Vivero de Maceda: 18 años produciendo plantas de

Transforma
Grupo Tragsa Magazine · № 4
May 2015
Vivero de Maceda:
18 años produciendo plantas de calidad
9.000 Kilos de ayuda
para los más necesitados
www.tragsa.es
Published by:
© Grupo Tragsa
General Secretary
Sub-department of Communications
C/ Maldonado, 58 - 28006 Madrid
Tel.: 91 396 34 00 - www.tragsa.es
informacion@tragsa.es
Publishing editor
Milagros Mateos Herrera
Coordinator and editor
Rosa Ruiz Alejo
Art Direction and Design
Luis Cerdeira Estirado
Photography
Grupo Tragsa Photo Archive and several authors
The opinions expressed by the collaborators do not necessarily represent those of the publishers.
Contents
5
6
14
22
EDITORIAL
Sustainable Development: a shared commitment
FIELD JOURNAL
Results of the food collection campaign for Fesbal
ENVIRONMENT
Maceda Nursery:
18 year’s experience in plant production
UP CLOSE
TRAGSA
• Drone technology
• Tragsa health and safety workshops in Peru
28
• Removal of a dead whale in Almeria
TRAGSATEC
• Electronic system for sending court summons
to the Spanish Home Office
• Initial results from Castilla-La Mancha’s geographical
name database
• Spanish network for women in the fishing industry
34
FACTS AND FIGURES
The Tragsa Group undertook 1,410 environment related projects
in 2013, amounting to 29.4% of the Group’s total
4 TRANSFORMA
E D I T O R I A L
La relación de la sociedad con el clima y la preocupación
por el desarrollo sostenible están cobrando una importancia cada vez mayor, colándose en la agenda política
internacional casi a diario. Tanto es así que en la última
cumbre del G20 —celebrada a mediados del mes de
Noviembre— pese a tratarse de un evento de orientación puramente económica, los líderes políticos han
querido incluir un llamamiento a la colaboración en materia energética, y han expresado su preocupación por el
avance del cambio climático.
El mismo camino de búsqueda de sostenibilidad está
siguiendo la Unión Europea, que establece como objetivos para sus fondos estructurales materias como la
innovación y la eficiencia energética. Los estados miembros de la Unión se han comprometido con tres objetivos
de vital importancia dentro de este marco: reducir las
emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero, aumentar el
peso de las energías renovables en el consumo final, y
mejorar la eficiencia energética.
El Grupo Tragsa no es ajeno a la evolución que desde
el ámbito internacional se está pidiendo para los modos
de consumo de energía, y hemos querido ser partícipes
de este cambio que se reclama desde todos los sectores.
La amplia experiencia en la conservación del medio ambiente dota a nuestros profesionales de una sensibilidad
especial, que han sabido aplicar a trabajos de tanta envergadura como, por ejemplo, el Proyecto Edisos.
Este proyecto, desarrollado por el equipo de
Investigación y Desarrollo, investiga sobre nuevas
tecnologías de ahorro y eficiencia energética en los
Edificios Públicos. Por el momento, se han realizado actuaciones de consultoría, se han llevado a cabo estudios
de eficiencia, y se han auditado edificios de propiedad
pública como la estación de tren de Tarragona e instituciones penitenciarias. Y es que aunque la búsqueda de
la sostenibilidad requiera un compromiso global, que
involucre a toda la sociedad, es imprescindible que las
Administraciones Públicas constituyan el ejemplo que
deben seguir sus ciudadanos.
Se trata de un momento de gran protagonismo para
el cambio climático, pues se aproxima la Conferencia del
Clima de la ONU en Lima, que establecerá las líneas de
trabajo para la posterior gran cumbre de París en 2015,
en la que se pretende renovar el Protocolo de Kioto con
medidas de mayor calado y mayor implicación política.
En este contexto, el Proyecto Edisos, y las tecnologías de eficiencia energética que se están desarrollando
en su seno, situarán a la Administración Española y al
Grupo más cerca de sus compromisos para con el medio ambiente.
Miguel Giménez de Córdoba Fernández-Pintado
Presidente del Grupo Tragsa
TRANSFORMA 5
F I E L D
N O T E S
TRAGSA
GROUP
OFFICES HAVE
COLLECTED
AROUND
9,000 KILOS
OF FOOD FOR
THOSE MOST
IN NEED
6 TRANSFORMA
From the 11 to 13 November,
Tragsa Group workers around
Spain took part in the food
collection campaign in
partnership with Fesbal, the
Spanish federation of food banks.
