Open Access

This paper explores how landscape research can contribute to our understanding of why integrated protected area concepts like biosphere reserves get less recognition than national parks. In this regard, we analysed policy documents and online communication of biosphere reserves and national parks, conducted qualitative interviews with conservation professionals and volunteers as well as participant observation in order to identify and compare narratives that guide the communication and perception of both protected area categories. The results show how national parks offer a clear interpretation of space by building on landscape stereotypes and creating landscape legibility and experience-ability through touristification. National Parks also experience conflicts about proper management and combine a variety of goals, often including regional development. Nevertheless, their narrative is unambiguous and powerful. Biosphere reserves, on the other hand, have an image problem that is essentially due to the difficulty of communicating their objectives. They confront the difficult task of creating a vision that combines development and conservation while integrating contrarious landscape stereotypes. We argue for a fundamental engagement with protected area narratives, as this improves understanding of protected areas’ transformative potential.

Many cultures have a long history of relating to forests and trees. Forest and tree motifs have been used throughout cultural history to reflect on human-nature relationships. Beginning in the nineteenth century, forests became popular through outdoor recreation and tourism. At the same time nature conservation in modern protected areas was invented. Both phenomena were sparked by an increasing appreciation of the sublimity of nature. In the twentieth century, tourism became part of forest conservation strategies. With reference to examples from North America and Europe we discuss the possibilities and limitations that tourism offers for forest conservation.

The international workshop “Research in European UNESCO Biosphere Reserves” took place from 13th to 16th February 2024 at the Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development, Eberswalde, Germany. This event was part of a series of workshops funded by the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation that aim to connect European biosphere reserve practitioners and facilitate the exchange of knowledge and good practices. The workshop brought together a total of 28 participants from 15 European countries, including managers and researchers, and it built on the Eberswalde Declaration and the Lima Action Plan to advance research in biosphere reserves. Specific themes addressed in the workshop included: current research progress, research gaps and needs, monitoring and research data accessibility/management and research collaborations. The workshop emphasised the critical intersection of scientific research, policymaking and the practical realities of managing biosphere reserves, highlighting both the achievements and ongoing challenges faced by biosphere reserve practitioners and researchers in Europe while offering opportunities to exchange and connect, as well as an outlook for future action and collaboration. Biosphere reserves serve as invaluable landscapes for learning and research, and they contribute significantly towards improving the effectiveness of management measures. Workshop discussions highlighted the diversity of research projects conducted across a broad spectrum of topics, involving numerous institutions and stakeholders. However, a noticeable gap exists between scientific and academic requirements, policy and funding cycles and the on-the-ground realities of biosphere reserve management, which often hinders progress due to a lack of collaboration and communication between managers, practitioners and researchers, thereby negatively affecting effective management and governance. A recurring theme is the lack of visibility of biosphere reserves, as they frequently overlap with other protected area categories that have higher visibility among the population and policymakers alike. Some possible solutions suggested in the workshop included raising awareness among funders about the value of biosphere reserves and their contribution to broader policy objectives, enhancing experience and result-sharing across the network, establishing and sharing databases to connect researchers with practitioners, co-designing projects to foster collaboration among a diverse range of stakeholders and the better integration of research results into management practices.

From 4th to 7th November 2025, 34 participants from 19 European countries gathered at the Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development in Germany to explore collaboration in UNESCO Biosphere Reserves (BRs). Hosted by the Biosphere Reserves Institute (BRI) and supported by the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN) with funds from the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMUKN), the workshop aimed to advance the Lima Action Plan/Hangzhou Strategic Action Plan and the Eberswalde Declaration. It did so by exploring how collaboration takes place in BRs, identifying which projects and actors are active, assessing current collaboration challenges and opportunities, and outlining how collaboration can be further supported and enhanced. The workshop programme included presentations, panel discussions, group work, participatory collaboration mapping and opportunities for informal exchange. Specific themes addressed included: transdisciplinary research, MAB regional and thematic networks and governance. It was noted that collaboration is essential for fulfilling the three MAB functions (conservation, development and logistic support), furthering international and national policy requests, serving peace-building, establishing new BRs, conducting research co-design/transdisciplinary research and solving conflicts. Collaboration takes place across different BRs, on different scales and includes a diverse range of actors. MAB National Committees, as well as regional and thematic networks, have emerged as privileged places for collaboration. Collaboration in the BRs takes place in many forms. Some important practices for collaboration across different contexts include: the creation of spaces for people to come together, focusing on already established good working relations, supporting and engaging youth, cross-country learning, inclusiveness, having a friendly and good-listener attitude and recognising that collaboration requires trust and takes time to develop. Identified challenges included BRs being affected by war, language barriers and differences in legal backgrounds for cross-border BRs, fragmentation in policy and legislative frameworks, lack of staff to coordinate and realise ideas suggested by actors, time constraints among potential partners and the risk of overburdening them, limited financial resources, bureaucracy, little local understanding of what constitutes a BR, fear of restrictions and a lack of communication between local and state governments. Concrete results of this workshop included a newly formed working group with the aim of establishing an informal MAB network on forests and tangible new partnerships for project development. Furthermore, an ongoing table with existing and potential collaborations was created to facilitate mutual learning, encourage new collaborations and support each other. Good collaboration practices shared in this workshop were summarised into a graphic record for widespread communication and learning. Overall, the workshop established that collaboration plays a huge role for BRs and can be improved through both structural changes and personal attitudes and priority settings.