The World Network of Mountain Biosphere Reserves presents its roadmap for the next two years
On May 24, the third online meeting of the WNMBR took place, where the roadmap of this network for the next two years was shared. More than 120 people from at least 15 countries, representatives of the 5 continents, participated in the meeting, which was inaugurated by María Rosa Cárdenas on behalf of the international secretariat of the UNESCO MaB Program. Subsequently, the secretariats of the WNMBR, the Valles de Omaña y Luna Biosphere Reserve and the Research Center for Eco-environmental Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, were in charge of directing it. More information about their agenda and the aspects that were dealt with in this presentation.
On May 24, the roadmap for the next two years, defined at the meeting of the network’s advisory council, which took place in the Valles de Omaña y Luna Biosphere Reserve in March 2023, was publicly presented. In this meeting, the foundations and mission of the WNMBR were analyzed in depth, as well as the way to structure its work, establishing three main work spaces: research for actionable knowledge, empowerment and participation, and support for adaptive management . Based on the latter, the implementation of 6 projects that will begin immediately in the coming months was assessed:
- Calls to share small, affordable and creative initiatives to address adaptation to global change at the local level.
- Exchange of tools to monitor biodiversity and socioeconomic dynamics.
- Enabling of a communication platform for managers of Mountain Biosphere Reserves.
- Capacity building program for WNMBR members.
- Educational program and youth participation in the WNMBR.
- Launch of a catalog of participatory approaches in which to share previous successful experiences.
Changbai Mountain Biosphere Reserve, China. Member of the World Network of Mountain Biosphere Reserves.
After sharing the narrative and roadmap of the WNMBR with the meeting participants, the secretariats proposed the creation of three working groups composed of WNMBR members to address the work on the key topics of interest in mountain biosphere reserves: climate change, biodiversity loss, and community participation.
The following working groups were established:
- Climate change adaptation and resilience.
- Biodiversity.
- Participation and socio-economic aspects.
To conclude, it was also announced that the first in-person meeting of WNMBR members will take place in the Wolong Biosphere Reserve (China) in September 2023.
After the meeting concluded, a call was made to join the working groups, which consist of network members and entities interested in each field. These groups are expected to finalize their agenda and formalize their work plans between June and September of this year.
