45-day public consultation to declare four new conservation zones

The Third Vice-Presidency and Department of Environment, Infrastructure, Territory and Recovery has opened the public consultation for the preliminary version of the Consell draft decree that declares four sites of community importance (SCI) as special areas of conservation (SAC) and approves their management plan. The announcement is published in the Official Gazette of the Generalitat Valenciana (Diari Oficial de la Generalitat Valenciana) no. 10481, dated October 28, 2026, in section V (Announcements, C) Other matters), with the official reference DOGV-C-2026-31497. The period for submitting allegations is 45 days and begins the day following publication, that is, October 29.

The regulation under processing affects four spaces of the European Natura 2000 network located in the Valencian Community: the SCIs Riu Xúquer, Curs Mitjà del Riu Albaida, Serra del Castell de Xàtiva, and Ullals del Riu Verd. The decree is not limited to the declaration: it also incorporates the approval of the corresponding management plan, the instrument that establishes the regime of uses and activities for each space. The announcement was signed in Valencia on September 21, 2026, by Luis Gomis Ferraz, Director General of Natural and Animal Environment.

The legal framework of the procedure

The public exhibition is agreed upon in compliance with Article 26.2 of Law 11/1994, of December 27, on protected natural spaces of the Valencian Community, and Articles 16 to 18 of Law 27/2006, which regulates the rights of access to information, public participation, and access to justice in environmental matters.

Added to that basis are Articles 19 to 23 of Decree 97/2010, of June 11, of the Consell, on access to environmental information and public participation; Article 133 of Law 39/2015, of October 1, on the common administrative procedure; and Article 52.2 of Decree 24/2009, of February 13, on the form, structure, and procedure for drafting regulatory projects.

Where to consult the text

The project can be consulted through two official channels throughout the public information period:

• The Participation Portal of the Generalitat (gvaparticipa.gva.es), in the section “Regulatory drafting/Citizen hearing.”
• The website of the Third Vice-Presidency and Department of Environment, Infrastructure, Territory and Recovery (mediambient.gva.es).

Allegations, suggestions, or observations may be submitted electronically through the electronic office of the Generalitat, via the link https://sede.gva.es/es/detall-tramit?id_proc=95285, or by any of the means provided for in Article 16 of Law 39/2015.

How contributions should be formulated

To facilitate their assessment, the announcement requires that contributions precisely identify the point of the text being addressed and the meaning of the proposed change:

• The affected article and section must be indicated.
• The proposed modification and its justification must be specified.
• Additionally, an alternative drafting proposal may be included.

The 45-day count, which began on October 29, sets the closing of the process for December 12, 2026.

The process opens the door for administrations, entities, and individuals to intervene before the Consell definitively approves the declaration and its management regulation, so that the text that finally regulates these four spaces of the Xúquer basin and the Xàtiva region incorporates the observations submitted within the deadline.

Source: Diari Oficial de la Generalitat Valenciana, no. 10481, of October 28, 2026, section V (Announcements, C) Other matters) (official reference: DOGV-C-2026-31497).