Urdaibai

REGIONAL SUSTAINABILITY STRATEGY FOR THE URDAIBAI BIOSPHERE RESERVE (BASQUE COUNTRY) Oregi Bastarrika A. Minister for the Environment and Regional Policy. Basque Government.

Biosphere Reserves

The Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve

The Origin

"Plan for the comprehensive use of the Guernica-Mundaca estuary"

1968

Social description

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River Basin of the Oka river (Functional Unit of the landscape).

Surface area: 22,000 hectares.

22 municipalities.

Two large population centres Gernika-Lumo and Bermeo and population dispersed across other municipalities.

Population: 45,000 inhabitants Unemployment rate: 11% 90% of land is private UNESCO Declaration (1984) Urdaibai Act (1989) PRUG (1993, amend. 2003, rev. 2013)

Location, zoning and protection

Core = SPA:

estuary, oak groves and archaeological sites.

Protection Area = PA:

rivers, oak groves, landscape.

Transition Area:

agricultural areas, forests, common rural land, rural communities...

Natural heritage: Main ecosystems

Natural heritage: Biodiversity and Geodiversity

Cultural heritage

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Prehistoric sites.

Roman settlements.

Towns and medieval castles.

Gernika Tree.

The Camino de Santiago (The Way of St James) Farms and tower-houses.

Preindustrial facilities and activities.

Basque language and intangible heritage.

Multiple activities

Participatory bodies

Management Organisation

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fGhmuDtUnA&feature=share&list=UUMp