24 September 2018
La Asociación Española de Parques y Jardines Públicos (AEPJP) have signed an agreement with Keep Britain Tidy (KBT) for the delivery of the International Green Flag Award for parks and green spaces in Spain.
Based in Madrid, the non-profit association is formed of professionals in the field of public and private parks and gardens. They represent towns, cities and municipalities across Spain and have been supporting the sector for more than 45 years.
Their core objectives are to:
- Promote parks and gardens
- Encourage training, research and development
- Represent the interests and requirements of the sector
- Value the importance of professional park and garden management
- Recognise the benefits of parks and gardens to people and society
In early 2018 KBT organised a presentation at the University of Navarra in Pamplona and invited park managers from the region including Bilbao, Vitoria, Pamplona, Noáin, Burlada, Berriozar, Logroño, Zaragoza and San Sebastian. Through this engagement Keep Britain Tidy were able to build interest for the Award in Spain and in September AEPJP invited representatives from Keep Britain Tidy to present Green Flag Award a second time at their conference in Zaragoza.
This collaborative work led to both organisations agreeing to forge a formal partnership to open up to applications for more parks in Spain over the coming years to expand the Award.
Fran Bergua, President of AEPJP said:
"Participating in the implementation of the Green Flag Award in Spain is a source of pride for our association and a great opportunity to improve the management of our urban green spaces."
Although AEPJP were officially formed in Barcelona in 1973, believe it or not, the seed for a Spanish association for parks and gardens was originally planted at a parks congress in Brighton, UK in 1967. The congress was organised at the time by IPFRA, an international body for parks which is now succeeded by the World Urban Parks Organisation.
International Development Manager for the Green Flag Award, Carl McClean said:
“It’s fantastic to be partnering with La Asociación Española de Parques y Jardines Públicos in the expansion of the Green Flag Award in Spain. It’s clear that AEPJP understand the huge benefits that well managed, quality green space can bring to people and their communities and Keep Britain Tidy are really pleased to have them on board”
Spain entered the scheme in 2017, with Parque del Agua becoming the first successful park to be awarded. This was joined in 2018 by the University of Navarra campus in Pamplona.
You can explore AEPJP’s website by clicking here.
Surfers using Chrome browsers can now right click to translate the page to their chosen language, including Spanish.
If you have links to public park or garden within Spain or in a country that is not currently in the International Green Flag Award scheme network why not encourage them to apply for the Green Flag Award? You can be part of a new story in the journey of the Green Flag Award.
