International work camp of Gaià

The main purpose of this environmental work camp is to perform the tasks to conserve the space around the river creek Camanegre. The participants will be involved in maintaining, restoring and conserving the environment of the Gaia River activities. It will be an unique opportunity for participants to observe the aquatic fauna of the creek and touch the incredible nature of the area. Specifically, the volunteers will carry out different tasks 1. Improvement of forest habitats. 2. Improvement of Altafulla lock. 3. Elimination of invasive exotic species. 4. Monitoring of wildlife interest groups. General maintenance of the EIN of the mouth of the Gaià river and the coastal environment of Altafulla. - Tamarit: maintenance of various sectors of the space alternating tasks such as the arrangement of access roads, fences and perimeter landmarks, information panels , waste cleaning etc. - Habitat improvement: support in various tasks that the organization is currently carrying out in the fluvial area of ​​the Gaià river. For example control of exotic species (reed, Japanese honeysuckle, miraguà or blue crab), management of dune cordon systems and spaces in custody, etc. - Biodiversity monitoring: scientific monitoring, using standardized sampling techniques, of some faunal groups of interest such as turtles, macro invertebrates, butterflies, birds or mammals. - Priority tasks: according to the specific needs of the Association, participants will be able to collaborate, voluntarily and under common consensus, in other tasks that may be a priority for the entity.

The stay will take place in the facilities of the public school "La Portalada" (Altafulla, Tarragona). These space will accommodate and adapt to the volunteers needs, and the school will provide the space for the preparation meals, and the organization will provide the necessary equipment for preparing the meals. Meals will be taken outside the school, in an area equipped with tables and chairs. If the environmental conditions are unfavorable, meals will be taken inside the space provided by the school. The school will give its own spaces and equipment to guarantee the personal hygiene of all the camp participants.

Altafulla is a municipality of medieval origin in the province of Tarragona, Catalonia. Nestled on the southeastern slope of a mountain of 52 meters high, along the Mediterranean coast, belongs to the region of Tarragonès and is framed in the natural and historical supra-regional area of Camp de Tarragona and the sub-region of Baix Gaià. Although written documentation places its beginnings in the eleventh century, when the river was the border between the Catalan counties and the kingdom of Al-Andalus, archaeological excavations indicate that the origins of the fortification date back to the Muslim period or even earlier. On the coast is one of the last forests that extend along the sea in Catalonia, part of which is a small nature reserve (under the Special Plan for Environmental Protection and Landscape Tamarit-Punta de la Móra). Also on the coast, it is home to the remains of the Roman Villa of Els Munts, which is part of a larger ensemble declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The Gaià river "flows" into the sea, its last stretch being a small nature reserve and refuge for songbirds (Reserva Natural de Fauna Salvatge de la Desembocadura del Gaià), although due to the reservoirs upstream, it carries very little water in this last stretch, forming a small marsh separated from the sea by a sand bar. This wildlife reserve is managed by L'Hort de la Sínia, a center for ecological agriculture, learning and activities. During the afternoons, volunteers will participate in complementary and leisure time activities: workshops, fauna observation, excursions, debates and other activities that will be prepared between all the volunteers. There will be the option to organize extra activities with extra cost depending on what the volunteers want to do. For example, an excursion to Port Aventura World Park.