TRANSFORMA 7
Around 842 million people go
hungry around the world every
day. In Spain alone, over 11 million people are at risk of social
exclusion while around 8.5 million tonnes of food are wasted
every year, according to the latest
report by Cáritas.
58 Tragsa Group
offices have been
actively involved in the
campaign.
If everyone works together, we
can change this situation. This is why
the Tragsa Group chose to support
FESBAL, a not for profit association
declared to be of public service, in
delivering basic food items to the
most vulnerable families.
This year’s slogan was “Nos necesitan. Hacemos falta” (They need
us. We are needed) and it is the second time that the company has
Alimentos recogidos en la Delegación de Murcia.
En total se han recogido cerca de 9.000 kilos de
alimentos en nuestras delegaciones de toda España
8 TRANSFORMA
taken part in this kind of initiative within the Group’s Corporate
Social Responsibility policy. For
David, who works in the Lerida
office, “it is the most beautiful and
caring way to help those who
need it most and to bring colleagues a little bit closer together”.
All workers in 58 offices have
actively taken part in the campaign and thanks to their efforts
almost 9,000 kilos of food have
already been delivered to food
banks throughout Spain. Marta in
Valencia says, “We should always
be supportive during difficult times” and this is why “I always like
to help people who are having
a hard time. Although these are
complicated times for the majority of us, I think that by sticking
together, we’ll get through it”.
The people selected to coordinate the campaign in each office have
done a great job. They have been
key to collecting the 8,778.39 kilos of
food, which will undoubtedly help
hundreds of families in difficult situations, and they have passed on
the message of how important this
initiative is by organising the collection system. José Manuel Díez
Quintanilla, Secretary of the Tragsa
Group comments: “These projects
once again demonstrate the human quality of all those people at
the Tragsa Group”.
Marta has coordinated the project in Zaragoza and Teruel and has
enjoyed the task: “Helping others
is always a positive thing, both for
the people who receive and those
who give. A lack of knowledge often means that people don’t help,
so giving colleagues this opportunity is a great idea”.
All those who have taken part
have described the experience
“You just have to tap into
the caring side of us that
we all have”.
Maritza Velasco.
as “very positive”. Francisco, from Badajoz, explains
that “it’s been really pleasing to collect over 100 kg
of food at our office”. Isabel, from Zaragoza, comments that “it always feels good to help other
people and to see that if we all contribute a small
amount, the outcome is huge”.
“We have to encourage social
awareness and put ourselves in
the shoes of those people that
are having a really bad time”.
José Luis (Tarragona)
Rocío, who is also from Zaragoza, believes
that “by helping those most in need, you realise just how fortunate you are, because we
sometimes forget” and her colleague Javier
comments that “as well as being very satisfying on a personal level, it’s a great social
project. If you found yourself in that situation, you’d like someone to do the same for
you”.
In addition to the contributions made
by workers, the Group donated another
700 kg of fruit and vegetables that the food
bank has given to the Hijas de la Caridad.
This food was used in an advert commissioned by the Spanish Ministry for
Agriculture, Food and the Environment
and will be managed by Sister
Mercedes, who is extremely grateful,
explaining that “this is a really important donation, as it will help many of
the families that come to us”.
Sister Mercedes is a key figure in
terms of family help in the region
of Madrid. She has been working
with the food bank since the 1970’s
and spends almost every day working here. She drives across Madrid
from North to South in her van, collecting food from companies and
supermarkets that she then hands
A FORMER TRAGSA GROUP COLLEAGUE
IS APPOINTED PRESIDENT
OF THE PALENCIA FOOD BANK
Maritza Velasco, current president of the Palencia
food bank, worked as an administrative office for
the Tragsa Group. She found out about the food
bank through her job seven years ago and that is
how she decided to become a volunteer. She has
always helped out, because it is very satisfying: “I
always say that volunteering is actually very selfish,
because it makes me feel good”.
Maritza explains that she feels like she’s doing
something really productive. “Our work helps families and children who are having a really hard time.
Life has its ups and downs and we could easily find
ourselves in a similar situation at any time. That’s
why we want to help this project now and we try to do
the best we can”.
Maritza plays down her role, emphasises the importance of team work and explains how everyone “does
what they can in a very caring and dedicated way”. There
are currently nine volunteers at the Palencia food bank,
although at certain times, like during the food collection
campaign, there can be as many as one hundred or more.
