• On 23, 24 and 25 November, Castellet Castle became the meeting point for defining the future strategic lines of the Mediterranean Network of Biosphere Reserves (MedMaB).

• This was the first face-to-face meeting of managers after the Covid-19 pandemic, bringing together more than 30 managers from 8 different countries.  

• Elena Salgado,chairlady of the Abertis Foundation and Georgina Flamme, director of the Abertis Foundation were present at the event along with Sagrario Arrieta, deputy director of the Autonomous Organisation of National Parks (OAPN) and Nöeline Raondry, director of the Division of Ecological and Earth Sciences at UNESCO, among other personalities. 

Barcelona, 25 November 2022

The headquarters of the Abertis Foundation, Castellet Castle, the UNESCO International Centre for Mediterranean Biosphere Reserves, hosted the 3rd Meeting of Mediterranean Biosphere Reserve Managers on 23, 24 and 25 November. The main objective of this three-day working meeting was to redefine the future strategic lines of work to consolidate this network as a new UNESCO thematic network (MedMaB).

More than 30 managers from 8 different countries that form part of this network have met in these three days to consolidate and officialise the Mediterranean Biosphere Reserve Network (MedMaB) in the first face-to-face meeting after the stoppage caused by the pandemic. One of the main innovations agreed to boost the exchange of knowledge has been the creation of the Documentation Centre, to compile, structure, synthesise and disseminate the experiences acquired in the Mediterranean Biosphere Reserves. It intends to establish itself as a living, continuous storage space, constantly being revised and updated and at the service of the scientific community.

Elena Salgado, chairlady of the Abertis Foundation, opened the opening ceremony by highlighting the importance of this initiative: "The centre provides technical assistance in Spain, but also in the rest of the countries that make up the Mediterranean region. This assistance is structured through training, research and capacity-building activities. In fact, this castle has never hosted such an ambitious and educational project as the one that now occupies it".

The agenda is complemented by debate and work sessions related to the values and permanence to the Mediterranean culture, the different missions and affiliations of this Network, which will be discussed over these days until the new Strategic Plan of the MedMaB Network is established.

This Mediterranean Network was launched in 2015 with one mission: to promote the creation of a Network of Mediterranean Biosphere Reserves that could build bridges of dialogue, cooperation and exchange of knowledge and experience between reserves on both sides of the Mediterranean basin.

Currently, 74 biosphere reserves from 17 different countries (Albania, Algeria, Bulgaria, Croatia, France, Greece, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Lebanon, Montenegro, Morocco, Portugal, North Macedonia, Slovenia, Spain and Tunisia) are members of the network.

About the Abertis Foundation 

The Abertis Foundation was created in 1999 as a non-profit organisation with the aim of contributing to the sustainable development of the territories where Abertis is present. In this respect, the Foundation prioritises actions related to road safety, the environment, social and cultural activity.

The Abertis Foundation carries out actions aimed at improving road safety with the aim of reducing the accident rate. These actions are focused on road safety education for children, awareness-raising for young people and prevention for older drivers. 

It also promotes social actions in favour of the most disadvantaged groups by incorporating them into its road safety actions in favour of sustainability and the environment.

It also complements the activities of the Abertis Group in the countries where it is present, such as Spain, France, Puerto Rico, Chile, Argentina, Brazil and Mexico, and contributes to the development of the Abertis Network.