The Minister of the Environment, Cristina Narbona, and the President of the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (FEMP), Heliodoro Gallego, signed a collaboration agreement today in Gijón for the implementation of a Common Strategy for the Preservation of Biodiversity.

The objective of the agreement is to create a framework for institutional collaboration for the design of a strategy and the implementation of actions aimed at the preservation of natural heritage, habitats of interest, the landscape, or hydraulic and maritime-terrestrial public domains, among which is a better use of natural resources.

By this agreement, the Ministry and the FEMP also undertake to promote the processes of implementation of Local Agendas 21, without prejudice to the actions carried out within the framework of the Spanish Network of Cities for Climate. It will also allow the development of a system of indicators on natural heritage and local biodiversity, as well as on the sustainability of the use of natural resources.

In addition, it will facilitate the municipal availability of national and international initiatives with objectives similar to those of the agreement, the establishment of links between the websites of the Ministry of the Environment and the FEMP, the creation of a Forum for the exchange of experiences, the training of personnel specialized in the preservation of biodiversity and the sustainable management of natural resources, and the implementation of joint awareness-raising actions aimed at municipal officials and citizens, among other measures.

In short, the agreement will promote the implementation of a series of actions necessary for a balanced integration of social, economic and environmental factors, aimed at achieving a sustainable use of resources and the preservation of biodiversity in the field of local administrations.

The signing of this agreement took place within the framework of the II Assembly of the Spanish Network of Cities for Climate, an initiative resulting from the collaboration between the Ministry of the Environment and the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces. The Network is made up of 115 cities committed to the promotion of sustainable development policies and the promotion of local policies to fight climate change. During the day, the first Awards for Good Local Climate Practices were also presented, which went to the City Councils of Barcelona, Sagunto, Seville and Vitoria, in the modalities of Ecotechnology, Building and Urban Planning and Energy and Transport, respectively.