We wish you all a 2014 full of success and good health

Interra and BiosphereSmart initiative wish you a Happy New year full o Health and Success. Happy Holidays.

Strategy for renewables energies in Biosphere Reserves Network

The last 14 and 15 of November We took part in the conference "Strategy of Renewable Energy in the Biosphere Reserve Network" organized by the "Organismo Autónomo de parques nacionales". In the meeting, celebrated in Castellet (Barcelona), we presented the potential of our products RBdigital and Biospheresmart for those Biosphere Reserves who want to implement renewable energy and achieve more sustainable environments in line with conservation features for them entrusted. In this connection features like dynamic simulation models, spatial analysis, etc. that allow, for example, calculate the perfect spot to place a solar farm or perform calculations on the impact it will have the installation of a wind farm on the birds.

A moment of our presentation

One of the BS tools for Renewable Energy Magnagment 

New Observatory of El Hierro Biosphere Reserve.

We have launched the observatory of the El Hierro Biosphere Reserve http://www.observatorioelhierro.es/; Thereby the Biosphere Reserve has become part of the new generation of Biosphere Reserves adopting the standard Intelligent RBDigital Observatory to support the Biosphere Reserve management. A BiosphereSmart fully utilizes the tools of new information technologies to help build a sustainable future agreement and the transition towards green societies based on knowledge and improving the quality of life.

Observatory Interfaz.

From the technical point of view RBDigital is a suite of solutions that enable the promotion and accessed easily and quickly to all the information necessary for the comprehensive management of Biosphere Reserve in its functions of conservation, development and logistic support.

Suite  RBDigital

The Observatory of El Hierro Biosphere Reserve has the mission to provide the best available information and make it available to society, to contribute to the improvement in decision-making processes, public participation, education and the effective contribution of the scientific community to the emerging challenges relating to sustainable development, conservation of biodiversity and cultural heritage.

Smart Portal

Check Here the new Observatory http://www.observatorioelhierro.es/

If you want more information about RBDigital, please send us a mail : info@interra.es

BiosphereSmart in Wild10 Congress

These days we are participating in the 10th World Wilderness Congress (WWC) ¿What is WILD10?  Is the most recent in what has become the longest-running, international, public conservation project. It is a two-three year process of collaboration between many groups, governments, experts in all fields, community representatives, businesses, scientists, artists and more.  Clearly, wild nature is under threat all over the world, and human society needs to change if we are to solve the issues in front of us.  There are also good stories to tell, ones that tell us who we are, and where we need to go.

WildTEN Congress

What makes the WWC…and WILD10…different and effective? First, it is not just a “conference,” rather it is a process of collaboration aimed towards practical results for wild nature and people; using a positive, inclusive approach to problem solving; emphasizing intergenerational solutions; recognizing that culture is equally as important as good policy, effective resource management,  and state-of-the-art science; and involving a great diversity of people and professions who understand the importance of wild nature to a healthy and prosperous human society — from tribal communities to heads of state, Nobel Laureates to local activists, scientists and artists, and more. When the 10th WWC actually convenes, part of it may look like a conference, but if the process works then it is much more, and the practical results and outcomes will be matched by a sense of inspiration, hope, and action.

WildTEN congress

From 4-10 October, 2013, the WILD10 process will culminate in Salamanca, in Western Spain, where some 1500 or more delegates from many countries will converge, joined by many thousands more on-line, for 7 days of varied and exciting activities, announcements, cultural events, trainings, associated meetings and symposia, and more

We are participating in the congress showing BiosphereSmart, A global observatory created to shared ideas, knowledge, best-practices, and experiences among Biosphere Reserves on issues related to climate change, green economies, and sustainable development.

http://biospheresmart.org/

BiosphereSmart has been updated to HTML5

Continuing our commitment with the innovation and continuous improvement, BiosphereSmart viewer has been updated to HTML5 technology. The main advantages are focused on not depend on the installation of plugins for the viewfinder display, and the support for mobile devices (smartphones and tablets)

The change in technology has also accompanied by an improvement in usability and navigability: intuitive access to the most common options, adaptation to levels experienced user or a beginner ... the goal: to improve the user experience.

New HTML5 Viewer.

In the coming days we will increase the functionalities and  we will make the finishing touches on the viewer, you can send your feedback, comments ... through this blog. 

