Damian Pankowiec
Portuguese-speaking countries
Biosphere of influence Next year marks a quarter of a century since UNESCO declared the Bijagós archipelago as being one of the world’s biosphere reserves. That status was given to the islands in 1996 and now they make up one of 701 biosphere reserves in 124 countries across the globe. A biosphere reserve is defined by UNESCO as a ‘learning area for sustainable development’ and thus it is regularly monitored for preservation purposes. It is a site for ‘testing interdisciplinary approaches to understanding and managing changes and interactions between social and ecological systems, including conflict prevention and management of biodiversity’ and
‘each site promotes solutions reconciling the conservation of biodiversity with its sustainable use’. One of the main reasons the archipelago received biosphere reserve status was the fact that the fauna in its mangroves and on its mudflats is so diverse. According to UNESCO, the archipelago has been recognised as the most important site in Africa for green turtles to lay their eggs, with nearly 10,000 adult females visiting its shores every year. Many other species of turtle also reproduce in the mangroves and other frequent visitors include the rare migratory birds that nest on its shores. The timneh grey parrot is an endangered species. Then there’s the locals themselves who need the islands to be as natural as
possible as they work in agriculture, forestry, animal herding, fishing and ecotourism. In a report published in May – ‘Natural World Heritage in Africa: Progress and Prospects’ – the International Union for Conservation of Nature lists the islands as a future world heritage site. Guided by the World Heritage Convention adopted in 1972, these sites are considered remarkable landmarks or areas with cultural, historical or scientific significance, protected by international treaties and designated as such by UNESCO. Miguel de Barros, one of GuineaBissau’s most renowned sociologists and environmental activists, has been fighting to preserve the islands. He tells Macao Magazine that the local ethnic groups have served as
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