The main task undertaken by the URV team over the last few months has been to carry out the interviews provided for in the TRANSNATURE project methodology. This has been a complex process due to the characteristics of the area, but at the same time very interesting and enriching, which has allowed us to get first-hand knowledge of the reality of the territory and to better understand its vision of biodiversity protection.
 

Regarding the case study, the European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC) ZASNET was created in 2010 with the aim of promoting cooperation between its members and strengthening economic and social cohesion in the territory. Its creation was prior to the constitution of the Cross-border Biosphere Reserve ‘Meseta Ibérica’ by UNESCO. Specifically, the creation and subsequent management of this biosphere reserve is one of the main projects of ZASNET. This biosphere reserve is characterised by its rich biodiversity and is located in a sparsely populated territory that has based its economy on primary sector activities.

Throughout the interview process, we were able to confirm that the links that unite the territory on both sides of the border have a strong historical component. In this sense, a particularly relevant aspect is that, in both regions, there is a consensus on the need to articulate cooperation mechanisms. In fact, this same issue is also perceived as a challenge, since most of the people interviewed agreed that biodiversity knows no borders, which makes it essential to move towards a model of shared governance of the transboundary biodiversity reserve, capable of guaranteeing its protection in a coordinated and effective manner.

The problem, however, is to determine the best cooperation mechanism to meet the needs of the territory and, as far as the project is concerned, to protect biodiversity in the area. It must be understood that it is a very varied territory with many elements that generate a balance that is very sensitive to change. Apart from the idiosyncrasies of the territory itself, characterised by a high presence of activities related to farming, agriculture, and forestry and, therefore, with little presence of industry, very sparsely populated, many administrations with different competencies, diversity of political interests, large areas of land and an extraordinary wealth of biodiversity. This complexity has led to the existence of two EGTCs operating in the same territory and with a certain clash of interests, which has given rise to a heterogeneous variety of participation mechanisms.

The main challenge for the territory, given its small population and strong dependence on farming, agriculture, and forestry activities, is to find a balance between biodiversity protection and the development of economic activities. In this sense, there are fears about the irruption of large energy projects and an accelerated depopulation trend caused by the low profitability of economic activities. According to the people interviewed, it is therefore essential to find this balance. The sustainable development of activities related to the primary sector, as well as the implementation of a sustainable tourism model based on conservation activities, were also pointed out as challenges for the future.

In this logic of territorial unity, most of the interviewees agreed on the need to conceive the territory as an integrated space, in which decisions are taken on the basis of common interests and where the border is not an obstacle to the implementation of homogeneous policies on both sides.

Another major challenge is the fight against forest fires, the impact of which has intensified with climate change. According to most of those interviewed, these fires represent a serious threat to biodiversity, which makes the adoption of coordinated strategies for their prevention and management even more urgent.

Finally, and regarding the future of the transboundary biosphere reserve “Meseta Ibérica”, what emerged from the interviews is that, although there are several challenges to deal with in the area, improving the biodiversity protection is of fundamental importance and depends very much on the improvement of the funding. Some form of consensus was reached since most part of interviewees agreed that, if no action is undertaken, protection of biodiversity will  be difficult in the future. However, there was an optimistic vision about what local communities are doing. In that sense, a long-term vision that enhance the delicate balance between biodiversity protection and economic development is seen as the first step to deal with the future prospects of the area.

Fonte: https://www.transnature.eu/news/going-deeper-into-the-transboundary-biosphere-reserve-meseta-iberica-the-intervie