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Abertis in Venice to support the network of the Mediterranean Biosphere Reserves of the Adriatic Region
23 April 2018

The commitment of our group in the environmental field is constant and well-rounded. In fact, thanks to the Abertis Foundation, in addition to activities aimed at reducing the carbon footprint generated by the Group's economic activity, we promote the conservation of the biodiversity of the natural areas in which we are present.

With the title "La rete delle riserve della biosfera mediterranea. Verso una cooperazione strategica con la regione adriatica", the presentation of the CIURBN was held in recent days in Venice to strengthen the cooperation with the Biosphere Reserves of the Adriatic and Ionian regions.

The event, organized by the Abertis Foundation together with the Autonomous University of Barcelona under the aegis of UNESCO, was chaired by Salvador Alemany, president of Abertis and of the Abertis Foundation; Ana Luiza Thompson-Flores, director of the UNESCO delegation in Italy; and Carlos del Río, president of A4Holding, an Abertis company in Italy.

In his opening speech, Salvador Alemany recalled the will of the UNESCO Center of the Abertis Foundation to consolidate itself as a reference of excellence, to act as a model of cooperation between the two shores of the Mediterranean in matters relating to the Biosphere Reserves and to establish itself as a facilitating agent for the development of agreements and links between them.

Roser Maneja, scientific coordinator of the UNESCO Center, also attended the meeting; Vanja Debevec, director of the Slovenian karst reserve; Sergio Rossi, specialist in marine biology at the University of Bologna; and Sergi Loughney, Abertis director of institutional relations and CSR and director of the Abertis Foundation.

Loughney stressed that this project, in collaboration with a United Nations dependent entity such as UNESCO, conveys solidity and transparency, key concepts in the CSR policy of 21st century companies.

During the closing ceremony, Miguel Clüsener-Godt, director of the UNESCO division of earth sciences, highlighted the important role of public-private partnerships, a key aspect for the creation of future projects for the prestige of CIURBN in other countries of the world.

 

The network of reserves of the Mediterranean biosphere

For more in-depth information on it, you can explore the website of the Mediterranean biosphere reserve network (RRBMed).

 

Abertis Foundation

The Abertis Foundation was founded in 1999 as a non-profit organization, with the aim of responding to the impact that the economic activity of the Abertis Group has in the various territories and countries in which the Group is present. The Foundation has always given priority to actions relating to road safety, the environment and social action, in line with Abertis' strategic corporate social responsibility plan.

Castellet Castle, seat of the Abertis Foundation, was declared in 2013 UNESCO International Center for Mediterranean Biosphere Reserves and, since then, has established itself as a center for the dissemination of ideas, projects and knowledge, acting as a stimulus for interest cultural and natural heritage, being a paradigm of sustainable heritage management.