UNESCO 2|2007 today J OU rn A L OF T HE G E rm A N C O mm I ss IO N FO R U N E SC O Contents UNESCO The World Network Biosphere Reserves: of Biosphere Reserves Contributions by Model Regions with Christian Wulff Sigmar Gabriel a Global Reputation Gertrud Sahler Julia Marton-Lefèvre Natarajan Ishwaran Werner Konold Lenelis Kruse-Graumann Michael Succow The Challenge Climate Change Learning Laboratories for Sustainable Development Job-Motor Biosphere Reserves UNESCO biosphere reserve and UNESCO World Heritage site Uluru (Ayers Rock – Mount Olga) Photo © flickr Creative Commons: Paul Mannix Great Egret in the UNESCO biosphere reserve and UNESCO World Heritage site Everglades Photo © flickr Creative Commons: ehpien Lutz Möller Dear Reader, Ayers Rock in Australia, the Everglades decreasing rainfall in many regions of in the United States, the Spanish island Europe. In turn, rising prices are an incen- Lanzarote and the Wadden Sea of tive to produce biomass for the produc- Germany and the Netherlands are world tion of energy, potentially using geneti- famous travel destinations. Did you know cally manipulated seed. What is the right that these are all UNESCO biosphere alternative: Should farmers abandon their reserves? land and leave it at the mercy of natural succession? Should they grow rapeseed UNESCO biosphere reserves are model and corn on an industrial scale? Or are regions for sustainable development. there economic frameworks for the They protect biodiversity, support regional remaining small-scale farming to survive? marketing and promote low-impact tour- ism as well as innovative, environmen- Sigmar Gabriel and Carlo Jaeger justify tally-friendly agriculture. They advance the necessity of biosphere reserves in education and research and interact in a the era of global change in their contri- world network. butions to this journal. The chairwoman of the German MAB (Man and the They are particularly important today in Biosphere) National Committee, Gertrud times of obvious global change. World- Sahler, while considering new challenges, wide environmental changes such as comes to the conclusion that biosphere climate change, desertification, and water reserves all the more earn to be strength- Photo © DUK shortage recently started to dominate the ened. headlines. Centres of power and econo- my are shifting rapidly, both within and UNESCO biosphere reserves have not between countries. Increasing migration only recently gained importance. Julia is, these days, seen to be a security risk Marton-Lefèvre describes know-how im- by many states. The age pyramid of many pulses for the management and zoning Werner Konold stresses in his contribu- countries is changing drastically. These of protected areas. Thomas Schaaf pre- tion that the accelerating dynamics of developments occur not least, as a result sents research on the impact of global cultural landscapes today need value of behavioural patterns – above all, in change in mountainous regions. Michael frameworks like the Seville Strategy. industrialised countries – which in the Succow illustrates how the biosphere long term are intolerable. reserve concept influences the establish- Scepticism or even fear is not an ap- ment of national parks in the successor propriate response to global change; Sustainable development is the alterna- countries of the Soviet Union. surprisingly obvious recipes sometimes tive draft to escalating global change. turn out to be best practice for meeting Sustainable development looks for solu- Natarajan Ishwaran sees biosphere reser- the challenges. Claudia Neu presents tions as to how this planet’s resources ves as being learning laboratories. What success factors, which prevent migration can be managed to ensure a decent life, is meant by this and what the German from villages in Mecklenburg-Western both globally and for centuries to come. biosphere reserves have got to offer is Pomerania. Rainer Mönke reports how There is no patent formula for sustainable portrayed by Lenelis Kruse-Graumann. biosphere reserves can create more jobs. development. It can take on a different Martin Kremer describes influences of form on each continent, even in each A further important aspect of biosphere regional marketing, through which the district, because conditions differ and reserves is to look at ‘cultural land- Rhön, despite its peripheral location, was because global change is so complex. scapes’. Although it is definite that built up and which helped a new regional Even more, adapting to global change will traditional cultural landscapes did not identity to emerge. Armin Kullmann require a temporally changing concept always evolve while protecting nature, explains how the biosphere reserves of sustainable development. At any rate, they often do offer habitats for a rich measure up with regard to regional mar- all around the earth places are required, diversity of species. They are being keting in comparison with other areas. which serve as experimental laborato- threatened by increasingly intensive ries for sustainable development. The agricultural use in the same way as by