© Sotavento Foundation. Rerras do Miño Biophere Reserve. GOOD PRACTICES success stories on sustainable and renewable energies in UNESCO Sites 2013 Published by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization 7, Place de Fontenoy, 75352 Paris 07 SP, France © UNESCO 2013 Chief-editors: Osman Benchikh and Cipriano Marín With support from: Peter Dogse (Manager - UNESCO Intersectoral Platform on Climate Change), Christine Abdalla Iskandar (RENFORUS - UNESCO) and Giuseppe Orlando (UCCI). Special thanks go to Chiara Ronchini (Edinburgh World Heritage), Stephanie Lemm (Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority & Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service), German Hernandez Durán (Biosphere Smart Initiative), Christina Quanz (Seychelles Islands Foundation), Antonio Gallardo (Fuerteventura Biosphere Reserve), Davide Poletto (UNESCO Regional Bureau for Science and Culture in Europe - Venice) and UNEF (Spanish Photovoltaic Union) for providing materials. The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNESCO concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The editors are responsible for the choice and the presentation of the facts contained in this book and for the opinions expressed therein, which are not necessarily those of UNESCO and do not commit the Organization. Book design, cover design, pdf print and typesetting: INTERRA It is permitted to copy, distribute and display the contents of this publication, with the exception of photos, for non-commercial purposes on the condition that the name of the publisher is mentioned and that the original publication of RENFORUS - UNESCO is referred to. In case of processing this publication, these license terms have to be notified and imposed as well to the addressees. Cover images: Pachamama Foundation and INTERRA INDEX 11 RENFORUS Renewable Energy Futures for UNESCO Sites 9 17 LEADING THE WAY FOR RENEWABLES Success stories on sustainable RENFORUS Initiative and renewable energies in UNESCO Sites 21 LIGHTINGH SUNDARBAN Building an energy-secure and environment-friendly future 23 LUZ EN CASA (LIGHT AT HOME) Providing energy access to remote rural communities 19GOOD PRACTICES I 25 IBEKA EXPERIENCE IN GUNUNG LEUSER Developing community-managed hydro schemes 27 BRO DYFI COMMUNITY RENEWABLES Green power and local ownership in action 29 FUERTEVENTURA RENEWABLE WATER A model for islands and dry coastal areas 31 EQUIMETH PROJECT Biogas and an innovative model of governance EMPOWERING 33 SOLAR ENERGY FOR ALTAISKY BIOSPHERE RESERVE Supplying energy needs in remote areas COMMUNITIES 37 EDINBURGH WORLD HERITAGE Towards a Sustainable Energy City 35 39 KLiP (2010-2020) GOOD PRACTICES II The City of Vienna’s Climate Protection Programme 41 IINTEGRATED ENERGY SYSTEM IN FERRARA Geothermal and waste energy sources 43 PUERTO PRINCESA - PALAWAN Towards a Model City in Sustainable Development 45 ENERGY CENTRE AT FONTEVRAUD ABBEY CITIES The largest Abbey of Europe goes to renewable energy 47 HANSEATIC TOWN OF VISBY AND TOWNS Bio-fuelled district heating 51 THE IFUGAO-AMBANGAL MINI-HYDRO PROJECT Global Sustainable Electricity Partnership project 53 VIRUNGA NATIONAL PARK 35 Green energies to preserve a World Heritage Site GOOD PRACTICES III 55 NABU’S CLIMATE AND FOREST PROJECT Forest preservation through wood-saving stoves 57 TONLE SAP Waste converted to energy for floating communities ENVIRONMENTAL 59 ALDABRA ATOLL Improving the sustainable operation of a World Heritage Site ALLIANCE 63 GROSSES WALSERTAL Towards 100% power from renewable energy sources 65 EL HIERRO BIOSPHERE RESERVE 63 The first 100% Renewable Energy Island GOOD PRACTICES IV 67 LOW ISLES - A MODEL OF SUSTAINABILITY An island powered by the Sun 69 ERGAL PROJECT Zero fossil fuels on the Galapagos Islands 71 CARBON-FREE ISLAND JEJU BY 2030 Renewable energies and Smart Grid Test-Bed TOWARDS 73 SMARTREGION PELLWORM 100% RES Renewable energies and Smart Grid Test-Bed 77 FEYNAN ECOLODGE A model of sustainable hotel in Dana biosphere reserve 79 SCHUK TOAK VISITOR CENTRE 75 Sustainable building inserted into an ecosystem GOOD PRACTICES V 81 LADY ELLIOT ISLAND ECO RESORT Clean Energy for Ecotourism 83 EIELSON VISITOR CENTER Off-grid project in Denali biosphere reserve 85 STARLIGHT INITIATIVE Save energy and recovery the stars RES, TOURISM 87 STARLIGHT INITIATIVE Save energy and recovery the stars & EDUCATION 91 SUSTAINABLE ENERGY GOVERNANCE PRINCIPLES IN 89 UNESCO DESIGNATED SITES GOVERNANCE 95 CONTACTS GOOD PRACTICES CONTACTS & TOOLS 98 RENFORUS SMART TOOLS UNESCO SITES - BiosphereSMART viewer RENFORUS RENEWABLE ENERGY FUTURES FOR UNESCO SITES 9 © José María Pérez de Ayala. Doñana biosphere rereseve. RENFORUS