We work in natural environments where biodiversity plays a vital role. That is why we are committed to protecting and preserving the ecosystems and communities around them.

Caring for nature is not only about taking protective measures; it also means observing it, understanding it and appreciating its richness.

Colombia offers a good example. There, our colleagues Andrés Mauricio Forero Cano, a biologist in the Environmental Area of the Buenaventura-Loboguerrero-Buga project, and Manuel Alejandro Posso Gaviria, Environmental Birds' Route Project Coordinator at Unión Vial Camino del Pacífico who captured a series of images showcasing the fauna and flora found in the area. The photos were part of our RevelaVerde competition.

Andres Mauricio's photographs were taken in the Venado Verde Nature Reserve, in the area surrounding this road project.

“With these photographs, I want to show the immense biodiversity found in our region, particularly among amphibians and reptiles, a group that is still little known and often undervalued,” says our colleague.

“The photographs were taken using macro photography techniques. I used a Nikon D7200 camera with a 60 mm Laowa macro lens, external flashes and diffusers,” explains Andrés Mauricio.

Captured while work was underway, these five photographs bring us closer to a fascinating world of colors, shapes and behaviors that often goes unnoticed, yet plays an essential role in the balance of ecosystems.

The five photographs show:

1.    Pacific lemur frog (Agalychnis psilopygion). “It is a species of incredible beauty and fragility that lives only in well-preserved forests.” 

2.    Cane toad (Rhinella horribilis). “This species has long been overlooked because of its appearance, but it plays a fundamental role in our ecosystems by controlling insect populations. Through macro photography, I wanted to capture its splendor and show that the world should look beyond appearances and recognize what lies beneath.” 

3.    Dwarf spiny iguana (Enyalioides heterolepis). “This lizard lives in the leaf litter of pristine forests and has a variety of scales that give it a striking appearance, which I wanted to highlight through macro photography.” The image won first prize in the Flora and Fauna category. 

4.    Glass frog tadpoles (Teratohyla spinosa). “These small glass frogs live in the vegetation that grows along streams. They lay their eggs in gelatinous clusters on leaves. When the eggs hatch, the tadpoles develop inside this gelatinous mass until they are large enough to drop into the streams and complete their development.” 

5.    Broad-headed anole (Anolis latifrons). “This photograph was taken with a wide-angle macro lens, combining the detail of macro photography with part of the animal’s surroundings. This lizard species lives in vegetation near streams. In the photograph, I wanted to capture both its remarkable details and the habitat where it is usually found.” (top photo)

These images remind us how important it is to coexist responsibly with local wildlife and to make nature protection part of how we deliver our projects. Learning about the species that live in the areas where we work is the first step toward helping conserve them.

Another colleague who participated in RevelaVerde with his photographs is Manuel Alejandro Posso Gaviria, Environmental Birds' Route Project Coordinator at Unión Vial Camino del Pacífico.

Photo 1. Divine Poison

Poison dart frog (Oophaga anchicayensis). Located near the tunnels, along the Pepitas River. This frog is endemic to the region.

Photo 2. Blessed Fortune

Tree frog (Ecnomiohyla phantasmagoria). Located in San Cipriano. Virtually nothing is known about its ecology and behaviour, as this species lives high in the forest canopy, between 20 and 40 metres above the ground. It was discovered after a rainy night on a fallen branch. This species is literally a ghost, with only a handful of recorded sightings.

Photo 3. Wonders of Nature

Bridal Veil Fungus (Phallus indusiatus). Observed at Venado Verde during a birdwatching survey conducted for the Birds' Route project.

Photo 4. The Nap After a Meal

Boa constrictor (Boa imperator). Recorded more than six metres above the ground in San Cipriano, resting on a tree branch. It can be recognised by the yellowish coloration on its tail.

Photo 5. Give and Take

Mating ritual of two Squirrel Cuckoos (Piaya cayana). The male brings food to the female, and the female rewards him with mating. Photograph taken in Río Bravo.

We rescued a turtle at our Skikda desalination plant

Our commitment to biodiversity is reflected in practical action, showing the responsibility and care our teams bring to the ecosystems around us.
A recent example took place at the Skikda Desalination Plant O&M Joint Venture in Algeria, where the plant team stepped in to rescue a sea turtle that had become trapped on the premises. Thanks to the team’s swift response, the animal was safely released and returned to the sea in good condition.

Zenina Hadjer, a laboratory technician and the author of the images submitted to the RevelaVerde competition, explains: “During operations at the plant, a sea turtle was found trapped in the facility’s intake basin. Aware of our responsibility to the ecosystem, our team acted immediately. We carefully rescued the animal and took it to Srigina Island, where it was safely released back into its natural habitat.”
 

“These images show how our industrial operations can coexist with the preservation of local biodiversity,” says our colleague.
Actions like this show that sustainability is also shaped by everyday decisions and efforts.

Thanks to our teams’ commitment and dedication, we help protect biodiversity and preserve the natural value of the environments where we operate.

From optimizing road maintenance to the smart management of urban spaces, including energy efficiency in large-scale infrastructure and the improvement of bidding and procurement processes, Sacyr is driving solutions based on data, machine learning, predictive models, and generative artificial intelligence that enable the company to anticipate issues, make better decisions, and generate a positive and measurable impact on society.

