Ebro Riverbank Restoration: 4,650 Native Species Planted in La Rioja

The La Roza meander in Alfaro, La Rioja, Spain, has been transformed into a renaturalized space following the planting of 4,650 native species along the Ebro River. The project, led by the General Directorate of Natural Environment and Landscape, covers 12 hectares and aims to mimic the natural growth of riparian vegetation. The planting includes 1,800 black poplars, 1,250 white poplars, 1,390 ashes, 140 white willows, and 70 cherry trees. The restoration is part of a larger environmental initiative to recover the meander as a fluvial space, coordinated between various administrations as part of the LIFE Ebro Resilience P1 project. The planting was carried out in three distinct zones, creating different types of riverside forests. This intervention has recovered 22 hectares of floodplain, integrated into the Natura 2000 network, and improved the river's dynamics by creating a relief channel. The total budget for the morphological adaptation and environmental restoration of the Ebro in the La Roza meander is 2.2 million euros.