José Manuel Alcañiz, who served as communications advisor to the late Ricard Pérez Casado, mayor of Valencia from 1979 to 1988, jokes in an article commemorating the mayor about his ability to turn all the city's residents into biologists, given the endless opinions on the future of the Botanical Garden amidst a controversy stirred up by a political rival.

Ricard Pérez Casado didn't turn all of Valencia's residents into biologists, but he did manage to halt the project to convert the old Turia riverbed into a highway, transforming it into the longest linear park in Europe, which thousands of citizens enjoy daily. The city's green spaces also included the Ayora, Aviación, and Benicalap parks.

He also championed the restoration of the Albufera lagoon, where the construction of an airport had been proposed, and stopped the destruction of El Saler Park. His intervention in the city's sewage system was decisive; among other things, he managed to install the urban collectors that freed the city's beaches and 'acequias' canals from sewage.

The Official College of Biologists of the Valencian Community extends its deepest condolences to the family of Ricard Pérez Casado and expresses its gratitude to the former mayor for the undeniable improvements he implemented during his years in office, enhancing the lives of all Valencia residents and the growing number of visitors the city receives. May he rest in peace.