On 10 June the cross-border natural reserve "Meseta Ibérica", located at the border line between Spain and Portugal and managed by the EGTC ZASNET, was declared by UNESCO as part of the "biosphere reserve" network.
The Iberian Meseta became so the first UNESCO reserve being managed by a European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation, and the 15th transboundary Biosphere Reserve, out of 630 all over the world.
"Being a cross-border Biosphere Reserve means a higher responsibility", said Margarida Rodrigues, Director of the EGTC. "We have been working very hard during four years to submit this candidature, because the UNESCO criteria are very strict and demanding", she added, "but the effective work has just begun".
The decision was taken in Paris at the 27th session of the Steering Committee of UNESCO Scientific Programme "Man and Biosphere".
The "Meseta Ibérica" (Iberian Plateau), co-financed by the Cross-border Cooperation Programme Spain-Portugal – POCTEP has been implemented by the EGTC ZASNET. This EGTC is based in Bragança, Portugal, and its members are the associations of municipalities of Terra Fria Transmontana, Terra Quente Transmontana and Douro Superior, the provincial councils of Salamanca and Zamora, and the city of Zamora.
*****
The cross-border biosphere reserve Meseta Ibérica covers a very wide area along the Northern Border of Spain and Portugal, at 1 132 607 ha. The reserve includes four natural parks: the Lago de Sanabria y alrededores, Montesinho, Douro Internacional and Arribes del Duero, as well as the natural regional park of the Tua Valley and various areas included in the Natura 2000 network.
