The juries of the Rei Jaume I Prizes support the request for recognition of the Albufera Natural Park as a “Biosphere Reserve”

The juries of the 36th edition of the Rei Jaume I Prizes strongly support the petition to the UNESCO led by the Valencia City Council, elected European Green City, for the Albufera Natural Park to be recognized as a  “Biosphere Reserve” within the Global Network of Biosphere Reserves. This is the main message that contains the Declaration 2024, a manifesto that is signed every year by the hundred members who make up the juries of the Premios Rei Jaume I Prizes, with the aim of raising awareness about important issues in society.

The manifesto has been read by the executive president of the Rei Jaume I Prize, Javier Quesada, during the inauguration of the day of deliberations in the Cloister of the Convent of Santo Domingo in Valencia, former General Captaincy, of the High Availability Ground Headquarters. The event was chaired by the head of the CGTAD, Lieutenant General Fernando García-Vaquero, with the presence also of the president of the Rei Jaume I Prizes Foundation, Vicente Boluda.

The 2024 Declaration argues that the juries consider this petition “as another example of collective action, in order to harmonize the conservation of biological and cultural diversity and social economic development, through the relationship between people and nature. This is an objective that is both local and universal, which is aligned with at least 5 of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals approved by the United Nations General Assembly.”

Start of deliberations

At the end of the reading of the manifesto, the seven meetings have begun, one for each prize category, to decide the winners in the categories of Basic Research, Economics, Biomedical Research, Clinical Research and Public Health, Environmental Protection, New Technologies and Entrepreneur.

At 13:30h at the Palau de la Generalitat and in an event chaired by the President of the Generalitat, Carlos Mazón, the winners of the 36th edition of the King Jaume I Prizes were announced.

In addition to the support of the Generalitat Valenciana, the Rei Jaume I Awards have the collaboration of different entities and companies that make this recognition of science, research and business possible, such as the Iberdrola Foundation Spain in Environmental protection, the Valencia City Council in New Technologies, the Diputacion of Valencia as a collaborator in Economy,  AirLiquide  Healthcare as collaborator in Clinical Research and Public Health, CaixaBank in Biomedical Research, Mercadona, Edem and AVE in the Entrepreneur prize. Also, the Awards have the support of entities such as Port Authority of Valencia, Boluda Corporación Marítima, Council of Chambers of the Valencian Community, Fundación Banco Santander, Pavasal, RNB, SPB, Grupo Vectalia, CEV, Logifruit, Fundación Torrecid, BP, Grupo Segura, Empresas del Sol, Grupo Ribera, the Alicante Provincial Council, Martínez Family and the IVO Foundation,  as well as the institutional support of the Generalitat Valenciana.