This campaign was launched at the end of November
and was a great success nationally and, in particular, in
Palencia. “It’s so inspiring to think that people went out
specifically to buy food to donate despite the bad weather”.
She adds, “Lots of young people took part, which is wonderful, because it shows that they realise what is going on”.
Maritza believes that “generosity is inherent to the human race; we have a great deal of empathy” and she thinks
that people only need a little bit of information to get
involved in these kinds of
projects: “if people are aware,
they’ll definitely take part.
If you tell them what it’s all
about, they are willing to get
involved. Nobody has said
no to us” and this is why she
thinks that “you just have to
tap into the caring side of us
that we all have”.
Maritza Velasco, president
of the Palencia Food Bank
TRANSFORMA 9
Gracias al Banco de Alimentos, Sor Mercedes
lleva desde los años 70 ayudando a familias
en la Comunidad de Madrid
10 TRANSFORMA
out to people who need it. “I spend
all day running around, loading up
lots of boxes of food and then I organise it all and put it all on the
shelves. It’s hard work, but my good
friend Teresa helps me and so does
Victor, a volunteer, who helps to
load and unload everything, because at 73, I can’t lift things the
way I used to”, she confesses.
Tears well up in her eyes when
she talks about the worrying increase in the number of families
who come to her for help. “Many
more people have come over the
last few years” as a result of word
of mouth, but “it’s a lot of people and sometimes, with a very
heavy heart, I have to tell them
that we just can’t help”. She recalls
people’s emotions when food is
handed out: “they can’t thank you
enough and it’s very satisfying
when small children stare at their
parents loading up the car with
products and ask their Mums if it’s
all for them and if they really don’t
have to pay a thing”. She currently
helps around 100 families who
come to her every month and a
half or two months, “we give them
a lot of food, a trolley loaded up
with pasta, lentils, beans, fruit and
vegetables and lots of cans”.
We ask her how she thinks we
can make society more aware
of this issue and she says that
“not everyone has the necessary
means” and that’s why she can’t
answer the question. She just smiles and tells us that her job is really
satisfying and how the mother superior is more than happy for her
to spend every day working at the
food bank. “Once I’ve finished my
prayers and I’ve completed my
work in our community, I’m completely free and when I get a call, I
jump in the van to collect whatever people have prepared for me.”
NON-PERISHABLE FOODS,
HIGHEST DEMAND
During the three-day campaign,
basic items like milk, oil and tinned fish were collected, as this is
what is most called for. Baby food
and powdered baby milk was also
collected because “many families
can’t feed their children and that’s
really hard for parents” states our
colleague Rosa from Murcia.
The kilos of food donated by
companies and individuals are divided up by Fesbal. 9% goes to
the long-term unemployed, 28%
to immigrants, 21% to the elderly
and 7% to children and teenagers.
Some of our colleagues were
already familiar with this organisation, like Maria in Huelva. “I help
the food bank whenever I can,
because a small donation from
me means that together we can
achieve a lot”. Marta, a colleague in
Valencia believes that it is possible
to “encourage people to contribute and that a small donation puts
the smile back on people’s faces”
The Tragsa Group hopes
that this campaign has been a
shared response to the many initiatives suggested by employees.
By taking part in this kind of social project, the Group is moving
forward with its Corporate Social
Responsibility Policy and its commitment to society.
“We have to encourage
humanity because
it’s a powerful thing”.
Socorro (Huelva).
Food Banks are not for profit
organisations run by volunteers that collect food given
by society and redistribute
it to people in need, making
sure that it is not wasted or
used inappropriately. Food
banks operate in developed
societies where benefit from
donations and share the
human and cultural values
needed to help reduce the
cruel imbalance between
excess food and poverty
and marginalisation. Food
is always distributed to legitimate organisations and
never directly to individuals.
