The second webinar of Thematic Sub-network of Local Protected Areas The event took place on November 6th and featured the participation of key stakeholders who discussed and presented the characteristics of the Biosphere Reserves of the Atlantic Forest, Cerrado, Serra do Espinhaço (Brazil), and Chocó Andino de Pichincha (Ecuador). The event also included participation from the Bogotá District Environment Secretariat. (Colombia). 

Rodrigo Corradi, Manager of Institutional Relations and Advocacy at ICLEI South America, states that it is increasingly necessary to consider the management of local protected areas as both a benefit and a necessity for local governments. "The project has shown great potential for protected areas, and we have been able to deeply understand the network's capacity to create its own articulations and projects within this theme."“ 

According to Serena Heckler, advisor for Biological and Earth Sciences at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), there is a new way of thinking about biosphere reserves: "It is necessary to contextualize the relationship between humans and nature, and to understand that biosphere reserves are territories of life and well-being for the local community."“

The president of the National Council of the Atlantic Forest Biosphere Reserve in Brazil, Clayton Lino, spoke about the concepts of biosphere reserves in the context of South America. According to him, there are few Biosphere Reserves in Brazil, being... currently seven, However, these reserves cover 241,000 hectares of the national territory. "The Atlantic Forest Biosphere Reserve is the largest UNESCO reserve. Nearly 700 municipalities are located within the reserve."“ 

According to Lino, one of the most important aspects of managing biosphere reserves is promoting a participatory and decentralized management system that provides increasing reach and working mechanisms for the reserves. "The central point of municipal involvement is reconnecting human beings and the urban environment with nature. Nature is fundamental on a planetary level for the quality of life in cities," he concluded. 

The meeting also included the participation of several representatives from local governments and Biosphere Reserves.

Miguel Andrade, coordinator of the Serra do Espinhaço Biosphere Reserve in Brazil, stated that one of the most important aspects of managing reserves is understanding the local reality. “It’s where we can truly see the needs, and also ask ourselves: how do we manage such a large and diverse territory?” he questioned. The Serra do Espinhaço Biosphere Reserve encompasses more than 10 million hectares and 172 municipalities. “A strategic approach we’ve adopted is to foster cooperation between conservation units and their territories. This allows us to decentralize and manage the territory more locally, for example, through mosaics of conservation units. That’s why networking is so important. Only in this way can we recognize each other to disseminate our work and best practices for managing these areas.” 

Luiz Cláudio Oliveira, coordinator of the Espinhaço Institute and the National Council of the Cerrado Biosphere Reserve, states that currently 45% of the biome's area is occupied by productive areas (pasture and agricultural areas), and only 7% is occupied by fully protected conservation units. “The Cerrado Biosphere Reserve has a very challenging mission: to combine efforts of interest between production, conservation, knowledge generation, and the integration of local initiatives, and this is achieved through integrated territorial management. For this, we rely heavily on local mobilization to coordinate these initiatives.” The Cerrado is the cradle of water in Brazil and is the second largest biome in South America. 

In the view of Katerine Endara, Director of Environmental Management at the Chocó Andino de Pichincha Reserve in Ecuador, Biosphere reserves and protected areas need to have an increasingly prominent place in urban sustainability policies. "These areas cannot be protected with gates and locks. In fact, we need to develop the natural and economic potential of these regions." Approximately 880,000 people live in the area surrounding the reserve. 

Natalia Ramírez, Deputy Director of Ecosystems and Rurality at the District Secretariat of the Environment of Bogotá, Colombia, states that the Colombian capital is in the process of creating a cross-cutting ecological framework, on which all the ecosystem axes that will work to mitigate climate change and build a better city for this and future generations are based. "The basic function of the development plan for a cross-cutting ecological framework is to guide the region's biodiversity towards regulation, creating well-being for the citizens of Bogotá."“  

Serena Heckler, advisor for Biological and Earth Sciences at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), concluded the meeting with the lesson that from now on, “We must stop thinking that they are protected areas, but in fact they are areas that protect. Conservation areas are what we need to live well with nature, and that is what we are also seeking with biosphere reserves.”. 

The Local Protected Areas Sub-network is conceived within the context of the regional project Protected Areas and Other Area-Based Conservation Measures at the Local Government Level, implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (CHALK) GmbH In partnership with ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the project aims to continue the connections and learning generated during the four years of the project and go further, multiplying the learning in conservation and preservation of biodiversity.

Watch the full event here.