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.

With these 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 inhabited by nearly 2 million people

The declaration of these three 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.

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.

The new Cabriel Valley Biosphere Reserve (Aragon/Castilla-La Mancha/Valencian Community) 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, Aragon 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.

As for the Alto Turia (whose territory is located in Castilla-La Mancha/Valencian Community) it 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, in Extremadura, it 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.