INITIATIVE As part of the UNESCO overarching Climate Change Initiative that aims at enhancing and applying the climate change knowledge base for building green societies, the RENFORUS Initiative promotes the use of UNESCO Biosphere Reserves and World Heritage Sites as field observatories on the sustainable use of renewable energy sources. © Acciona Solar RENFORUS RENEWABLE ENERGY FUTURES FOR UNESCO SITES 11 RENFORUS Renewable Energy Futures for UNESCO Sites By drawing on decade-long experiences in World Heritage Sites to promote preservation of environmental and cultural assets, and in Biosphere Reserves to combine nature conservation objectives with sustainable development goals based on local community and private sector participation, the UNESCO Sites constitute a unique asset for exploring the role of renewable energy in reaching and promoting their important objectives. The large number of UNESCO Sites around the world, in critical ecosystems ranging from small islands to mega cities, makes it possible to build and share a comprehensive knowledge base on good practices and policies on the use of environmentally sound energy technologies and their adaptation to specific contexts and needs. RENFORUS plays therefore a catalytic role in an essential international process to promote comprehensive, holistic approaches to energy, climate change and global sustainability. Energy is at the heart of human, social, eco- to anticipate the solutions to avoid events nomic, and sustainable development issues. that mortgage our common future over time. Decisions taken on the use of energy sources Access to basic, clean and affordable energy and on the technologies to use have a major services is essential for sustainable develop- influence on opportunities for development, ment and poverty eradication and can pro- as well as on the wellbeing of human beings vide major benefits in the areas of health, and ecosystems. Energy and environment non-delocalized job creation, socio economic issues cannot be dissociated with develop- empowerment and equity. ment concerns and they are linked to other Addressing the challenge of a new sustain- physical resources like forest and agriculture, able energy system involves an increased water, land, air, in fact the entire biosphere. use of renewable energy sources. Renewable Energy is also at the core of the climate miti- sources of energy offer win-win solutions by gation agenda. As energy demand continues increasing the access to energy while reduc- to grow, the ability to address energy issues, © Christina Quanz. Aldabra team assembling solar modules. including energy access, efficiency, and re- Aldabra Atoll, World Heritage Site. newable energy sources, will be paramount in enabling development and climate change priorities to be met in a mutually reinforcing way. In the phase following the 18th Climate Change Conference - COP18, and as identi- fied by the UN Conference on Sustainable Development - RIO+20, there is a need to ad- dress energy as the main and critical driver of sustainable development and the new global Climate Change deal. In this context, renewable energy has become a cornerstone of the UN strategy. The aim is 12 RENFORUS RENEWABLE ENERGY FUTURES FOR UNESCO SITES moting biosphere reserves (BRs) as sites for energy-efficient and renewable energy-driv- en development alternatives, thereby con- tributing to climate change mitigation efforts and to sustainable development in general. The World Heritage List includes 962 proper- ties forming part of the cultural and natural heritage that the World Heritage Committee considers as having outstanding universal value. © Tonle Sap biosphere reserve At its 29th session, the World Heritage Com- ing environmental impacts and mitigating cli- mittee highlighted the importance of climate mate change. This requires local competen- change and its impact on World Heritage cies as well as endogenous scientific capacity Sites (WHS), on their outstanding universal as a foundation for an enhanced knowledge value, integrity and authenticity. of the different related technologies and their adaptation to different contexts and needs. The preservation of UNESCO Sites remains among the highest development priorities of the Governments concerned. Having been Sites of excellence to declared UNESCO Sites, they are both places that seek to reconcile the conservation of bi- foster the integration ological and cultural diversity and economic of renewable energies and social development. Although the socio- economic development within UNESCO Sites Biosphere Reserves and World Heritage Sites is highly vulnerable due to human activities, are globally considered as