Five Percent of the Earth Is Already Living in the Future

In their latest opinion article, published in Público, Helena Freitas (Professor at the University of Coimbra, holder of the UNESCO Chair in Biodiversity and Conservation for Sustainable Development and coordinator of the Centre for Functional Ecology) and Maria Fernanda Rollo (Professor at NOVA School of Social Sciences and Humanities, former Secretary of State for Science, Technology and Higher Education, and principal investigator at the Centre for Functional Ecology) emphasize that around 5% of the Earth’s surface is already living in the future. This “future” takes shape in the UNESCO Biosphere Reserves — 784 territories across 142 countries, home to more than 250 million people and functioning as living laboratories where science, culture and civic participation come together to advance sustainability.

The 5th World Congress of Biosphere Reserves, held last September, reinforced the view that these territories must be placed at the heart of ecological transition policies, promoting participatory governance and strengthening the relationship between scientific knowledge and local wisdom. Portugal is actively engaged in this global dynamic, with 13 UNESCO-designated Biosphere Reserves, playing a key role in reconciling natural and cultural heritage, social cohesion and sustainable development.