On June 19, UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay,Ambassador Kerstin Pürschel and Prof. Dr. Matthias Barth, Rector of the Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development, signed the trilateral agreement to establish an institute for biosphere reserves in Eberswalde as a category II institute under the auspices of UNESCO.

The institute is now a member of a global network of privileged partners of UNESCO with access to international and intergovernmental bodies and networks. As a think tank on issues relating to biosphere reserves, it will contribute to the implementation of the UNESCO program through international and regional cooperation, research, knowledge production, policy advice and educational offerings. This is already visible today in a variety of activities, such as active participation in EuroMAB 2024, the biennial conference for executives and experts from more than 300 biosphere reserves in 41 countries in Europe and North America. Furthermore, the “Biosphere Reserves Institute” of the University for Sustainable Development Eberswalde offers the globally unique course “Biosphere Reserves Management” and a doctoral program in collaboration with Leuphana University in Lüneburg (Germany) on the same topic. The institute's scientists research the meaning and impact of biosphere reserves and offer further training on model regions for sustainable development.

We share the joy with Prof. Dr. Barth and with the representative of the institute, Prof. Dr. Katja Arzt, who both went to Paris for the signing ceremony, wishing them as well as the University for Sustainable Development, the state of Brandenburg and in particular the Institute for Biosphere Reserves best possible success