The World Network of Mountain Biosphere Reserves holds online meeting with broad global participation
On June 26th, we held a new online meeting of the World Network of Mountain Biosphere Reserves, open to its members and interested individuals and organizations, in which 87 people participated, representing Biosphere Reserves from the five continents.
The meeting reviewed the current status of the network, the evolution of its roadmap, ongoing initiatives and upcoming events. A highlight of the meeting was the presentation of the next face-to-face meeting and the preparation of a common position for the World Congress of Biosphere Reserves, to be held in Hangzhou, China, in 2025.
The following are the main highlights of the meeting:
- Global representation and geographic needs: With 67 members distributed globally, the need for greater geographic representation was identified, especially in Europe and Africa.
- Progress on the roadmap: Progress was made on the generation and dissemination of applicable knowledge, management support and engagement. The need to define tools and connect needs and resources was highlighted.
- Best practices: We initiated the standardized compilation of best practices to create a catalog of experiences that will serve as a source of knowledge and be widely disseminated.
- Glacier Monitoring and Conservation: We are working on a project to learn about the status of ice masses in Biosphere Reserves worldwide and create awareness-raising tools, contributing to the International Year of Glacier Conservation in 2025.
- Cultural Giants: Led by the Sierra de Grazalema Biosphere Reserve (Spain), we launched this initiative, which collects and assesses cultural expressions at risk of extinction in Mountain Biosphere Reserves, with 16 cases received so far.
- Programs for young researchers and managers: Two programs of great interest will be launched in September: an internship program for young researchers in collaboration with the GLOMOS Program (Global Mountain Safeguard Research) of the United Nations University, and an exchange program for young researchers and managers in collaboration with the Global Mountain Safeguard Research Program (GLOMOS) of the United Nations University.
- Presence at recent conferences: The network was present at the “World Biosphere Reserve and Global Geopark Sustainable Development Conference” in Changbaishan Biosphere Reserve (China) and at EUROMAB 2024 in Germany, organizing a workshop on initiatives for climate change mitigation and adaptation in Mountain Biosphere Reserves.
- Results of the questionnaire: 44 responses to a previous questionnaire were analyzed, which highlighted the need to improve communication within the network, the creation of working groups and possible projects.
- Preparation for the World Congress of Biosphere Reserves 2025: The elaboration of a common position for the congress was discussed, in coordination with the working group in charge of defining the Action Plan.
- Next face-to-face meeting: Details of the next face-to-face meeting in the Ordino Biosphere Reserve (Andorra) from September 24-27 of this year were announced.
- Resolution of doubts and suggestions: A space was reserved for resolving doubts and collecting suggestions from participants.
We would like to thank the interest and participation of all the people who connected. However, we leave in this link the presentation used for all those who could not attend.
We encourage you to continue disseminating our work and to continue supporting us wherever you think you can contribute more value.
The Network is built by all of us!
