International Workshop on Participation of the local population and stakeholders in European UNESCO Biosphere Reserves
→ Because of Covid-19, the workshop was postponed from April 2020 to May 2021.
Please save the new date: 3rd-6th May 2021, at the International Academy for Nature Conservation on the Isle of Vilm, Germany
In the course of the 3-part conference series organized by the Succow Foundation on current and explosive issues of the ecological situation and sustainable management of European UNESCO biosphere reserves, the next workshop will take place in May 2021. The program comprises exchange sessions, best practice presentations and expert talks on successful participation processes, plus excursions with regard to participatory projects in the Biosphere Reserve Southeast Rügen.
The workshop will bring together biosphere reserve managers and staff from all over Europe and expand and strengthen the network of biosphere reserves of the UNESCO Man and Biosphere Programme (MAB). The aim of the project is to support the implementation of the MAB Strategy 2015-2025 and the Lima Action Plan of the UNESCO Man and Biosphere Programme in Europe and to enable an exchange and networking of biosphere reserves in Europe on specific topics.
The workshop deals with participation of the local population and local stakeholders, including the youth, in Biosphere Reserves. Successful practices and case studies of participatory processes in the fields of land use, climate protection, youth engagement, citizen science and education for sustainable development will be presented. We will focus on how effective participatory processes are to be developed and implemented successfully in the long term. In this regard, an important aspect will be the active involvement of local population and stakeholders in decision making processes or governance structures of the Biosphere Reserves.
Workshop topics
– Case studies and experiences of participation in resource management
– Participatory governance structures in biosphere reserves
– Supporting participation: How to raise awareness, involve and activate people
– Involvement of particular groups and less represented institutions
– Is there a recipe for meaningful participation?
We invite representatives of European Biosphere Reserves, representatives of the youth, members of the MAB National Committees and EuroMAB to join the workshop to facilitate an enriching exchange on burning issues in biosphere reserves.
The organizers ask for your contributions and presentations for a comprehensive and varied workshop program.
The workshop is part of a three-part workshop series on Biosphere Reserve related issues in Europe. The workshop series running from 2019-2022 is managed by the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN) with financial support of the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) and organized by the Michael Succow Foundation.
Registrations for participation in the conference should be sent to Renée Moreaux.