We extend our sincere appreciation to Sergio for his many years of service with the ICCA Consortium Secretariat and our warmest wishes as he moves on to an exciting role at the University of Granada
First published on 03/02/2022
Sergio Couto González has played an instrumental role in the ICCA Consortium for more than ten years, first by writing the first national study on ICCAs in Spain, helping organise the Consortium’s sixth General Assembly and participation in the WILD10 Congress in Spain in 2013. During his time as Regional Coordinator for Europe, he supported numerous local and national processes, including the creation of the world’s first ICCA peer review process in Spain with Iniciativa Comunales (which served as inspiration for many other national peer review and support processes around the world), research and documentation efforts such as national reports on ICCAs in Romania and in Portugal, and grassroots resistance to harmful industries such as Save Sinjajevina’s successful campaign against military training in their pastures in Montenegro.
Regionally, Sergio co-organised and convened several gatherings and assemblies in Europe and led the development of the Common Lands Network’s online platform in close collaboration with the International Land Coalition. Internationally, he contributed significantly to the development of the global ICCA Registry with the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre and strengthening of the ICCA Consortium’s ties with the International Land Coalition, in addition to participating in many of the Consortium’s annual General Assemblies. These contributions, among many others, have helped shape the ICCA Consortium’s approach to participatory and community-determined research and documentation and our collective understanding of the great diversity and complexity of ICCAs—territories of life and the commons in Europe.
Although Sergio will be missed in the Secretariat, he will remain an Honorary member of the ICCA Consortium and actively involved in related issues both locally and nationally in Spain and regionally in Europe. We wish Sergio all the best with his exciting new position at the University of Granada!
Photos: Sergio Couto