Access to the new Viewer  http://biospheresmart.org/

Interra participa en el desarrollo técnico de Edisost

Nuestros hogares no suelen estar diseñados para mejorar nuestra calidad de vida ni  acostumbran a considerar criterios de ahorro y eficiencia energética; contribuyendo al deterioro medioambiental y provocando problemas de salud, elevadas facturas de agua y electricidad, exceso de residuos, cambio climático…

Clúster Construcción Sostenible apostando por la innovación presenta EDISOST. Una herramienta informática que evalúa y compara el grado de sostenibilidad de las edificaciones y su entorno, tanto para nuevas construcciones como para acciones de rehabilitación. Edisost ayuda a mejorar la sostenibilidad de las construcciones y entornos urbanos; enriqueciendo el proceso de diseño; o corrigiendo los defectos de un edificio o urbanización al dotar al proyectista de una herramienta instantánea de evaluación y auto-diagnóstico.

Edisost permite de forma sencilla e intuitiva mejorar la sostenibilidad en diversas áreas: Urbanismo, Energía, Agua, Materiales, Accesibilidad y Calidad Ambiental; incluyendo una completa batería de indicadores adaptable a las condiciones locales de cada entorno.

Conoce EDISOST y participa de otra manera de construir; más eficiente, más saludable y más respetuosa con nuestro planeta y con nosotros mismos.

Cluster Construcción Sostenible, por un progreso sostenible, por una construcción inteligente.

Plug It On The Window

The Window Socket offers a neat way to harness solar energy and use it as a plug socket. So far we have seen solutions that act as a solar battery backup, but none as a direct plug-in. Simple in design, the plug just attaches to any window and does its job intuitively

Read more at http://www.yankodesign.com/2013/04/26/plug-it-on-the-window/#Bpddh2jfu6ORipGy.99 

Kivalina's Climate Change Problem: Why The Small Alaskan Village Is Disappearing

It is already difficult to find Kivalina on a map, but soon it may be impossible. Not only does the Alaskan village only cover 1.9 square miles of land and is home to less than 400 residents, but it is disappearing. Fast. As one of the most apparent and shocking examples of coastal erosion, Kivalina could be uninhabitable by 2025 -- all thanks to climate change.

In this photo taken in Sept. 2005 and provided by Millie Hawley, Kivalina, an Inupiat Eskimo village is seen in on a barrier island off the coast of northwest Alaska.

The dump, airport and village are located on the narrow strip of land. (Photo by Bob Hallinen)

Although the U.S. Corp of Army Engineers built a defensive wall to protect Kivalina, it is little more than a temporary fix. Moving villagers to higher land would cost the government $400 million, an amount they have yet to offer.

However, the residents of Kivalina refused to give up their home without a fight. They sued 24 of the world's largest oil companies, including BP, Shell, Chevron, ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips, for the aforementioned cost of moving. The lawsuit claimed that the defendants led the public astray in regards to the effects of climate change, and were involved in a conspiracy to mislead. The villagers lost both their original suit in 2010 and a 2012 appeal.

Kivalina is not the only Alaskan village coming face-to-face with the harsh realities of climate change. According to the EPA, Alaska has warmed twice as fast as the national average in the last 50 years. In fact, 12 towns voted to move to new locations as a result of climate change, a practice Ars Technica calls “climigration.”

Waves are shown pounding against the sandbagged seawall in Kivalina, Alaska  (AP Photo/Mary Sage, file)

Source: Huffpost

Urmia Biosphere Reserve: Largest Lake in Middle East May Dry Up

Urmia, the Middle East’s largest lake, is in danger of drying up as Iran’s Energy Ministry and local officials failed to ensure critical water transfers, Aftab News said, citing a lawmaker.

Lake Urmia Satellite image

The energy ministry is not standing by its commitment regarding Urmia Lake, Nader Ghazipour, who represents the city of the same name in the Iranian parliament, was quoted as saying on Aftab’s website. No funds have been allocated for the lake and “efforts to remedy its critical condition are leading nowhere,” he said.

Stranded ship evidencing recent desiccation of
Lake Urmia. Source: Harrijet News

Urmia in northwestern Iran, one of the largest hyper-saline lakes in the world, is a UNESCO biosphere reserve, according to a United Nations report. The lake’s surface area has declined since the mid-1990s due to drought, increased water diversion for agriculture and mismanagement, it said.