TRANSFORMA 11
BREAKDOWN OF FOOD DONATED BY COLLECTION POINT
LOCATION
TOTAL
LITRES
+ KILOS
LOCATION
TOTAL
LITRES
+ KILOS
LOCATION
TOTAL
LITRES
+ KILOS
OVIEDO180,07
ALICANTE48,00
CUENCA232,50
LA CORUÑA
SALAMANCA26,80
TOLEDO SANTANDER1018,96
107,10
LUGO36,34
ORENSE 55,84
PONTEVEDRA55,26
SANTIAGO DE
COMPOSTELA 198,85
HUESCA33,00
TERUEL21,75
ZARAGOZA 184,97
PALMA DE
MALLORCA9,40
TARRAGONA41,41
LÉRIDA36,38
BARCELONA41,66
MURCIA220,92
PATERNA 454,00
CASTELLÓN65,90
PALENCIA86,89
SEGOVIA63,25
BURGOS76,60
VALLADOLID 200,50
LEÓN49,86
ZAMORA62,20
ÁVILA10,00
SORIA121,85
LOGROÑO85,00
PAMPLONA10,80
VITORIA26,00
BILBAO21,50
TENERIFE62,60
GRAN CANARIA
113,31
CIUDAD REAL
139,30
ALBACETE235,00
GUADALAJARA150,50
315,70
MADRID127,00
MADRID EVENTOS 700,00
MADRID SEDE
SEVILLA U.T.
1718,00
238,13
CÓRDOBA35,80
HUELVA119,50
CÁDIZ73,00
JAÉN136,00
GRANADA170,00
MÁLAGA59,00
ALMERÍA187,49
BADAJOZ115,50
CÁCERES146,00
BADAJOZ (MÉRIDA) 53,00
FESBAL 2014
CAMPAIGN TOTAL 8778,39
12 TRANSFORMA
Alimentos recogidos en las oficinas
del Grupo Tragsa en La Rioja
WE NEED YOUR HELP
If you would like to help the
Spanish federation of food banks,
please contact them on:
Web: www.bancodealimentos.es
Mail: fesbal@fesbal.org
Tel: 91 735 63 90
TRANSFORMA 13
MACEDA NURSERY
18 YEAR’S
EXPERIENCE
IN RESEARCH
AND PLANT
PRODUCTION
14 TRANSFORMA
E N V I R O N M E N T
TRANSFORMA 15
The nursery was built by a private
individual in 1993 to meet what
were then the requirements of
new subsidies for the reforestation
of farmland within common
agricultural policy. Many years
have passed since then and the
nursery has changed and adapted
over time. A new building was
erected in 2002 measuring
600m2 which housed offices,
storage space, refrigeration and
acclimation rooms and also an
in vitro laboratory. This was an
important step, as it enabled work
in different areas of R&D&i to be
carried out and to produce plants
using biotechnological processes.
Lourdes González works in
the laboratory: “the R&D work
16 TRANSFORMA
we do in the nursery’s laboratory
helps in the search for better solutions to both plant production
and plant quality. This is why we
work with the latest technology
to meet market needs and consequently, the needs of society”.
MODERN, HIGH-TECH
FACILITIES
The Group’s facilities at Maceda are
two kilometres from the town on an
estate measuring a total of 9.8 hectares which is mainly used for plant
production. There are currently four
very different areas at the nursery:
a work-room (2,000 m2), a heated
glass house (6,000 m2), a shading
unit with heat shield (6,000m2) and
a hardening area (12,000 m2).
The estate also has two other
greenhouses used for rooting and
hybrid chestnut stock, an office
building and finally the storeroom and storage chambers. The
facilities are equipped with the
industry’s latest mechanical and
electronic devices, such as automatic climate control, organic
irrigation equipment and temperature and room humidity control
with cooling and fog systems.
These modern, computerised
facilities can produce almost any
kind of “tailor-made” plant with a
known origin and ideal characteristics. Using these plants the Group
helps government departments,
one of the company’s main customers, in their task to restore our
forests. Juan Antonio Gómez, technical nursery specialist, remarks
that the nursery is “a key link in
the company’s projects related to
reforestation and restoring spoilt
areas, as we guarantee the use of
the most suitable genetic forest
material in each situation”.
The nursery’s modern,
computerised facilities
can grow almost any
kind of tailor-made
plant.
Maceda nursery does not only
work with government departments and it also supplies plants
to private nurseries, cooperatives
and companies working on the reforestation of the entire north west
of the Spanish peninsular. Maceda
also supplies the Tragsa Group’s
own facilities in Spain’s different regions, particularly those in Galicia,
Extremadura, Castilla and Leon
and Castilla-la Mancha.
R&D&i
In 2003, Maceda nursery opened a centre for agri-environmental
improvement and development (CEMDA). The aim of this centre
was to develop R&D&i projects to produce and improve new forest
reproductive material together with other companies and public
bodies in the research field, helping to develop the forestry industry’s technological arm.
