UNESCO has approved the declaration of three new biosphere reserves in Spain: the Cabriel Valley Biosphere Reserve (Aragon/Castilla-La Mancha/Valencian Community), the Alto Turia Biosphere Reserve (Castilla-La Mancha/Valencian Community) and the La Siberia Biosphere Reserve (Extremadura).
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has approved the declaration of three new biosphere reserves in Spain: the Cabriel Valley Biosphere Reserve (Aragon/Castilla-La Mancha/Valencian Community), the Alto Turia Biosphere Reserve (Castilla-La Mancha/Valencian Community) and the La Siberia Biosphere Reserve (Extremadura). This has been decided by the highest governing body of UNESCO’s People and Biosphere Programme (MaB), which concluded today, Wednesday 19 June, in Paris its 31st session of the International Coordinating Council (ICC), of which Spain is a member.
The declaration of these new biosphere reserves represents a national commitment to conservation, biological diversity, the traditional use of resources and the local customs of each territory, contributing to improving the quality of life of indigenous populations and the fulfilment of the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda.
After these three new additions, Spain has a total of 52 biosphere reserves, confirming its leadership as the country with the largest number of these protected areas worldwide. The Spanish Network of Biosphere Reserves already occupies more than six million hectares, which represents 12% of the national territory, which is home to nearly 2 million people.
The Autonomous National Parks Agency (OAPN), under the Ministry for Ecological Transition, is responsible for coordinating the activities that constitute the Spanish contribution to UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere Programme, in the field of conservation of natural and cultural heritage, sustainable development, training and in particular the promotion of the concept of Biosphere Reserve.
THREE NEW BOOKINGS
The new Cabriel Valley Biosphere Reserve covers a total of 421,765 hectares and extends through the territories influenced by the Cabriel River and its tributaries, which reach the communities of Castilla-La Mancha, Aragón and Valencia. With a population of more than 27,000 inhabitants, the livelihood of the region is mainly agriculture, especially wine production, almond and olive grove cultivation and cereal planting.
The Alto Turia covers an area of 67,080 hectares and is located at the middle course of the Turia riverbed, between Castilla-La Mancha and the Valencian Community. With a population of With 4,296 permanent inhabitants and 6,500 seasonal inhabitants, the area is mainly dedicated to the secondary sector, especially construction and small industries. The intention of naming it as a reserve is to develop local commerce, taking into account products of recognized quality as an example of sustainable development.
Finally, the La Siberia Biosphere Reserve has an area of 155,717 hectares and is located in the northeast of the province of Badajoz, immersed in an important hydrographic network that is formed in the Guadiana basin. This area has a great biological diversity and includes extensive plains and forest formations.
The declaration of these three reserves, requested by the inhabitants of each territory themselves, aims to contribute to their socio-economic development and be an engine to create employment, fix the population and fight against the most pressing problems in these areas, such as depopulation.
Along with them, the UNESCO meeting in Paris has declared another 17 reserves worldwide. With these additions, the Network of Biosphere Reserves is made up of 726 spaces distributed in 123 countries.
Spain, specifically, has eight island farms (seven in the Canary Islands and one in Menorca); eight that contain wet, fluvial or coastal areas and two that are home to arid landscapes. In mountain areas, three are located in the high mountains, thirteen in the Cantabrian mountains and another eleven in the Mediterranean mid-mountains. The Network is completed with the four transboundary Biosphere Reserves declared in Spain: three with Portugal (Gerés-Xurés, Iberian Plateau and Tajo-Tejo) and a fourth with Morocco (Mediterranean Intercontinental).
EXPANSIONS AND REZONING OF EXISTING RESERVES
The session also approved the expansion of the biosphere reserve of the Upper Basins of the Manzanares, Lozoya and Guadarrama rivers (Community of Madrid), which goes from having 46,778 hectares to 105,654. The new surface includes 17 complete municipalities, with a population of 99,228 inhabitants, and land in ten other municipalities, with just over 3,600 inhabitants.
The extension of the Biosphere Reserve of Menorca (Balearic Islands) has also been expanded, from 71,191 hectares to 514,191.
On the other hand, the rezoning of the Omaña and Luna valleys (Castilla y León) as a Biosphere Reserve has been approved to adapt it to current regional and national regulations, as well as to new protection figures. The reserve retains its same extension, but its core area goes from 15,754 hectares to 17,653.
‘MICHELLE BASTISSE’ AWARD FOR BOOKING MANAGEMENT 2019
During the meeting in Paris, UNESCO awarded the “Michelle Batisse 2019” Prize to the president of the Mariñas Coruñesas and Terras do Mandeo Biosphere Reserve, José Antonio Santiso, for the project “Food Plan for the Biosphere Region 2014-2020”. This space has 7 products adhered to the “Spanish Biosphere Reserves” brand, an initiative of the OAPN to support the socio-economic fabric of these territories by encouraging the consumption of local products, highlighting their qualities and promoting short marketing circuits.
