OTWO Magazine January 2020 | Page 46

so as to prevent fires. Nevertheless, the aim is to develop a new sus- tainable system among the Natural Parks in order to accomplish an ecological self-regeneration system. Taking this into account, the Andalusian legislation on natural spaces establishes a Sustainable Deve- lopment Scheme for each Natural Park and its su- rroundings. Andalusia is a pioneer region in Spain in terms of this planning and Natural Park networking. Therefore, these have become a kind of laboratory for working on sustainability development. Sustainable Development Schemes aim to pro- mote Natural Parks at both an economic and social level, attracting social and business investment and enhancing Natural Park resources. They therefore require infrastructure, equipment, human resources and R&D in order to enable a sustainable develop- ment. But they specially focus on the land’s social potential and therefore ask for people’s participation as a whole. Success will ultimately depend on peo- ple’s involvement. A living process with land as main focus The elaboration of Sustainable Development Plans responds to a strategic planning which emer- ges from the identification of problems and necessi- ties connected with environmentally focused sustai- nable development. It also has to do with a potential which is not being fulfilled and this is how the final objectives are set. The planning process needs to be supervised in order to ensure that every action is executed and there is an assessment stage in order to introduce possible modifications. It is therefore a dynamic plan which is permanently focusing on the territory. Contrasting with other plans which are often never implemented, the Sustainable Development Schemes rely on a Social Economic Board dedicated to ensure everything is materialised and coordina- ted with different departments within the regional government. This is followed by a supervision of to what extent the projects are being implemented as well as with the incorporation of new measures to meet the region’s necessities. Succeeding in three areas In accordance to the Environmental and Develop- ment Conference (Río de Janeiro, 1992), the Andalu- OTWO 06 / JANUARY 2020 sian Natural Parks Sustainable Development Plans aim to go ahead in three areas: social, economic and environmental. A coordinated action in order to ensure economic progress (profitable actions), social progress (equal wealth distribution, more employment, higher salaries, social inclusion, gen- der equality) and environmental improvement (cycle economy, de-carbonization, biodiversity enhance- ment, natural resources preservation…) within the use and activity on the area. It all consists in overcoming the idea that every area has to be dealt with separately, which often leads to contradiction. Rather than focusing on a profit-making system which pays little attention to social and environmental issues, the idea is to pro- mote actions which would lead to benefits for all. Cooperation means success The Natural Parks Sustainable Development plans emphasise cooperation and commitment among all the social agents involved in the planning process. Participation ensures efficiency and opens doors to the public, enabling them to take part in the process and allowing a brainstorming concept based on con- OTWO 06 / JANUARY 2020 sensus and dialogue. This ensures that the measures implemented will match the global necessities. Participation in the planning process means that there will be a collective action in which not only the basic needs will be tackled, but also the solutions for problems that may emerge. Concerning sustainable development, cooperation enables the design of the best strategies in order to ensure development wi- thout negatively affecting future generations. A Sustainable Development Scheme Even though each Natural Park has designed a specific Sustainable Development Plan, there are some common objectives and strategies emerging from the cultural and social economical context. A significant part of the actions that are carried out are intended to improve the sustainability of the primary industry (farming, hunting, forests, cattle or fishing). The aim is to promote ecological production, bring material cycles to an end, favour self-energetic production, protect the soil and local flora and impro- ve production infrastructures. But doing so demands an increase in the land’s added value, promoting a transformation in agriculture, especially in the ar- 45