The nursery’s professional team has gradually acquired new
knowledge and working methods, obtaining the infrastructures required to undertake more ambitious projects. Below are some of
the methodologies that have been worked on up until now:
• In-vitro production of woody species.
• Molecular characterisation of different species using RAPDs,
AFLPs and SSRs.
• Cyropreservation of new forest reproductive material (FRM).
• Monitoring the physiological state of trees in situ using
drones.
Beatriz Cuenca is R&D manager at the nursery and explains that
“we’ve been able to transfer many of the developments we’ve made
to our forests thanks to the projects that we’ve undertaken. The
sector wouldn’t otherwise have benefited from these advances, owing to the huge lack of R&D work in the forestry industry” and she
adds that the Group’s commitment “to pass on this knowledge has
turned us into a point of reference in forestry R&D for producers,
associations and small companies and researchers looking for solutions to a specific problem or a way of transferring their research”.
The Tragsa Group is currently the only state-owned Spanish
company with high levels of business activity in the forestry industry to have its own high-profile R&D&i centre.
Throughout its 11 year history, the centre has acquired infrastructures and methodologies enabling it
to be a service provider in the fields of applied biotechnology and genetic progress, which enables it to
respond to many of the issues that are thrown up out
in the field. Lourdes González is convinced that we
need to continue down this path “increasing our partnerships with other scientific institutions around the
world so that we can share and increase our knowledge. Above all, we have to maintain the rigor, ethics
and scientific and personal spirit that we are known
Control de parámetros
for. This is what will make us better and more innovative during these difficult times that the research
community is facing”.
TRANSFORMA 17
A MULTIDISCIPLINARY TEAM
Its team of highly qualified professionals is the nursery’s main
asset and in many cases these
professionals have over 15 year’s
of experience in the industry.
There are currently 14 permanent employees at the facilities,
57% of whom are women, although at peak business times
this number can rise to around
50. These employees come from
a variety of backgrounds, including horticulturists, agriculturists
and forest specialists and experts,
who apply the latest techniques
and knowledge in their different
fields, which together with the
facilities and resources, enable
the nursery to produce the majority of forest, ornamental and
fruit plants using either traditional methods (seeds or cuttings) or
using biotechnological methods,
reducing deadlines and guaranteeing a quality end product.
“The wealth of experience we
have gathered over the years in the
R&D field means that we now have
very highly qualified and versatile
staff” explains Lourdes González.
Over the last ten years, the
nursery has produced 26.5 million plants, including standard
species and specific varieties
that are produced to order, serving over 900 customers. As the
company is state-owned, it is
recognised as a reliable, quality business able to spend time
on detailed projects that other nurseries cannot take on. The
OUTSTANDING PROJECTS
sown in areas close to the dunes
in question.
Another outstanding project
was the forest and environmental restoration of the areas that
were burned down in the municipal region of Laza in Ourense
(2006-2007), which required pinus
pinaster and pinus sylvestris (Scots
pine) to be grown. Over 350,000
other leafy species were also
grown, including sweet chestnut,
wild cherry, Pyrenean oak, champion oak and English walnut.
The restoration of the openpit mines in the Villablino region
in Leon (2014-2015) is another
Over the last few years, Maceda
nursery has been commissioned
to carry out many projects that
could be called outstanding, not
only because of the nature of the
plants used, but also because of
the circumstances and environments involved in the projects
themselves. One example is the
project to restore the dunes on
many beaches in the province of
A Coruña (2011) which required
40,000 plants of the Ammophila
arenaria variety (marram grass and
beach grass) that were previously
18 TRANSFORMA
The nursery has a
production capacity
of 4.5 million plants
a year. In the last few
years, has produced
26.5 million plants.
nursery’s R&D activity identifies
specific needs within the industry and searches for the financial
resources and research teams to
provide solutions.
Maceda nursery now has a
production capacity of 4.5 million plants a year and it has
become an example of the added value inherent to the services
provided by the Tragsa Group.
clear example of an outstanding
project. 200,000 plants produced
at Maceda are being used in this
particular project, including Scots
pine, pinus uncinata, Pinus sylvestris, Pinus uncinata, white birch,
sycamore, wild cherry and holly.
Finally, the project to environmentally
integrate
the
construction of a Parador Hotel in
Muxia (A Coruña) is also outstanding. Seeds from existing species
have been collected in situ and
will be grown at the nursery’s
facilities so that they can subsequently be reincorporated back
into the project.
57% of the facility’s
14 permanent staff
are women.
