Spain promotes young people’s engagement in environmental protection, circular economy practices and sustainable consumption through a combination of publicly coordinated volunteering programmes, national environmental strategies, and youth‑accessible green initiatives. These measures enable young people to participate actively in environmental stewardship and the transition to a sustainable economy.

Green volunteering

Although Spain does not operate a single, youth‑specific national green volunteering programme, young people participate widely in publicly coordinated environmental volunteering schemes at national and regional levels.

Environmental volunteering directory 

The Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO) manages a national Directory of Environmental Volunteering Opportunities (Directorio de voluntariados medioambientales). The aim is to:

• centralise information on environmental volunteering
• facilitate access to opportunities across Spain
• support participation in conservation, environmental awareness and community sustainability for volunteers aged 18+, including young people.

Opportunities are offered through Autonomous Communities, public entities (CENEAM, National Parks Agency) and accredited NGOs and activities include habitat restoration, biodiversity monitoring, awareness campaigns, and environmental education.

The outcome is a greater accessibility for young people to environmental participation pathways at local and regional levels. 

The directory is a coordination tool and does not have a dedicated public budget line.

National Parks Volunteering Plan

The Awareness and Volunteering Plan of the National Parks Autonomous Agency (Plan de Acción del Voluntariado del Organismo Autónomo Parques Nacionales) coordinates environmental volunteering activities across Spain’s national parks. Its objective is to:

• strengthen public engagement in conservation
• support monitoring and evaluation of protected areas
• promote environmental education among participants.

Volunteers (ages 18+, with a significant youth participation) take part through accredited NGOs that implement projects in national parks. Tasks include biodiversity surveys, invasive species removal, conservation maintenance and awareness‑raising with visitors.

It enhances participants understanding of biodiversity and conservation work and contribution to national park management goals. 

Activities are financed through the general operating budgets of the National Parks Autonomous Agency, without a separate volunteering line

Biodiversity Foundation

The Biodiversity Foundation (Fundación Biodiversidad), part of MITECO, coordinates public programmes involving young volunteers in areas such as marine conservation, citizen science and climate action. Its goals include supporting national biodiversity priorities and promoting civic engagement in climate and environmental issue, including increased youth participation in conservation and practical environmental action.

Although not exclusively youth‑focused, its initiatives regularly involve young volunteers and promote environmentally responsible behaviour. Activities include beach clean-ups, restoration actions, and citizen‑science monitoring.

The Foundation operates with public funding through MITECO’s annual budgets, but individual volunteering initiatives do not have separate published funding breakdowns.

Green production and consumption

Spain promotes sustainable consumption, circular economy practices and green skills development through national strategies and regional initiatives that shape young people’s engagement with sustainability.

Spanish Circular Economy Strategy 2030

The España Circular 2030 strategy establishes national objectives for reducing material consumption, preventing waste generation, promoting reuse, improving water efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. 

It aims to guide the transition to a circular economy compatible with EU Green Deal objectives and is implemented through sectoral plans, municipal actions, and regional circular‑economy programmes.

It is relevant for youth in that it:

• contributes to green job creation
• promotes youth participation in circular entrepreneurship, repair and reuse initiatives
• supports youth training programmes linked to green skills at regional level.

This is a strategic framework without a dedicated budget. Implementation relies on sectoral plans and EU/national instruments that are not specific to youth participation.

Local and regional sustainability programmes

At regional and local level, youth services support workshops and community initiatives on circular economy, repair and reuse practices and sustainable consumption habits, financed through regional or municipal budgets.

International environmental volunteering opportunities are presented in Chapter 9.6.