Zoo de Barcelona is participating in the project “Water Resources Management in Zoo Facilities – FIT4USE Water Recirculation Technology” financed by the European Union through the LIFE project. The aim of the project, coordinated by the Technical University of Liberec (TUL) (Czechia, the Czech Republic)), is to find ways to ensure zoos optimise their use of water, an essential resource in the day-to-day running of their facilities.
Within the framework of this project, Zoo de Barcelona will be trying out a new system for reusing surplus water left over from cleaning its facilities. This is a plant fitted with natural filters through which plants and micro-organisms remove the nutrients and pollutants from the water.
Once the water has been treated, it is put back to use in the Zoo for irrigation, cleaning and refilling naturalised ponds, among other uses.
The pilot plant, which will enable the regeneration of this surplus cleaning water, will be located outside the Doñana installation and will be up and running in the summer of 2025. What’s more, in order to publicise the Zoo's participation in this LIFE project and with the aim of raising public awareness of the role played by wetlands, this installation will be open to the public and will feature information panels.
Meeting of the various institutions involved in the project in Barcelona
Also participating in this LIFE project, which has a total budget of €2.7 million, are the University of Barcelona Solidarity Foundation; the University of Girona (UdG), through the Chemical and Environmental Engineering Laboratory (Lequia) research group; Liberec Zoo (Czechia); and the Photon Water Technology group, experts in water treatment systems. There is also a group of external experts involving, among others. the Valencia Biopark and the Cabárceno Nature Park.
Today, 25 April, the UB Solidarity Foundation will be hosting a working day with representatives from the different institutions involved in the project. And tomorrow, the same representatives will be meeting at Zoo de Barcelona. You can check out the meeting programme at this link.
