The conference “Global Change and National Parks: challenges and opportunities” held in Granada since July 2, has had the participation of experts of recognized national and international prestige in the analysis of the challenges faced by the scientific community, civil society and the business world in terms of global change. The conference “Global Change and National Parks: challenges and opportunities” held in Granada since July 2, has had the participation of experts of recognized national and international prestige in the analysis of the challenges faced by the scientific community, civil society and the business world in terms of global change. 
 
This forum, organized by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Food and Environment (MAPAMA) with the collaboration of Ferrovial Agromán, has been part of the project “Monitoring global change in the Network of National Parks” coordinated by the Autonomous Organization of National Parks (OAPN) with the collaboration of the Spanish Office for Climate Change (OECC). the State Meteorological Agency (AEMET), the Biodiversity Foundation and Ferrovial Agromán.
 
The conference, inaugurated by the general director of Environmental Quality and Evaluation and the Natural Environment of MAPAMA, Guillermina Yanguas, was attended by the general director of the Autonomous Organization of National Parks, Basilio Rada, the director of the Biodiversity Foundation, Sonia Castañeda, the general director of Natural Spaces and Citizen Participation of the Ministry of Environment and Territorial Planning of the Junta de Andalucía, Esperanza Perea, and the Director of Institutional Relations and R+D+I of Ferrovial Agromán, Juan Elizaga.
 
In addition, more than a dozen experts have participated in the various round tables and presentations organized. Global change and its impact on society was the focus of the interventions of the Director of Ecology and Development, Víctor Viñuales, the Professor of Ecology at the University of Castilla-La Mancha and Vice-President of Group II of the IPCC, José Manuel Moreno, as well as María del Mar Otero, technician of the IUCN-Med Marine Programme.
 
During the conference, the progress of the project “Monitoring global change in the National Parks Network” was also presented, which aims to learn about the effects of global change and climate change through the evaluation and analysis of the impacts that may occur in the National Parks Network.
 
For his part, the Professor of Ecology at the Complutense University of Madrid, Francisco Díaz Pineda, addressed the research activity carried out within the framework of the Global Change Monitoring Network.
 
The conference has also allowed us to learn about various research projects. Thus, Francisco Javier Bonet, researcher at the Andalusian Centre for the Environment, presented the project to monitor the effects of global change in Sierra Nevada. Carlos Cabido, director of the Department of Herptology of the Aranzadi Science Society, focused his speech on the cryptic consequences of global change on endemic and threatened lacertids in the Pyrenean and Picos de Europa National Parks, while Francisco Javier Cabello, Professor at the University of Almeria, showed the application of remote sensing in ecological monitoring in the National Parks Network.
 
For his part, the researcher at the National Museum of Natural Sciences, Fernando Valladares, has analysed the contributions of protected natural areas in the study of global change.
 
The conference ended with an open debate with all participants on the challenges and opportunities of global change, moderated by the Deputy Director General for the Coordination of Actions against Climate Change of the Spanish Office for Climate Change, Eduardo González.
 
During the conference, the participants visited the National Park and the Sierra Nevada Global Change Observatory to learn “in situ” about the process of monitoring, evaluation and adaptive management.
 
The closing ceremony was attended by the Director of the Spanish Office for Climate Change, Susana Magro, and Ferrovial’s Director of Quality and Environment, Valentín Alfaya.
 
  Multimedia resources:  
Image gallery of the conference “Global Change and National Parks: challenges and opportunities”
 
Video: Global Change Research in the National Park Network