GREEN BOW

The Green Arch Project

This project is part of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan of the Kingdom of Spain, having been financed by the European Union, through the Next Generation EU funds.

logo prtr small next generation logo

Arco Verde is a project of the Community of Madrid to bring nature closer to citizens. It aspires to connect the 3 Regional Parks with other natural spaces of interest surrounding the Madrid Cycling Ring. It will be a green infrastructure of the Community of Madrid to favor, conserve and protect regional biodiversity.

Arco Verde currently connects 15 municipalities of the Community of Madrid with the 3 large Regional Parks of the Community (Cuenca Alta del Manzanares, the middle course of the Guadarrama River and the Southeast) through the network of Vías Pecuarias and other roads and trails, to create a great Green Corridor that will surround Madrid and the municipalities of its Metropolitan Area.

In addition to the Regional Parks, Arco Verde will include spaces from the Periurban Parks Network, Public Utility Forests, forest areas of high environmental value and newly created natural spaces.

Data

Objectives

Arco Verde has been conceived as a comprehensive project in continuous growth that is based on 3 main objectives:

Arco Verde will contribute to improving the biodiversity of the Community of Madrid thanks to the creation, reinforcement and protection of natural spaces; as well as specific actions aimed at improving habitats and ecological connectivity.

Some of the proposed actions are:

Creation of 25 new biodiversity areas associated with Mediterranean habitats and wetlands with more than 306 new natural spaces.
Actions in more than 5.000 hectares associated with 30 forest areas and various areas of environmental interest.
Plantation of more than 540.000 native trees and shrubs.
Specific actions to improve native species of birds, amphibians, reptiles and pollinators.
Management of exotic and invasive species.
Maintenance and conservation
environmental monitoring

The tour will be used as an interpretive resource for the dissemination and enhancement of natural spaces through environmental education initiatives.

Arco Verde will contribute to enabling a space for public use in nature close to cities, since it will connect citizens with the 3 Regional Parks, the main peri-urban parks and other environmental spaces of interest.

New spaces will be created for the enjoyment of nature that allow the population to approach in a sustainable way, with adequate provisions based on the forecast of influx to the different areas.

For this, the project proposes some of these actions:

Conditioning and improvement of more than 200 km of roads and trails.
Incorporation of provisions for public use, posters and signage.
Connection with the main bike lanes in the region and 24 public transport stations.

All this will be possible without the need to use a private vehicle, thanks to its interconnection with the existing public transport network.

Build an initiative for the future in which the participation of all citizens is important.

The route will be used as an interpretive resource for the dissemination and enhancement of natural spaces through environmental education initiatives to make citizens aware of the importance of nature conservation. To this end, the project will contribute to promoting and reinforcing interpretive activities, relying in a unique way on the Community's Environmental Education Centers, in which various informative sessions and educational campaigns will be carried out.

The project will emphasize the reinforcement of accessibility, so that it is possible for people with limited mobility to access certain areas and for the adaptation of interpretive resources for people with disabilities.

Finally, Arco Verde also contemplates the enhancement of citizen initiatives that can contribute to the improvement of the project and synergies with other projects that could be complementary.

Project scope

The scope of the project has been divided into several sectors delimited by the main road infrastructures of the Community of Madrid, in a clockwise direction from the A1 motorway.

Section I

SECTOR 1: Subsectors 1a and 1b
Between highways A1 and A2

The urban sections will correspond to subsector 1a and the banks of the Jarama River with subsector 1b.
Subsector 1a encompasses the Municipal Terms of: San Sebastián de los Reyes, Alcobendas and Madrid.
1b includes: San Sebastián de los Reyes, Alcobendas, Paracuellos del Jarama and Madrid.

Section II

AREA 2 - HBL0307 AREA 2
Between highways A2 and A3

It affects the Municipal Terms of: San Fernando de Henares, Mejorada del Campo, Velilla de San Antonio, Arganda del Rey, Madrid and Rivas Vaciamadrid.

Section III

AREA 3 - HBL0308 AREA 3
Between highways A3 and A4

In it are the Municipal Terms of: Rivas Vaciamadrid, Getafe and Madrid.

Section IV

AREA 4 - HBL0309 AREA 4
Between highways A4 and A5

It takes place in the Municipal Terms of: Madrid, Alcorcón, Fuenlabrada, Getafe, Leganés, Parla and Pinto.

Section V

AREA 5 - HBL0310 AREA 5
Between highways A5 and A6

It affects the Municipalities of: Madrid, Pozuelo de Alarcón, Alcorcón, Villaviciosa de Odón, Boadilla del Monte, Majadahonda and Las Rozas.

Sector VI

SUB-SECTOR 6a - HBL0311 SECTOR 6a
Between the A6 motorway and the Monte de UP "El Ejido" in Hoyo de Manzanares.

In it are the Municipal Terms of: Las Rozas, Torrelodones and Hoyo de Manzanares.

SUB-SECTOR 6b - HBL0312 SECTOR 6b
Between the Monte de Up “El Ejido” in Hoyo de Manzanares to the Colmenar road (M-607)

It includes the Municipal Terms of: Hoyo de Manzanares, Colmenar Viejo and Tres Cantos.

Section VII

AREA 7 - HBL0313 AREA 7
Between the Colmenar road (M-607) and the A1 motorway

It includes the Municipal Terms of: Tres Cantos, San Sebastián de los Reyes, Alcobendas and Madrid.

