From October the 28th to October the 30th, 2021, the XVI International Nature Conservation Forum of the IUCN Spanish Committee took place in the Parque Natural de las Lagunas de Ruidera (Ciudad Real): The role of wetlands in nature conservation.
The International Union for the Conservation of the Nature (IUCN) is the world’s largest environmental network. Created in 1948, it has more than 16,000 experts and 1,300 member entities that include states and government agencies, small and large NGOs, economic development agencies, academic and scientific institutions, as well as business associations, distributed in 160 countries. The Spanish Committee of the IUCN (CeUICN) brings together 41 of these entities in Spain and acts as a meeting and debate platform, facilitating the exchange of experiences thanks to the IUCN knowledge networks and promoting cooperation among its members.
The Nature Conservation Forum is the main annual meeting of the CeUICN where the scope and fit of the interests and activities of the members in the programs and initiatives of IUCN is discussed. Every year, this Nature Conservation Forum takes place, which is the main annual meeting of the Spanish Committee where the scope and fit of the interests and activities of the members in the programs and initiatives promoted by the IUCN are discussed. Fundación Global Nature, as a member of this Institution, has attended and actively participated in its development with Eduardo de Miguel, Amanda del Río, Vanessa Sanchez, Eugenio de las Heras and Ignacio Jiménez.
This edition focused on highlighting the role of wetlands in the conservation of nature, which are of great importance hosting great biodiversity, mitigating climate change and providing a large number of ecosystem services to people. Fundación Global Nature has been working on the restoration of wetlands for 30 years, so I could not miss the appointment. The technical director of FGN, Amanda del Rio, participated in a block dedicated to the management of wetlands, with the presentation of Instruments for the Management and Restoration of wetlands through the work that since the foundation is done in restoration and conservation of wetlands with projects such as the LIFE Wetlands4Climate, the LIFE Paludicola and the LIFE El Hito projects.
In addition, during this edition, the mandate of the presidency of said committee ended and therefore the votes were also carried out for the change of said presidency and board of directors. And we can proudly announce that the new elected direction of the Spanish Committee of the IUCN, chaired by Roberto Lozano (Fundación Oxigeno), has Fundación Global Nature as part of its board of directors, in charge of the Board of Directors of Biodiversity, Geodiversity, Ecosystems and Protected Areas.
