Fundación Global Nature organises a nature festival to spotlight the Aquatic Warbler
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AWOM
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Biodiversity - Flyways
Our member from Spain Fundación Global Nature (FGN) was founded already more than three decades ago near Palencia in the Castilla y Leon region. FGN started their restoration work at the ancient inland of Tierra de Campos, bringing water and life back to lagoons that were on the verge of disappearing. Since then, FGN has grown to become one of the leading Spanish organisations in wetland conservation, biodiversity protection, and the promotion of a vibrant rural environment. Each year, through their ArtNature festival, FGN celebrates nature and culture during a day where music, theatre and workshops are gathered to celebrate wetlands and their restoration. As part of the LIFE AWOM project, FGN decided to put on a spotlight one particular bird species during the festival: the Aquatic Warbler.
As its roots remain where everything started, this year’s edition took place in Tierra de Campos – near Palencia -, the land FGN knows, cares for, and where it carries out its daily work. Boada de Campos is a restored lagoon, a wetland that today serves as a refuge for wildlife and a resting place for birds migrating halfway around the world, in a corner of rural Palencia. The fourteenth edition of ArtNature took place around this body of water, serving as a celebration of what truly matters: water and the life it brings.
The event brought together families, young people, and seniors, around one spotlight species: the Aquatic Warbler. The festival was co-organised with the LIFE AWOM project and began with talks and workshops to learn more about the species, the Boada de Campos wetland and the wildlife that inhabits it, followed by a family theater performance by Garrapete Clown, which drew laughter and applause from the three generations, and built the excitement as the afternoon wore on with some music. DJs Rob B Bop and Sabela, along with a concert by The Magnificats, set the pace in a peaceful afternoon. The event closed with a concert by Los Jaleo, a Madrid-based band with roots in Palencia.
The festival was also supported by the Palencia Provincial Council, the Boada de Campos City Council.
“Without a doubt, this edition has been the best in recent years, and we hope it continues to grow. We’ve felt the support, and we believe that a festival like this is essential for these areas,” says Alicia Bello, the event coordinator and program specialist at FGN. At its core, what was celebrated in Boada de Campos is a simple idea: the importance of culture. Restoring a wetland and filling a town with life are, in the end, the same gesture: ensuring that what deserves to live on does not fade away. A lagoon is restored by returning water to it; a town, by bringing people back to it. And in Boada de Campos, this time, that gesture took the form of a festival. Everything points to ArtNature continuing to grow until it becomes a must-attend event on the calendar.
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