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3rd World Congress of Biosphere Reserves: Biosphere Futures, UNESCO Biosphere Reserves for Sustainable Development (4-9 February 2008 - Madrid)

Message by the Secretary of the MAB International Co-ordinating Council (ICC):

Dear Members of the ICC and Observer Delegations: Please find here for your perusal and comments the Madrid Action Plan (MAP) adopted by the 20th session of the ICC on 8 February 2008 in Madrid, Spain. We have done our best to integrate all the comments made by the ICC Members and Observers on 8 February, both orally and in written form. We welcome comments that will help us to improve the text of the Madrid Action Plan's reading without however changing the meaning and content that has been adopted by the ICC. Based on the advice of the Chair of the MAB-ICC, Mr Henri Djombo, Minister for Forest and Economy of Congo, who visited the MAB Secretariat on 19 February 2008, we have decided to place the Madrid Action Plan in the MABNet until 31 March 2008 before finalizing it for circulation to all MAB National Committees, National Commissions for UNESCO, Permanent Delegations to UNESCO, biosphere reserve managers, as well as intergovernmental, non-governmental and private sector partners.

We plan to consult, during March 2008, with the Members of the Bureau of the ICC possible dates for a meeting of the Bureau at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris that will be open to all Members of the ICC as well as observers to discuss next steps in the implementation of the MAP, including the possibility of setting up an ad-hoc committee that will collaborate with the MAB Secretariat in facilitating the implementation of the Madrid Action Plan.

We thank you for your co-operation.
N. Ishwaran

Background
The Government of Spain and UNESCO/MAB are jointly organizing the 3rd World Congress of Biosphere Reserves, which will take place from 4 to 9 February 2008 in Madrid, Spain. At this congress, international experts and the MAB constituency will work together to analyze the results of the practical implementation of the Seville Strategy and the Statutory Framework of 1995. They will also assess the progress made and address future challenges for biosphere reserves with the goal of adopting the Madrid Action Plan (2008-2013).

The Spanish Minister for the Environment, Cristina Narbona Ruiz, officially announced at the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris in October 2006 during the 19th session of the MAB International Co-ordinating Council that the Ministry offered to host the 3rd World Congress of Biosphere Reserves in Madrid, with the collaboration of the Kingdom of Spain. The aims of the Congress are:

Analyse the results of the practical implementation of the Seville Strategy and the Statutory Framework of 1995
Valorise the progress made and the challenges for the future
Elaborate the Madrid Action Plan for biosphere reserves in this 21st Century

Provisional timetable (English / French)

Five background documents for Madrid available for consultation and comments

The work of the Congress will focus on the five-points agenda, which will elaborate an Action Plan for the World Network of Biosphere Reserves for the period 2008-2012. The Points are:

Working methods and practices of the ICC in relation to the same of the Executive Board and the General Conference of UNESCO as a tool for improving science-policy practice within UNESCO's planning and programming agendas.
What are the implications for each of the biosphere reserve zones contributing to conservation and development taking into consideration constraints and opportunities inherent in each zone?
How can biosphere reserves be used for innovative research and capacity building enhancing the role of ecosystem goods and services in development?
How can the MAB and Biosphere Reserve Regional Networks be strengthened to become the main drivers of MAB and biosphere reserve agendas?
How can biosphere reserves be used for learning, governance and adaptive management approaches for sustainable development of land/seascapes?

Contributions to the Congress: Participants who represent a biosphere reserve are invited to prepare a technical note on this reserve. All contributions will be compiled in a final document.

Costs for participation: The registration for the Congress is free of charge; however participants must obtain a formal invitation issued by the Organizers. Congress participants are fully assuming all the costs for their participation (travel, lodging, food), with the exception of those whose expenses will be covered by the Organizers.

For more information: http://www.madrid2008mab.es/