Performances

Throughout the scope of the project, Arco Verde will act comprehensively in the territory, thanks to actions of a very varied type that will be developed in the following spaces:

Cattle tracks.
Paths and trails.
Protected spaces:

- Regional Park of the Upper Manzanares Basin (PRCAM)
- Regional Park of the Lower Courses of the Manzanares and Jarama Rivers (PRS – Southeast Regional Park)
- Middle Course Regional Park of the Guadarrama River and its surroundings (PRCMG)

25 new Biodiversity Areas:

- Linked to Mediterranean habitats
- Associated with river beds and wetlands

Listed wetlands

- Belvis Lagoons
- Fat Hill
- Henares Dam
- Sotillo and Picón de los Conejos
- Velilla Lagoons
- El Campillo Lagoon
- Horna Lagoons

Forest spaces and Public Utility Forests.
Urban forests and Forest Parks.
4 Environmental Education Centers of the Community of Madrid:

- CEA Caserío del Henares
- CEA El Campillo
- South Forest CEA
- CEA Polvoranca

Connections with 24 stations of the public transport network.
Singular locations:

- Autonomous University of Madrid
- Comillas Pontifical University
- Viewpoint of Paracuellos del Jarama

Biodiversity Guide in Arco Verde

This text wants to make known the biodiversity of our closest nature, to those other inhabitants of our cities and towns, the problems that threaten them and the small gestures that we can do every day to contribute to their protection and enjoy their proximity.

Download

Sponsor a tree

Arco Verde improves and grows with the participation of citizens. That is why we invite you to join him by sponsoring one of the trees that have been planted. It is a way of showing your commitment to improving biodiversity and conserving the natural environment of our region.

You will be able to choose a tree, selecting one of the enclaves that make up Arco Verde and one of the planted species. It is very simple. Once you have confirmed your request, you will receive a sponsorship diploma.

We will be delighted to receive you at the Environmental Education Centers of the Community of Madrid linked to Arco Verde so that you can come and see your tree on the ground and participate in the conservation of the biodiversity of this natural area.

Cheer up... Sponsor a tree!

Services

The Arco Verde project constitutes an opportunity to contribute to the environmental improvement of the Community of Madrid and it is estimated that the proposed actions can provide the following benefits:

ENHANCEMENT OF BIODIVERSITY AND CONNECTIVITY OF HABITATS

Arco Verde will be an instrument that will contribute to the enrichment of natural spaces, ecological connectivity and the protection of habitats.

Creation and recovery of habitats that can serve as a refuge for various species, generating new spaces for biodiversity.
Connection of currently fragmented habitats with new ecological corridors.
Regeneration of Mediterranean habitats and those linked to wetlands as priority habitats.
Protection of natural spaces.
Improvement of 8 river sections.
Conservation and reinforcement of existing spaces.
Unique actions to improve the habitats of birds, pollinators and herpetofauna.
Recovery of populations of vulnerable species.
Management of exotic and invasive species that may be competition for the native species to be protected.

PROMOTION OF SUSTAINABLE MOBILITY

Arco Verde will contribute to enabling a space for public use in nature close to the cities, since it will connect citizens with the 3 Regional Parks, the main peri-urban parks and other environmental spaces of interest through a network of paths and trails that They will be connected in turn, with the public transport network.

Nature closer to citizens
Improvement of the surface of Vías Pecuarias, paths and trails that can be used in conditions of comfort and safety by all types of users.
Management of public use in nature avoiding unwanted access to vulnerable areas of special ecological value.
Enhancement of unique natural spaces through Environmental Education initiatives.
Connection with public transport and existing bike lanes so that the use of private vehicles can be dispensed with or minimized.

INCREASE IN NATURAL AREAS

Arco Verde, will act comprehensively in the environmental improvement of the entire route, conserving the existing spaces and creating a Green Corridor around the itinerary and new spaces of environmental interest, for a total of 5.000 ha of natural spaces.

Incorporation of more than 306 new hectares of natural spaces thanks to the creation of 25 new areas of biodiversity.
Plantation of more than 540.000 native trees and shrubs.
Recovery of existing degraded spaces that currently cannot be traveled thanks to cleaning and conservation work.
Forestry and maintenance.

FIGHT AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE

The large number of plantations contemplated in the project and the promotion of sustainable mobility will contribute to combating the adverse effects of climate change.

Regarding mitigation:

540.000 new trees and shrubs as CO sink₂.
Foreseeable reduction in the use of private transport to access natural environments.
It is estimated that Arco Verde will contribute to offsetting the annual emissions of almost 40.000 vehicles.

In terms of adaptation:

Promotion of sustainable development
Generation of more shadow spaces
Reduction of suspended particles
Improvement of habitat conditions

Sarah Heads. SEO Bird Life
Arco Verde would improve bird populations through the recovery and connection of deteriorated habitats isolated from the peri-urban environment
Albert Alvarez. MCU-AEH
With the actions of Arco Verde we help to conserve amphibians, a highly threatened group and an essential link in the ecosystem
Raul Alonso. sapling
Facilitating the reunion between people who live in big cities and nature is one of Arco Verde's greatest achievements
Alfonso del Valle. Exotic fauna control
We will see an increase in the biodiversity of the native fauna and flora and the great use that citizens will give to the infrastructures created
Rachel Sanchez. sapling
Arco Verde supports the conservation of essential species such as pollinators by improving the quality of the habitat available to them

Plans

Green Bow

Powder Center

South Forest Center

Polvoranca Park

peri-urban parks