Producción en umbráculo
TRANSFORMA 19
P R O F I L E
Name and Surnames:
Qualification:
Position in Tragsa:
Seniority in the company:
Key aspects about the services
provided by the Maceda
Nursery - strengths:
Beatriz Cuenca Valera
PhD in horticulture
Project manager
14 years
• High quality forest plants – absolute guarantee of health and identity.
• Pest and disease-free biotechnological production of plants.
• Exhaustive traceability.
• Technical advice.
• In-house collections of genetically improved plants from the most
financially beneficial species (Pinus pinaster, chestnut tree, cork tree, etc).
• Quick response to specific requirements, both large and small (tailormade production of very specific species, grafted with the customer’s
own varieties, cloning of interesting trees).
What does her job involve?
Her main tasks are coordinating and managing the technical aspects
of R&D&i projects to improve forest genetics aimed at producing new
forest reproductive materials. This means the selection, reproduction
and testing of forest species in order to develop materials of higher
genetic quality. She also uses biotechnology as a tool for production
(micropropagation), molecular characterisation (using DNA and /or RNA
molecular markers), and tests for resistance to pathogens or to different
biotic conditions in order to gather the information needed when using
new forest materials.
How can the nursery
help people?
Maceda Nursery is more than just a forest nursery. It provides a link between
research and development in the industry and the private sector. Not only
will forest owners find the market’s best quality plants for afforestation
purposes, but also relevant, cutting-edge advice about potential new
forest materials, growing techniques, preventing and treating pests and
diseases and solutions to specific problems (lack of plants from a specific
origin, ad hoc production of specific varieties, clone identification, etc.).
The fact that we are a state-owned company ensures our reliability,
guarantees our quality and our ability to spend time on detailed projects
that other nurseries cannot take on.
20 TRANSFORMA
TRANSFORMA 21
U P
C L O S E :
DRONE
TECHNOLOGY
HELPS THE TRAGSA
GROUP’S PROJECTS
In October, the Tragsa Group set up a drone
(unmanned aerial vehicles) workshop to respond
to concerns raised by many of the Group’s
organisational units about the potential use of
these aircraft in their different projects.
Firstly, the Group organised
a technical conference about
drone technology at the School
of Forestry in Madrid, which was
attended by many units from the
Tragsa Group and also several
companies from the industry.
The conference highlighted
the extraordinary developments
made in drone technology,
(formally known as Remotely
Piloted Aircraft Systems or RPAS)
particularly over the last 3 years,
in both the civil and commercial
spheres. Developments in light
navigation (GPS/IMU-INS) and
22 TRANSFORMA
data collection systems (mainly
RGB cameras, multi/hyperspectral imaging) have contributed
greatly, making RPAS an effective
solution for land observation
and analysis.
The Tragsa Group has extensive experience in planning,
collecting, processing and using
data collected remotely (via airborne sensors and satellites) and
is now beginning to apply RPAS
technology to a wide variety of
fields, such as irrigation, crop
management, pest and plant
disease control, fishing surveil-
lance and control, fire control,
waste control, and also for monitoring fauna, biodiversity and
building work.
The conference was opened
by the Head of the School of
Forestry at Madrid’s Universidad
Politécnica. Also taking part were
Tragsatec’s director, Francisco
Baratech, who emphasised the
relevance of RPAS, stressing that
“there is no area of business in
which this technology cannot
be applied” and deputy director
for R&D&i at the Tragsa Group,
Antonio Puelles.
T R A G S A
TRANSFORMA 23
U P
The Tragsa Group is working on
a project in Peru to improve and
expand the water supply and
sanitation conditions in the
Apurimac and Puno regions.
24 TRANSFORMA
C L O S E :
T R A G S A
INFRASTRUCTURES AND
CITIZEN AWARENESS
RAISE THE QUALITY
OF LIFE IN 362 RURAL
PERUVIAN TOWNS
Poverty levels in these two regions are
the highest in Peru and are aggravated
by high mortality rates owning to the
spread of disease caused by gastrointestinal bacteria which particularly affect
children and old people. The lack of basic hygiene measures is directly linked to
this situation, which is why this project is
so important on a social level.
The aim of this initiative, which is one
of the social inclusion policy measures
adopted by Peru’s Ministry for Housing,
Building and Sanitation (MVCS) within
the programme to improve and expand
water and sanitation services in Peru
(PROCOEES), is to improve health conditions for people living in the Apurímac,
Ayacucho, Huancavelica, Cusco and
Puno regions and to optimize the use of
available water resources, strengthening
management capacity and making these
basic services sustainable.
