Today, on the occasion of the International Day for Biological Diversity, it is necessary to remember the importance of caring for the planet, especially in the face of the current health crisis, and of preventing the introduction of invasive alien species into the environment, the world's second leading cause of biodiversity loss. according to the UN. That is why SUEZ in Spain, a business group to which Viaqua belongs, within the framework of its Sustainable Development strategy (REwater Global Plan, 2017-2021), has developed the BiObserva ‘STOP-invasoras’ program. The objective of this initiative is to control invasive species in all its water treatment facilities, thus contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and more specifically to SDG No. 15, which focuses on stopping the loss of biodiversity.

The water treatment plants are facilities that have, for the most part, green areas where invasive flora can be found, fast growing species with great dispersal and invasion capacity, especially in aquatic environments (riverside forests, wetlands , river courses, temporary rafts ...) which are currently suffering the greatest loss of biodiversity.

At Viaqua the conservation of biodiversity is part of the management of the facilities in which the company operates. The BiObserva program 'STOP-invasoras' offers, through its own methodology and tools (a web platform and a mobile app), all the information necessary to train on how to identify species, report observations, as well as execute and carry out control plans and communication of invasive species in facilities. The web platform can also be consulted publicly at www.biobserva.com/stopinvasoras, thus contributing to the awareness and knowledge of citizens regarding said environmental problems.

The director of Sustainable Development, Leticia Rodríguez, stresses that "this invasive species control program is of great help to us in identifying and eliminating it in the facilities we manage, even by personnel without prior knowledge of the matter." To develop the program, SUEZ has had the collaboration of experts in botany and invasive species, as well as citizen science tools.
Leticia Rodríguez added that "at Viaqua we have integrated the preservation of biodiversity in the management of facilities, which will contribute to improving biological diversity and improving the quality of ecosystems"
In Viaqua the program has recently been launched and its deployment, destined for all the facilities it manages, will continue throughout 2020.