In an event held last Thursday, March 3 at the Institut d’Estudis Catalans, the group Conservació.Cat was presented, a group of nature conservation professionals made up of people with diverse backgrounds (biologists, environmentalists, forestry engineers and agronomists, geologists, geographers, economists…) and who are self-employed or linked to the public administration, environmental bodies or entities, companies or academic centers.

During the event, the first work of the group was presented, a document prepared in recent months, entitled “Action plan for the conservation of natural heritage in Catalonia”. It is a roadmap to address the main challenges identified and ensure that conservation policies regain their rightful place, in accordance with the values and potential they have in Catalonia. The Plan is structured in seven thematic areas that, without wishing to be exhaustive, group those proposals that are currently considered more priority and urgent:

1. Create new organizational and institutional structures to improve the governance of the natural heritage.
2. Establish the legal framework and approve and develop the necessary strategies to guarantee the conservation of the natural heritage in Catalonia.
3. Deepen the knowledge of the natural heritage and biodiversity of Catalonia.
4. To effectively plan and manage the protected natural spaces and the different elements that make up the country’s natural heritage.
5. Guarantee and specify the prevalence and transversality of the natural heritage in sectorial policies.
6. To consider the value of the natural heritage in the Catalan economy, to reinforce the financing of the conservation and to take care of the external responsibility of Catalonia in the conservation of the global biodiversity.
7. Improve communication, training and education towards natural heritage, encouraging the involvement of society in nature conservation.

Joan Pons, member of INSTA and responsible for the Area of Environmental and Territorial Action, is part of the Conservació.Cat collective and will bring his expertise and knowledge in areas such as the regulatory regulation of natural environment conservation in Catalonia , environmental conflict management and working with the third environmental sector.

More information at: www.conservaciocat.org