362 rural towns will benefit from the
infrastructures being built. The Tragsa
Group is working to expand water and
sanitation services in 35 communities
(twelve in the province of Puno and 23 in
the provinces of Abancay, Andahuaylas
and Cotobambas) where over 3,300 basic
sanitation units have been built, including a toilet, shower and basin.
Tragsa Group workers also realise how
important it is to raise awareness and
Teodomiro Relea, José Vicente Argente,
Andrés González and Vicente Gonzáles,
who are in charge of the building work,
have organised information sessions
about health and safety aimed specifically at the communities’ children. Around
35 children and their teachers from the
Komerucho Pucara community attended
the sessions and the interest shown has
encouraged the team to repeat these
workshops in the other regions involved
in the project.
The work being carried out in the
Puno region is currently 50% complete
and work in Apurimac, which began in
September, is also well under way.
TRANSFORMA 25
U P
C L O S E :
THE PORT AUTHORITY, CIVIL
GUARD, MARITIME RESCUE
AND THE MINISTRY FOR
THE ENVIRONMENT WORK
TOGETHER TO REMOVE A DEAD
WHALE IN ALMERIA
26 TRANSFORMA
T R A G S A
The Tragsa Group was part of the
team involving 20 people that
was responsible for moving the
animal, a female finback whale
measuring over 16 metres and
weighing around 28 tonnes.
The whale’s drifting body had
to be removed by staff and teams
from the port authority, the
civil guard, the Ministry for the
Environment and maritime rescue, who were led by EQUINAC,
the NGO authorised to rescue
marine species.
Having received notification
from a leisure boat, maritime
rescue services first sent out the
boat “Denébola” to the reported
site and the boat took almost
two hours to tow the whale by its
pectoral fins to Torregarcia beach
(Almeria). The body remained
beached around ten metres from
the shore and so the port authority had to step in and transport
the whale to the port.
The Tragsa Group transferred
the body from the port to the
municipal rubbish tip, where a decision was finally made to bury the
whale using a 200 tonne crane, 2
flat bed lorries and a special vehicle.
Although the reason for the
whale’s death is still unknown, it is
believed that the animal died from
serious damage to its caudal fin,
which was completely sliced and
was probably the result of having
been hit by the propellers of a large
boat. Staff at the Ministry for the
Environment have taken samples
to try and clarify what happened.
TRANSFORMA 27
U P
C L O S E :
MORE EFFICIENT
AND EFFECTIVE
JUSTICE
28 TRANSFORMA
TRAGSATEC
The implementation of a Legal Interoperability
Platform eliminates some of the paper
communications between Spain’s courts and
state-run law enforcement organisations, setting
up a single, standardised registration process
that prevents duplications and saves time.
This is a milestone for law enforcement organisations and the police,
as up until now, each summons
notification requiring action by
the police was sent by fax and/or
ordinary post from the courts and
the details entered by hand at police headquarters, requiring huge
human effort.
This process is now much simpler, safer and, most importantly,
quicker. When the court secretary enters information into Spain’s
court administration system (SIRAJ
in its Spanish acronym), and the
system detects that this data
should be sent to the country’s law
enforcement organisations, this information is sent automatically to
the legal interoperability platform.
The platform forwards this information to Spain’s Home Office
and from here it is sent to the
relevant organisation (national
police force or the civil guard). If
the process works correctly, the
Home Office replies to the system indicating the correct status
of the information sent or the relevant incidents that will be made
available to staff at the court office via the SIRAJ system.
72 courts in nine municipalities in Madrid (Alcorcón, Arganda,
Collado Villalba, Fuenlabrada,
Leganés, Majadahonda, Móstoles,
Navalcarnero and Pozuelo de
Alarcón) have taken part in a pilot
project rolled out by a Tragsatec
team led by María M. Cristóbal.
The feasibility tests performed
have been successful and to date,
over 1,900 notifications have
been sent.
This tool will improve court
practice, speeding up proceedings, enabling information to be
shared and bringing down operational costs (staff, paper and
system maintenance).
The government body in Spain
that overseas the legal profession (Consejo General del Poder
Judicial) has given an award for
justice quality to the Department
of Justice Administration for helping to make the legal system more
transparent through projects like
this one for sending notifications
to the Home Office and others,
such as a project for displaying
electronic files.
