Diversity, Spain adopted the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) and has aligned its Strategic Plan on Natural Heritage and Biodiversity to 2030 (acting as the country’s fourth National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan [NBSAP]) to the GBF Goals and Targets. Spain’s NBSAP includes the objective to address climate change by “strengthening the adaptive capacity of green infrastructure and ecological connectivity, including the conservation and expansion of ecological corridors, to promote adaptive responses of species.”
Furthermore, as a member of the European Union, Spain is bound by the EU Nature Restoration Regulation, a groundbreaking law passed in 2024. The law stipulates targets relevant to connectivity including “improved ecological coherence and connectivity “an increasing trend in forest connectivity” and “river connectivity –identifying and removing barriers that prevent the connectivity of surface waters, so that at least 25,000 km of rivers are restored to a free-flowing state by 2030.”
At the national level, Spain’s National Green Infrastructure, Connectivity, and Restoration Strategy, approved in 2021, establishes ecological connectivity, ecological networks and corridors, as fundamental to the country’s biodiversity strategy. The Strategy is a comprehensive treatment of the current status of Spain’s green infrastructure and provides direction to both the national Ministries and regional governments to establish, govern, and monitor ecological networks.
Complementary is the Strategic Plan on Natural Heritage and Biodiversity to 2030, which was revised in 2023 and addresses ecological corridors and Spain’s commitment to significantly advance management tools for Protected Areas, including marine migratory corridors.
As policy momentum accelerates, there is increasing need for coordination and diffusion across scales and sectors. An important step forward unfolded in the city of Ávila from June 24-26, 2025, as 45 experts from 25 institutions attended “Conservation of Ecological Connectivity in Spain: A Dialogue to Accelerate Collaboration and Action.”
The meeting helped build a shared vision on how to address ecological connectivity from an integrated and coherent perspective. Plenary and working groups highlighted the need to harmonize technical and regulatory criteria at the national level in order to more efficiently guide regional and local policies and actions.
Of note, participants were motivated to invest in advancing knowledge and management of river, coastal, and marine connectivity, which still remain under-emphasized in current conservation plans. The participants agreed to work in the coming months on the development of technical recommendations that will accelerate progress in connectivity conservation and turn policy commitments into practical actions on the ground, in the riverbed, and at sea.
The event was organized by the IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation, IUCN Spanish National Committee, and IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas’ Connectivity Conservation Specialist Group through its secretariat at the Center for Large Landscape Conservation. The Universidad Católica de Ávila generously hosted the meeting and additional support came from the Consejo Superior de Investigaciónes Científicas; the MITECO Biodiversity Foundation through the Recovery, Transformation, and Resilience Plan, funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU; and the Aptenia Foundation.
Please note: This digest is intended to provide up-to-date information on policy development from a neutral, unaffiliated position as it relates to connectivity and corridor science and management.
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