LIFE CORREDOR DO RIO LEÇA – Specific Water Management Plan for the Leça River

Introduction

The objective of this project is to enhance the capacity of CRL to prepare a SIP proposal for LIFE's 2025 Call. Such proposal aims to implement a "Specific Water Management Plan for the Leça River" (SWMP), aligned with the higher-level "Cávado, Leça, and Ave River Basin Management Plan" (RBMP), as outlined in its measure code PTE3P02M01_SUP_RH_3Ciclo of the RBMP.

Focus of the SWMP

The focus of the SWMP is detailing RBMP measures for the Leça river watershed, ensuring adherence to overarching policy instruments, particularly the RBMP. This plan implements the Water Framework Directive (WFD) at the regional level, in synergy with other local and regional policy instruments that implement and guide related EU policies, including:

1. Water management
2. Flood management
3. Climate policy
4. Forestry
5. Agriculture
6. Nature conservation

This is foreseen to provide a key tool for better and cost-effective local action, allowing the related SIP to be more targeted on the concrete needs of the watershed and enabling engagement with all related parties that are liable for action.

Capacity Building

In all, the capacity raised – including by reinforcing the internal team and subcontracting external expert support on legal matters concerning SWMP approval and on applications to LIFE funding – will allow submitting a high-quality SIP proposal.

Addressing Key Issues

Among others, in line with the WFD, the RBMP, and the SWMP, this will allow for various works to be addressed by the SIP and its complementary projects, embracing all axes of the RBMP, including:

• Reduction or elimination of pollution (ax PTE1 of the RBMP).
• Promotion of sustainability of water sources (ax PTE2 of the RBMP).
• Overcoming and minimizing hydro morphological changes (ax PTE3 of the RBMP).
• Control of invasive alien species, including those of EU and national concern (ax PTE4 of the RBMP).
• Mitigation of risks (ax PTE5 of the RBMP).
• Increasing knowledge (ax PTE7 of the RBMP).
• Awareness raising (ax PTE8 of the RBMP).