Apennines biosphere in a UNESCO workshop

FLORENCE, ITALY – The Appennino Tosco-Emiliano Biosphere Reserve (on the Apennine Mountains) is convening an international workshop to discuss and exchange views and opinions on the topic of biosphere reserves branding through high quality food products and their use in gastronomy.

Organised at the request of the UNESCO MAB Programme, the event will be held at the Torrechiara Castle (Langhirano) from 30 August to 1 September 2016. It follows up on the Shanghai and Lima workshops earlier this year.

Apennines in the UNESCO shortlist

In June 2015, the International Co-ordinating Council of UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme added 3 new sites in Italy to the World Network of Biosphere Reserves, among which the Appennino Tosco-Emiliano.

Located in the Tuscany and Emilia Romagna regions, in northern-central Italy, the Appennino Tosco-Emiliano Biosphere Reserve includes 38 municipalities. Spread over 223,229 hectares, the reserve contains 70% of all the species present in the country, including species of birds, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, fish, the wolf and the Golden Eagle, in addition to a great floristic biodiversity, with at least 260 aquatic and terrestrial plant species.

The main economic activity is agriculture, of various kinds depending on the landscape.  A tourism economy has recently been developed to improve the link between tourism and agriculture with, for example, “zero-kilometer menu” restaurants using local products.

The focus of the workshop

The workshop in Langhirano will focus on high quality products – not only as tasty, delicious and well-known products, but also on products whose supply chain is ingrained and integrated with the landscape and the local communities. Such products contribute to the conservation of biodiversity and to sustainable development in ways that benefit the community, the environment, the landscape and the economy as well, as set forth by the UN Millennium Development Goals – specifically by Goal 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns, Goal 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts and Goal 15: Sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, halt and reverse land degradation, halt biodiversity loss. Typical high quality food produced in the Appennino Tosco-Emiliano Biosphere Reserve is: Prosciutto di Parma ham, Lambrusco wine and Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.

The workshop will further aim to foster dialogue and discussion among 40 to 50 participants related to the World Network of Biosphere Reserves and experts, business people and local producers of gastronomy and high quality food products. Will participate Qun Li, Director, Division of Ecological and Earth Sciences Secretary, UNESCO MAB Programme and a representative of the UNESCO Regional Bureau for Science and Culture in Europe, Venice (Italy). Over the first two days, selected biosphere reserves will present their case story to foster discussion and debate.