Urmia lake is now only a third full of water, Ghazipour said. Thousands of protesters took to the streets in Tabriz and Urmia in 2011, critcizing authorities for mininal actions to save the lake, the UN said. A plan to transfer water from nearby Aras River wasnt´t followed through on,  Ghazipour said.

Source: Bloomberg Businesswek

Learn more about Urmia and another Biosphere Reserves in  http://biospheresmart.org/

BiosphereSmart: New layer with information about Geoparks

We have added a new layer with information about Geoparks. You can check it in http://biospheresmart.org/.  

Geopark is a unified area with geological heritage of international significance. Geoparks use that heritage to promote awareness of key issues facing society in the context of the dynamic planet we all live on. Many Geoparks promote awareness of geological hazards, including volcanoes, earthquakes and tsunamis and many help prepare disaster mitigation strategies among local communities. Geoparks hold records of past climate change and are educators on current climate change as well as adopting a best practise approach to utilising renewable energy and employing the best standards of “green tourism.”Tourism industry promotion in Geopark, as a geographically sustainable and applicable tourism model, aims to sustains, or even enhances, the geographical character of a place.

New layer with information about geoparks

The Global Geoparks idea is being adopted by increasing numbers of Member States. The Geoparks are becoming very popular due to their combination of conservation, sustainable development and community involvement. UNESCO started to be active in this area in 1999 when Geoparks were proposed as a UNESCO programme. However, in 2001, at the 161st session of UNESCO's Executive Board, the majority of Delegates decided 'not to pursue the development of a UNESCO geoparks programme, but instead to support ad hoc efforts within individual Member States as appropriate'.

If you are a geopark, please contact with us in info@interra.es to add your geopark to the platform.

Bike Share Map

Researcher Oliver O’Brien from University College London builds a real-time bike share system map from 97 cities (so far) around the world. See how popular the bike share system is in your city.

http://bikes.oobrien.com/global.php

Unesco’s World Heritage Committee Considers 34 New Sites For Its Growing List

Next week, members of the prestigious World Heritage Committee will gather in Cambodia to consider 34 new sites for inclusion on Unesco’s World Heritage List. The occasion marks the 35th year the Committee will meet to add man-made and natural wonders considered to be of “outstanding universal value,” a quality that is said to transcends borders, politics and economics.

Mount Etna

The idea to create an international movement to protect the world's cultural and natural wonders emerged after World War I and was further inspired by the rescue of the 13th-century B.C. Egyptian temples of Abu Simbel in 1954. After Cairo announced plans to build a dam that would flood them, Unesco launched a campaign to relocate the temples, brick by brick.

his year, the Committee will meet in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap (Angkor Wat) between June 16 and June 27 to examine recommendations from the International Council of Monuments and Sites, or Icomos, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature, or IUCN, to select new additions to the World Heritage List. Up for consideration are nine natural properties, 21 cultural sites and four mixed (nature and culture).

Xinjiang Tianshan National Park

Highlights include Mount Etna in Italy, India’s Great Himalayan National Park and the historic city of Alanya, Turkey. Five of the sites up for consideration -- Hill Forts of Rajasthan in India, Al Zubarah Archaeological Site of Qatar, Historic Monuments and Sites in Kaesong of DPRK, Bolgar Historical and Archaeological Complex of Russia and Tajik National Park of Tajikistan -- will be given a second chance after having failed for a variety of reasons the first time around.

Día mundial del reciclaje.

Hoy es el día mundial del reciclaje. Compartimos esta infografía que, de manera breve, nos da algunos consejos para reciclar y los beneficios que con ello se obtiene.

Collaboration between Two Volcanic World Heritage Sites on Managing Risks to Visitors

Demonstrating an excellent example of cooperation between managers and staff of two of the globe’s most iconic World Heritage volcano sites, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park in the USA and New Zealand’s Tongariro National Park worked together to assess risk to visitors in what can be inherently dangerous places.

At the request of the Conservator, Tongariro Whanganui Taranaki Conservancy, Department of Conservation in New Zealand, the superintendent and staff at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park recently completed a peer review of a Risk Assessment for the Tongariro Alpine Crossing (TAC) in Tongariro National Park (TNP). US Geological Survey-Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientist-in-charge also participated.  These professional contacts were made at the VOLCANDPARK 2012 conference in Olot, Spain resulting in significant benefit to TNP. 

