The Tapestry of Proverbs project, promoted by the Biosphere Reserve of Lanzarote, continues its journey with the progressive adhesion of entities and official bodies, which applaud the compilation of proverbs that contain lessons of sustainability and connection with the planet and its rhythms.
The initiative, with the support of the Cervantes Institute, the Council of Managers of the Spanish Network of Biosphere Reserves, and several universities, was presented last September at the 5th World Congress of Biosphere Reserves in Hangzhou, China, which took place under the slogan Forging a sustainable future for people and nature.
The video, produced for this purpose by the Menorca Reserve, contains examples of proverbs with eco-social content, referring to the proposed conceptual triad: the existence of biophysical limits, eco-dependence (for sustainability), and human interdependence (for better coexistence).
The audiovisual piece, premiered in Lanzarote during the More tap water, less plastic conference, can be viewed with free access on the Reserve's website at the following link: https://lanzarotebiosfera.org/video-del-tapiz-hangzhou-2025.
Trajectory
In a pioneering move, the project began as Tapestry of Words in 2021, when it was approved in a session of the Council of the Biosphere Reserve with the express applause of its Scientific Cabinet. Already in 2023, the Spanish Network of Biosphere Reserves created a specific working group to promote a new phase, under the name Tapestry of Sayings, from which different proposals would be derived, such as traveling books in educational centers or the selection of examples of proverbs that give content to the international day of these territories recognized by UNESCO, every November 3.
Furthermore, in April 2024, the Cervantes Institute in Lebanon celebrated Book Day with a Carpet of Proverbs at its headquarters in Beirut and at the UN Peace Mission.
Along the way, the Spanish Network and the Cervantes Institute, the World Network of Island and Coastal Reserves, the World Network of Mountain Reserves, the Mediterranean Network, the Ministries for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge and for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, and the Universities of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and Complutense de Madrid have joined this effort to create a "bank" of popular wisdom about the human connection with nature.