TRANSFORMA 29
U P
C L O S E :
THE CLASSIFICATION
PROJECT HAS
COMPILED OVER 12,000
GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES
30 TRANSFORMA
TRAGSATEC
Castilla-La Mancha’s regional government has presented
the initial results for this pilot project which will create a
database of geographical names in Castilla-La Mancha.
This initiative is based on similar projects
and aims to recover forgotten place
names, preserving the area’s cultural
identity and boosting interest in the region’s tourism industry. Spain’s National
Geographic Institute (IGN) has worked
closely on this project and the starting point has been their topographical
maps on a scale of 1:25.000.
To date, information has been gathered in 27 towns in Castilla-La Mancha
from the regions of Tarancón (Cuenca)
and Los Yébenes (Toledo). 12,000 place
names have been recovered and over
half of these have come from information gathered during field interviews.
The teams taking part in the project
visit important locations and interview
people who know the area well. Using
this information they are able to correctly match place names using a map
application for mobile devices. This application allows then to pinpoint the
geographical location of place names
in situ, storing and updating the information in real time on a centralised
database.
The regional minister for development in Castilla-La Mancha, Marta
García de la Calzada, has stressed how
important it is for citizens to take part,
“because the majority of these names
only remain in the memories of our
older residents and without their help,
it would be impossible to recover place
names that play a major role in preserving our culture”.
All other information has been
checked and reviewed by Tragsatec officers, who have also taken part in the
fieldwork stage, using existing information sources taken mainly from Spain’s
National Geographic Institute and the
land register.
Now that this stage of the project
has been completed, a new phase has
begun that aims to include over 100
municipal areas in the province of
Toledo covering an area of over 800,000
hectares.
The final results will meet the requirements of the European INSPIRE directive
and will be delivered to Spain’s National
Geographic Institute for verification. The
information will be included on official
maps and can be viewed on the Council
of Communities’ website, on google
maps and on all other websites that take
official data from the regional Castilla-La
Mancha government.
TRANSFORMA 31
U P
C L O S E :
SPANISH NETWORK FOR
WOMEN IN THE FISHING
INDUSTRY – A PLATFORM
FOR EQUALITY
32 TRANSFORMA
TRAGSATEC
Since 2009, the General Secretariat for Fisheries
at Spain’s Ministry for Agriculture, Food and the
Environment has charged Tragsatec with driving,
developing and maintaining an organisation for
women in the fishing industry to ensure that the work
of these professionals is acknowledged and their
important contribution to the industry recognised
The Spanish network for women
in the fishing industry is a national body that aims to encourage
equal opportunities in the fishing
sector. The organisation leads the
way in Europe and has been set
up to respond to and voice the interests of a mixed group that has
traditionally remained behind the
scenes, where their work has been
poorly recognised if not totally
ignored.
Since it was set up, the network’s aim is to emphasise the
jobs done by women in the
industry, encourage equal incorporation and development within
the industry for women and men,
promote entrepreneurial skills and
partnerships and encourage communication and experiences to be
shared between women in this
field. These aims are pursued via
activities such as meetings, training workshops, statistical analysis
and publications and strategies
with a gender focus.
The network is currently made
up of 75 women’s organisations
from different professional groups
within the Spanish fishing industry (shell fish gatherers, net makers,
fish unloaders and cleaners, barnacle gatherers, ship owners, canners,
traders, etc.) and over 400 people
subscribe to its monthly newsletter. The network collaborates with
national and international organisations, such as the European
network of women’s organisations
in the fishing and aquaculture industries (AKTEA).
Over the last few years, the network has wanted to expand on the
achievements made in terms of integration and visibility, directing
its efforts towards genuine female
leadership that enables women in
the industry to actively take part in
the decision making processes that
affect them. The network’s national conferences play an important
role in this aim. Three conferences have already taken place and a
fourth is being prepared, providing a platform for the problems
facing these groups of women
and emphasising the important
role women play in the fishing industry’s present and future.
TRANSFORMA 33
Segunda fase del proyecto de
ordenación y protección del entorno
de la Alquería del Duc y “ullalas” de
L’Estany y La Perla. Gandía (Valencia).
DID YOU KNOW...?
The Tragsa Group
undertook 1,410
environment related
projects in 2013,
amounting to 29.4% of
the Group’s total.
Movemos el Mundo. Esteban Santiago Calvo (8 años). 1º premio juvenil