Maui Haleaka volcano © Sacred Sites

The Tongariro Alpine Crossing provides a very important visitor experience and its multiple closures since eruptions near it in 2012 have had a major impact on visitors, businesses, communities and the government. The purpose of the peer review was to test the risk assessment and its application to assumptions made relative to managing risk to visitors entering active volcanic areas, as well as determining whether or not management responses are consistent with international standards and best management practice. In this regard, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, a World Heritage Site and International Biosphere Reserve, is a model for other protected volcanic sites around the world. Based on real-time monitoring of volcanic activity associated with two of the world’s most active volcanoes-Kilauea and Mauna Loa- management at Hawaii Volcanoes NP is able to make informed decisions regarding visitor use and access and employee and visitor safety. 

Tongariro National Park © UNESCO

The comparison of volcanic risk with non-volcanic risk indicates there are small levels of background volcanic risk inherent in volcanic national parks.  However given the success at Hawaii Volcanoes over decades with millions of visitors, as well as the peer review with specific recommendations for TAC, the New Zealand Minister of Conservation announced the reopening of the Crossing, scheduled for early May.

Font of the new: UNESCO

Visit BiosphereSmart a tool for sustainable and collaborative management of Biosphere Reserves  http://biospheresmart.org/

BiosphereSmart: sharing knowledge on climate change, green economies, and sustainable development

BiosphereSmart is a global observatory created to share ideas, knowledge, good practices, and experiences among Biosphere Reserves on issues related to climate change, green economies, and sustainable development.
The BiosphereSmart Initiative is based on the idea to maximise the use of new information technologies to build a covenant for a sustainable future and a transition to green societies based on knowledge. Citizens become both beneficiaries and key actors of the information and participation tools of the project. They can also be sensors able to provide information about their spatial experiences, improving their capacity of participation.

Biosphere Smart provides this web-based platform with the aim of: 

• Sharing ideas and best practices on issues related to sustainable development and climate change;
• Sharing experience and lessons in using biosphere reserves as green economy models;
• Promoting sustainable urban futures issues within biosphere reserves and their surroundings;
• Providing an educational tool with mapping and advanced communication services;
• Empowering sustainable communities to improve their access to information and decision-making capacity;
• Improving  information and response capacity for managers and scientific community in biosphere reserves;
• Share and facilitate access to the knowledge and expertise of the scientific community;
• Strengthen partnerships within the World Network of Biosphere Reserves (WNBR).

The BiosphereSmart Initiative was launched during the 24th Session of the International Co-ordinating Council (ICC) of the Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme (2012), which highlighted the "need of the MAB Programme and its networks to be a substantial tool for the implementation of the Rio+20 follow up and for this purpose on the need for the improvement of the communication by using tools like Biosphere SMART on green economies and by using biosphere reserves as study sites for all UNESCO Programmes".

⇒ BiosphereSmart Initiative website

Una fotografía espacial de El Hierro, finalista del concurso Imagen del Año de la NASA

Una fotografía de la erupción volcánica de El Hierro tomada desde el espacio es una de las finalistas al concurso de la Imagen del Año que cada año realiza la NASA. El concurso se basa en votaciones de los internautas que van escogiendo cada semana entre dos imágenes. En esta ronda, la foto de El Hierro compite contra una instantánea de la fractura de un glaciar en la Antártida. El ganador final se conocerá el próximo día 5 de abril.

En la foto se puede apreciar una mancha de color turquesa que indica altas concentraciones de material volcánico. Inmediatamente por encima de la abertura del cono volcánico, una mancha de agua marrón se corresponde con las turbulencias creadas por el chorro cálido que sale del volcán submarino y que indica cuándo y dónde la erupción es más fuerte.

Imagen de El Hierro finalista en el concurso de la NASA. | NASA

La fotografía, que fue tomada el 10 de febrero de 2012, fue capturada por un instrumento llamado Advancer Land Imager (ALI) que está montado en el satélite de la agencia espacial norteamericana Earth Observing-1. Según destaca la propia NASA en su página web, aunque la erupción ocurrió hace ya bastantes meses, aún persiste y en la actualidad todavía se sigue de cerca su evolución.

Fuente: El mundo

22 de marzo: día mundial del agua.

Hoy es el día mundial del agua para la UNESCO; la edición de 2013 está dedicada a la temática de cooperación en materia de agua ¿el objetivo? recordarnos que el agua es un bien escaso al que más de 800 millones de personas no tienen acceso y esto condiciona su desarrollo económico y social.

