The Minister of Agriculture, Food and the Environment, Miguel Arias Cañete, stressed in his speech at the United Nations Summit on Sustainable Development, Rio+20, that “the conservation of biodiversity and the protection of ecosystems are priority issues for the Government of Spain”.

During the presentation on the achievements for sustainable development of biodiversity conservation within the framework of the summit, at an event of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Arias Cañete valued Spain’s historical experience in environmental protection.

The Minister highlighted such emblematic examples as the development of the network of National Parks, which dates back to 1918. He also referred to the “milestone” that a quarter of the Spanish territory is covered by the Natura 2000 Network, one of the most important natural areas in the European Union.

“This conservationist attitude is not only due to the need to preserve the environment for future generations, but also to our conviction that the maintenance of biodiversity is essential to maintain the balance between man and nature,” he stressed.

Arias Cañete also highlighted the collaboration in the field of Protected Areas between the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and Spain, as part of the LifeWeb initiative of 2008. The main objectives of this initiative are related to the topics of the debate at “Rio+20”. Among them, progress in the eradication of poverty and the promotion of the economic and social development of the communities of these protected areas, all within the framework of the Millennium Goals.

For more information, see our Rio+20 microsite .