REGO

UNESCO biosphere reserves (BR) are a pioneering concept aimed at reconciling nature conservation and human development. To achieve this ambitious goal, BRs must tackle a wide range of tasks and, according to the “Man and the Biosphere” (MAB) Program, increasingly do so with the involvement and participation of local stakeholders and actor groups.

This would require excellent governance systems to equip BRs with the necessary capacities, financial resources, and opportunities for participation. However, existing research shows that BR are rarely able to achieve this goal 100% and that there is a lack of suitable governance models for this purpose. Currently, we still know too little about how to resolve this problem because: (i) there are few concrete guidelines from UNESCO on how governance in BRs should look like; (ii) to date, there has been little research on how governance is organized and implemented in BRs; (iii) there are also no suitable tools available to evaluate the extent to which governance in BRs is currently capable of integrating nature conservation and sustainable development.

Focusing on Austria and Switzerland, REGO investigates how existing governance models are structured and how they can be redesigned to enable BRs to fulfill their diverse responsibilities in the best possible way. To this end, we are reviewing the relevant literature, developing new theoretical concepts, conducting interviews with experts, and examining legal frameworks. The focus is on mutual learning among the participating BRs and the development of recommendations for decision-makers. Finally, we will also develop new governance formats and implement them in the BRs Großes Walsertal and Engiadina Val Müstair. In this way, the project makes an important contribution to ensuring that the governance of biospheres is fit for the future, also with regard to the further evolution of the MAB program. UNESCO biosphere reserves (BR) are a pioneering concept aimed at reconciling nature conservation and human development. To achieve this ambitious goal, BRs must tackle a wide range of tasks and, according to the “Man and the Biosphere” (MAB) Program, increasingly do so with the involvement and participation of local stakeholders and actor groups.

This would require excellent governance systems to equip BRs with the necessary capacities, financial resources, and opportunities for participation. However, existing research shows that BR are rarely able to achieve this goal 100% and that there is a lack of suitable governance models for this purpose. Currently, we still know too little about how to resolve this problem because: (i) there are few concrete guidelines from UNESCO on how governance in BRs should look like; (ii) to date, there has been little research on how governance is organized and implemented in BRs; (iii) there are also no suitable tools available to evaluate the extent to which governance in BRs is currently capable of integrating nature conservation and sustainable development.

Focusing on Austria and Switzerland, REGO investigates how existing governance models are structured and how they can be redesigned to enable BRs to fulfill their diverse responsibilities in the best possible way. To this end, we are reviewing the relevant literature, developing new theoretical concepts, conducting interviews with experts, and examining legal frameworks. The focus is on mutual learning among the participating BRs and the development of recommendations for decision-makers. Finally, we will also develop new governance formats and implement them in the BRs Großes Walsertal and Engiadina Val Müstair. In this way, the project makes an important contribution to ensuring that the governance of biospheres is fit for the future, also with regard to the further evolution of the MAB program.

REGO is funded by the Austrian Academy of Sciences as part of the Earth System Sciences Program under the Austrian “Man and the Biosphere” call for proposals.