Àrea Metropolitana de Barcelona

Free-Med's goal is to mobilise public and private stakeholders to act to address the environmental problems associated with rivers. The territories involved are faced with similar sets of water-related problems, including issues such as water supply and consumption, water resource and environmental quality and water use conflicts. The aim is to arrive at management practices that help protect and improve the water resources in these territories and their river basins. The work conducted under the project consists of three areas: the exchange of experiences and best practices, analysis workshops and the carrying out of experimental activities.
The objective is to underline the importance of water in light of its natural, historical and cultural value and of the fact that it is a central concern of stakeholders in the territory, including institutions, businesses, residences and others. The aim here is to identify the procedures and tools that are best suited to the protection and preservation of this scarce resource.

Free-Med began in 2009 and concluded in 2012. It was successful in helping maintain and restore the environmental quality of riverbanks and natural bodies of water and ensuring their appropriate use for human activities. AMB's river service carried out management activities under this project, including work on maintenance, sign posting and other elements of the space around rivers.