Here are some of the most significant projects in which the company is applying artificial intelligence in a tangible way.

1.    APROMAC: Artificial Intelligence to Anticipate Pavement Deterioration

Sacyr Concesiones is developing APROMAC, an advanced predictive analytics module designed to transform pavement management and maintenance through machine learning and deep learning techniques. The project’s main objective is to anticipate changes in key indicators of pavement condition—such as ruts, macrotexture, and the transverse friction coefficient (TFC)—based on real-world operational and road inspection data.

APROMAC was developed in response to the limitations of traditional prediction models, which are based on empirical formulations that struggle to represent nonlinear behavior and the simultaneous interaction of multiple factors. To address this, the project systematically investigates the construction, climatic, and traffic variables that influence pavement deterioration, applying big data and artificial intelligence technologies to real historical data from roads managed by Sacyr.

Following a rigorous data cleaning and standardization phase, new predictive models have been trained and validated that are capable of significantly improving accuracy compared to current approaches. The result is a tool that enables long-term prediction of pavement behavior and supports more efficient maintenance planning.

The project also relies on a digital platform designed for infrastructure managers, which facilitates the visualization of projected trends by homogeneous sections and the analysis of different maintenance scenarios, promoting proactive, data-driven decision-making. APROMAC is co-funded by the European Union, the Ministry of Finance, and the CDTI, through the Ministry of Science, Innovation, and Universities.

2.    SUSTAIN: Digital Twins for Smarter, More Human-Centered Urban Management. The Example of “Las Setas de Sevilla”

The SUSTAIN project explores the potential of digital twins and artificial intelligence in the smart management of unique urban spaces. Within this framework, Sacyr has developed an advanced digital twin of Las Setas de Sevilla, an iconic landmark that combines a public square, a market, a viewpoint, and access to an archaeological site.

The solution combines real-time data from IoT sensors, computer vision systems, and mobility data to create a dynamic digital representation of the site and how users interact with the space. Thanks to this information, the digital twin provides insights into usage patterns, environmental conditions, and visitor volumes, as well as the ability to simulate different event scenarios and configurations of the public space.

Using predictive models based on artificial intelligence, SUSTAIN is able to anticipate peaks in demand, visitor behavior, and operational needs, tangibly improving the efficiency of management, planning, and the citizen experience. The project also incorporates indicators related to the condition and maintenance of the infrastructure and is designed as a tool for designing and evaluating urban improvement strategies with a comprehensive approach.

Universal accessibility, inclusion, quality of life, and integration into the urban fabric are cross-cutting themes of the project, aligned with Sacyr’s vision of developing infrastructure with a positive social impact. The initiative, funded by the CDTI with Next Generation funds from the European Union, lays the groundwork for scaling these solutions to other concession assets such as transit hubs, airports, hospitals, and large public spaces.

3.    Artificial Intelligence to Optimize Energy Efficiency at Madrid’s Transit Interchanges

Sacyr Concesiones has implemented an advanced energy optimization solution based on artificial intelligence at the Moncloa and Plaza Elíptica transit interchanges, high-traffic infrastructure facilities that together serve more than 260,000 users daily.

Both transit hubs feature complex HVAC and ventilation systems, managed through building management systems (BMS), and are subject to a highly demanding concession framework, with requirements for thermal comfort and environmental quality throughout their operation. To optimize their operation, Sacyr has integrated the Respira solution, developed by Sener, which acts as an autonomous virtual operator supported by advanced analytics and AI.

The system continuously analyzes variables such as indoor and outdoor temperatures, the building’s thermal inertia, occupancy, weather conditions, and historical equipment performance. Unlike traditional models based on rules and reactive responses, the solution introduces predictive control capable of anticipating temperature changes in the spaces and activating the HVAC systems more efficiently.

Thanks to this approach, it is possible to take advantage of favorable environmental conditions, optimize the use of thermal inertia, or adapt climate control to anticipated changes in occupancy, thereby reducing energy consumption without compromising user comfort. The result is a more sustainable and efficient operation that is aligned with infrastructure decarbonization goals.

4.    AI Agents to Transform Bidding and Procurement Processes

Beyond physical assets, Sacyr is applying artificial intelligence to its corporate processes, with a special focus on bidding and procurement—highly complex and document-intensive areas. The company is working on the development of a suite of AI agents that comprehensively cover the entire process cycle.

In the area of bidding, the approach is based on an ecosystem of specialized agents capable of automatically analyzing bid documents, detecting changes and addenda, structuring requirements, supporting strategic go/no-go decisions, generating technical documentation, and strengthening quality controls prior to the submission of bids. The goal is to move toward more standardized, traceable, and robust decision-making processes.

In the area of purchasing and procurement, AI agents enable the standardization of tender documents and requests for proposals, the analysis of suppliers, the objective comparison of proposals, the detection of contractual deviations, and support for negotiations. The process is rounded out by the generation of clear executive summaries that can be defended in the face of audits and before management.

These solutions are designed to act as co-pilots that enhance the work of teams by eliminating repetitive tasks and reducing ambiguity, allowing professionals to focus on strategic analysis and value creation.