The Spanish Network of Biosphere Reserves presented this Tuesday in Lanzarote, through Councilor Elena Solís, the Biosphere Reserve Recognition for Environmental Commitment to the network of researchers 'Marine Sciences For Society' for the 'Zero Plastic' initiative, in the category of 'Promotion of research and environmental education'.
“Recognizing with the award the shared effort between the network of researchers 'Marine Sciences For Society' and the Biosphere Reserves through Zero Plastic is recognizing the importance of science and education in collective processes of eco-social transformation”, highlighted the Minister of Environment and the Biosphere Reserve of Lanzarote, Elena Solís.
The presentation of this recognition was held in the Cabildo of Lanzarote, in an act in which representatives of the Biosphere Reserve of Menorca and the Spanish Network of Biosphere Reserves of the Autonomous National Parks Organization also participated telematically.
Reduce plastic pollution
From the Cabildo they detail that the 'Zero Plastic' project began in 2008 and since then it has been working to understand and eradicate the impacts of plastic in the Biosphere Reserves. In an initial stage, the initiative was focused on the collaboration of the Biosphere Reserve of Lanzarote and the network of researchers 'Marines Sciences for Society', joining from 2018 the effort of Menorca, its co-technical secretary in the World Network of Biosphere Reserves Islands and Coastal Zones, as well as other Biosphere Reserves.
Currently, a total of 24 Biosphere Reserves around the world actively participate in the environmental commitment that 'Zero Plastic' implies. “They make a collective effort to identify the impacts of plastic pollution and to reduce to the minimum expression the disastrous consequences of the production and abusive use of plastic”, Elena Solís pointed out.
Throughout the 14 years of shared efforts between the Biosphere Reserves and Marine Sciences For Society, thousands of students have been able to “work within the framework of formal education with talks, master's and doctoral theses and degree internships, as well as participate in numerous informal education events such as sampling from citizen science, coastal cleanups, ravines, informative talks and plays”.
Likewise, from the Cabildo they add that in this time “articles have been developed in journals with a reading committee, sessions and presentations at national and international conferences, articles in the written press and radio and TV programs”.
The recognition by the Spanish Network of Biosphere Reserves of the Autonomous National Parks Organization is an impulse for the formalization of the eco-social transformation laboratory EtLab UNESCO
