Brussels, 22/07/2015 (Agence Europe) - In good news for biodiversity in Europe, the Doñana National Park in the south of Spain, one of Europe's most biodiverse areas, was granted IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Green List status in Switzerland on Wednesday 22 July, in recognition of the successful conservation efforts of its managers.
This brought some cheer to EU environment ministers, who were discussing over an informal working lunch on the same day in Luxembourg the need to redouble efforts to halt the decline in biodiversity in Europe.
The IUCN Green List, which was officially launched in 2014, is the first global standard of good practice for protected areas. It aims to recognise and promote success in managing some of the most valuable natural areas on the planet.
Doñana has become the main stronghold of conservation for one of the most threatened European mammals - the Iberian Lynx (Lynx pardinus), a species recently brought back from the brink of extinction. Following six decades of decline, the population of the Iberian Lynx has increased from 52 mature individuals in 2002 to 156 in 2012. The species has now moved from the Critically Endangered to Endangered category on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
“The IUCN Green List standard aims to create a 'race to the top' in conservation … Today's listing celebrates the exceptional work of Doñana and a major achievement for Europe's biodiversity”, said Inger Andersen, IUCN director general, adding that the progress in recovery of the Iberian Lynx, for example, would not have been possible without the excellent management of the park.
Alongside conserving the park's unique biodiversity, the effective management of the area has secured economic benefits for local communities - through tourism, beekeeping, and pineseed and shellfish harvesting - while maintaining the culturally and historically important El Rocio pilgrimage, which attracts roughly a million pilgrims each year.
Juan Pedro Castellano Dominguez, manager of Doñana National Park and Natural Reserve, said: “This award is a recognition of the efforts of many people working in Doñana, the cooperation between Andalusia and other European regions, the General Administration of Spain and IUCN”.
The Doñana National Park includes an area recognised as a World Heritage site (the Ramsar wetland), a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, and a European Union Special Protection Area.
As with other green-listed sites, Doñana National Park and Natural Reserve has been granted Green List status for a period of two years, during which time the area's management will be required to demonstrate that they continue to meet the criteria. Improved institutional support from local and national government, more inclusive management planning and better tourism management are some of the elements Doñana will need to prioritise in order to maintain its Green List status. Doñana is the 24th protected area to be added to the Green List and joins Sierra Nevada National and Natural Park as the second Spanish representative. In 1998, the Doñana National Park suffered a major ecological disaster following flooding by highly toxic sludge. (Aminata Niang)