Madrid, September 2011

The Castilla del Oro Foundation, led by Richard Fifer-Carles and chaired by Cristobal Colon in Spain, will develop a very important social labor in the area of Cerro del Andevalo –Huelva. In this line comes the concern about environmental topics, this timed, we will discuss the topic about protected areas.

EUROPEAN NATIONAL PARKS

In the year 2009 was celebrated the first centennial of the declaration of the first European national park. One century of experiences, changes and adaptations of the conservation policies, of improvement of the professionalization of planners and agents and of developing the instruments to make more efficient the roll of the protected areas as tools for conservation and to the service of society. More than 11% of the land surface of the world counts with some kind of protection. The protected areas received a new international boost with the approval in 2004 of an ambitious Work Program of the Protected Areas in the frame of the Agreement on Biological Diversity based on the conclusions from the V World Park Congress with the purpose of completing systems in the ecologically protected areas representative of the world. Although the declaration rhythm has been impressive, there is still a deficit in some forest ecosystems or grazing lands, in deserts and semi-deserted areas, in freshwater bodies and especially, in coasts and marine areas. And even though there has been a significant advance on the planning there is still a lot to advance in order to achieve effective management levels. In Spain we fulfill the international recommendation of protecting at least 10% of the land surface in 2005, even though we are still far in respects to the marine protection. We keep moving forward in the efficient measures of planning and management, and a great effort is being done on the implementation of the Natura Network 200 as the main contribution to the European conservation policies. The approval at the end of 2008 of the Work Program for the Protected Areas 2009-2013 promoted by EUROPARC-Spain is a bet towards boosting a more complex and effective system of protected areas of the Spanish State.

BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION

The protected areas are essential for the conservation of the biodiversity. Their main mission is to maintain functional natural ecosystems, act as shelters for species and maintain the ecological processes. They are also a source of direct benefit for people. We benefit from the opportunities of recreation and culture, of physical and spiritual health, of the genetic potential of the wild species, and of the environmental services provided by natural ecosystems like water supply They represent an ethical commitment to our future generations. They are cornerstone of national and international strategies like the Agreement on Biological Diversity. They constitute the fundamental core of the efforts to protect the endangered species of the world, and their roll is recognized not only as essential providers of services of the ecosystems and biological resources, but also as key elements in strategies for climate change mitigation. The protection of our landscapes is also important from a broader cultural point of view: the emblematic protected areas are very important.

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