the The involvement of local communities biosphere reserves are such places. abandoning of unprofitable areas due to is a definite strength of biosphere re- climate change and demographic change. serves. Christine Kehl and Elke Baranek One example: in Europe small farms are UNESCO biosphere reserves preserve explain that this grants nature conserva- hardly profitable these days. Climate functioning cultural landscapes due to tion projects the necessary acceptance. change leads to rising temperatures and the groundbreaking concept of zoning. For Klaus Jarmatz and Johannes Treß this UNESCO today 2|2007 is decisive for well-functioning framework biosphere reserves. In this journal we it stresses the significance of biosphere concepts. Marcus Lämmle explains that give you a brief introduction to 34 exist- reserves in realising sustainable develop- local involvement is already significant ing and planned regions. Peter Heyne as ment. This journal should portray to you during the founding phase of a biosphere well as Guido Puhlmann and Susanne that UNESCO biosphere reserves – reserve. According to Susanne Stoll- Reinhardt report on new partnerships those you are already acquainted with Kleemann, it is considered to be central in the world network; Roland Stein and those that you may want to get to for the management of biosphere reser- describes the difficult additional tasks know better after reading this – really are ves throughout the whole world. of transboundary biosphere reserves. ‘Model Regions with a Global Reputation’. Eberhard Henne explains that the um- brella brand ‘National Natural Land- The German Commission for UNESCO scapes’ boosts awareness for biosphere held its General Assembly on the subject reserves throughout Germany. of UNESCO biosphere reserves in 2007. This Assembly passed a resolution on The UNESCO biosphere reserves create the UNESCO biosphere reserves in local success formulae, in order to enable Germany which is reprinted on the third sustainable development to become a cover page. In line with the German MAB Dr. Lutz Möller, reality. Local experience is incorporated National Committee which has made the Head of the Section for Science and distributed in the world network of English version of this journal possible, of the German Commission for UNESCO UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Arganeraie Morocco which spans 25,600 km² and supports fruits should never be beaten down from almost 2.5 Million inhabitants, who pre- the trees, only gathered from the ground. dominately earn their livelihood through The oil is produced by the Berber women agriculture and livestock farming. The meticulously by hand. It takes eight hours priority of this biosphere reserve is the to produce one litre of oil from thirty preservation of the Argan tree – which is kilogrammes of Argan fruits. currently under threat of extinction due to excessive human exploitation – and The biosphere reserve carries out replan- the sustainable production of Argan oil. ting of the tree and supports marketing initiatives of oil produced in a traditional The Argan tree is endemic to this part of style. The ‘Union des Coopératives des Morocco. This thorny tree, which looses Femmes de l’arganeraie’, was founded its foliage in the dry period, is extremely in 1999 for that purpose and is the first well adapted to the high temperatures network of local cooperatives in Mo- and extreme drought. Its fruits are rough- rocco. It promotes sustainable use of ly as large as hazelnuts and their look re- the precious resources and aims at sembles that of yellow plums and olives. increasing revenue. German-Moroccan They are the source of the precious Argan technical cooperation has substantially oil known as the ‘liquid gold of Morocco’. supported projects for the sake of the It is rich in unsaturated fatty acids and is Argan tree. The Argan tree is also a used by the Berbers to treat stomach and central issue in the research being bowel ailments, poor circulation or fertility carried out in the biosphere reserve. problems. In Europe it is now widely used Photo © flickr Creative Commons: as high-quality cooking oil and as an ingre- Corvin Wimmer dient in the manufacture of cosmetics. Other products obtained from the Argan Further information: tree are wood and animal food. At the http://www.unesco.org/mabdb/br/brdir/ The biosphere reserve Arganeraie, desig- edge of the Sahara the tree also functions directory/biores.asp?mode=all&Code= nated in 1998, is situated in the south- as a buffer against desertification. The MOR+01 west of Morocco, bordered by the Atlas Berber women have maintained sustain- Mountains and the Atlantic Ocean. The able methods of oil production based on city of Agadir is also a part of this region century-old traditions. Importantly, the Contents UNESCO today No. 2/2007 Editorial . 1 National Natural Landscapes . 55 Lutz Möller Communication project boosts biosphere reserves Eberhard Henne Message of greeting . 4 Christian Wulff Information and emotion . 58 Creating a brand image for the ”a Sustainable Coexistence of Mankind and Nature” .