Logo UNESCO año internacional del agua

Y es que mientras que en el primer mundo el agua potable que no valoramos e incluso derrochamos (una familia puede gastar más de 1000 litros de agua en un solo día) en el tercer mundo es un bien preciado y en muchas ocasiones una sola persona emplea diariamente la cantidad que nosotros usamos para lavarnos los dientes: 2 litros de agua.

Consumo por países (Persona/Semana)

Algunos datos para reflexionar:

• 50% – Proporción de la población del mundo en desarrollo que carece de acceso a instalaciones básicas de saneamiento – un total de 2,600 millones de personas.
• 1.100 millones- El número de personas en todo el mundo que carece de acceso a fuentes mejoradas de agua.
• 4.000 - El número de menores de cinco años que mueren todos los días solamente a causa de las enfermedades diarreicas.
• 4 veces - La quinta parte más rica de la población en los países en desarrollo tiene cuatro veces más posibilidades de utilizar instalaciones mejoradas de saneamiento que la quinta parte más pobre de la población (y el doble de posibilidades de utilizar fuentes de agua mejoradas).
• 44% – Porcentaje de mujeres en las zonas rurales de África que emplean 30 minutos o más para recolectar un solo cubo de agua con el fin de satisfacer las necesidades de sus familias.
• 400 millones – El número de escolares que sufren una disminución de su capacidad de aprendizaje debido a infecciones de parásitos intestinales.
• Cientos de millones – El número de personas con fuentes de agua para beber contaminadas debido a contaminantes microbiológicos o químicos.

Reserva de la Biosfera de la Semana: La Palma

1. Ubicación: Isla La Palma, Islas Canarias (España)

2. Fecha de declaración: 1983

3. Superficie: 80.702 ha., pertenecientes 13.720 ha. a la zona núcleo, 32.281 ha. a la zona tampón y 34.701 ha. a la zona de transición.

Mapa de la Isla La Palma. Fuente: Isla Bonita

4. Municipios con territorios en la RB: Barlovento, Breña Alta, Breña Baja, Fuencaliente, Garafía, Los Llanos de Aridane, El paso, Puntagorda, Puntallana, San Andrés y Sauces, Santa Cruz de la Palma, Tazacorte, Tijarafe y Villa de Mazo.

5. Actividades humanas: Agricultura, sobre todo plantaciones de bananas; ganadería, apicultura y pesca. Actualmente está en gran desarrollo el turismo rural y la artesanía.

Cultivo de bananas. Fuente: Fresh Plaza

6. Figuras de protección:

- Parque Nacional

- Parque Natural

- Reserva Natural Protegida

- Reserva Natural Especial

- Sitio de Interés Científico

- Monumento Natural

- Paisaje Protegido

- Zona de Especial Protección para las Aves (ZEPA)

- Área Marina Protegida (MAP) (51'3 % del territorio)

7. Características ecológicas: Es considerada una de las islas de mayor altura en relación a su superficie, gracias al Pico  “Roque de los Muchachos” de 2.426 m. Está formada por una cadena de volcanes denominada “Cumbre Vieja”. En la Isla podemos encontrar a diferentes altitudes todos los ecosistemas representativos de la Región Macaronesica.

Roque de los Muchachos. Fuente: Flickr

Flora: La vegetación en La Palma varía desde los áridos costeros donde podemos encontrar Euphorbia obstusifolia, hasta las húmedas formaciones de los bosques termófilos seguidos de vegetación de monteverde como bosques de Laurisilva, brezo (Erica arbórea) y faya, (Myrica faya) sustituido finalmente a grandes altitudes por el pino canario (Pinus canariensis), codeso de cumbre o del Pico (Adenocarpus viscosus) y matorrales de cumbre como es la retama amarilla ( Teline microphylla). 

  Adenocarpus viscosus. Fuente: Rinconcito Canario                                

  Myrica faya. Fuente: Wikipedia

Fauna: En la Isla podemos encontrar numerosas especies de insectos endémicos sobre todo escarabajos (Ips Nobilis) y además algunas especies de aves únicas como son la paloma turqué ( Columba bollii ), la paloma rabiche ( Columba junoniae), la graja palmera ( Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax barbarus) y el pinzón palmero (Fringilla coelebs palmae).

Graja palmera. Fuente: Naturfotografen

Columba junoniae. Fuente: Especies Amenazadas de Canarias