BR-Connect

Promotion of international relationships between Germany's biosphere reserves in the UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves

The 686 UNESCO biosphere reserves in a total of 122 countries form the world network of biosphere reserves. Participation in the international network of biosphere reserves is a criterion for their permanent recognition. Not all of Germany's biosphere reserves have already established long-term international relationships; in other areas international networking can be expanded. Further opening up to worldwide relations, especially with the global South, would be possible and desirable, as it certainly still offers opportunities to gain experience.

The aim of the project is for German biosphere reserves to establish/expand their international networks, make use of the opportunities for international cooperation and thus make a tangible contribution to fulfilling the mission of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves as an innovation network for sustainability (also in the sense of the Lima Action Plan). We are carrying out this project in cooperation with the Eberswalde University of Applied Sciences and Europarc under the umbrella of the biosphere.center. The task of MSS is to identify interfaces for possible cooperation with BRs in an international context and then to accompany two German pilot BRs in initiating such partnerships. This also involves identifying areas where capacity development for German BRs by BRs from the global South would be desirable.