SailGP has teamed up with the University of Cádiz and Bay of Cádiz Natural Park to fund the restoration of coastal salt marshes as part of its local impact project in the city.
The project focuses on the restoration of 9.1 hectares of salt pans, including cleaning the walls, removing unwanted vegetation and restoring the water flow. The aim is to create suitable nesting surfaces for migratory birds and foster habitats for biodiversity in the Bay of Cádiz Natural Park.
Alongside this, SailGP’s funding will aid the construction of an observatory to be used for scientific monitoring, including the breeding and wintering of waterbirds without disturbing them.
The success of the project can also be judged thanks to the observatory, allowing the comparison of the number of species reproducing before and after the project, as well as the numbers of both wintering and breeding birds.
Alongside the project, SailGP athletes joined foiling base Cádiz clinic students and volunteers to help clean the canal of El Rio San Pedro using kayaks during the recent Spain Sail Grand Prix.
The athletes collected waste from the park, which was then weighed and identified by the University before being responsibly disposed of - and was the first time the park has conducted a clean up by sea.
It comes after the league teamed up with the university in Season 3 to protect threatened migratory birds, a project which involved securing a 10 hectare area for safe nesting.
The local impact project is one of five set to be delivered globally in Season 4, all of which aim to highlight how SailGP is improving the health of our oceans and helping to fight climate change.
