Austria announces support for four MAB Young Scientists Awards

• ©UNESCO/T.Schaaf
• Wienerwald Biosphere Reserve

The generous Austrian offer of four additional awards for the 2010-2011 biennium comes as a direct response to the Council’s recommendation and strengthens the Secretariat’s possibilities for seeking such additional awards from other sources.

On 30 June 2009, at an evening reception hosted by Mme Helene Steinhäusel for the presentation of the book "Planet Austria - Stone - Water - Life: State-of-the-Art Research in Austria" at the premises of the Austrian Embassy in Paris, Professor Günter Köck, Executive Secretary of the Austrian MAB National Committee, and one of the three co-authors of this book, announced that the Austrian MAB National Committee will finance four (4) additional MAB Young Scientists Research Awards for the UNESCO biennium 2010-2011. In recognition of the International Year of Biodiversity in 2010 these grants will be awarded for research in less developed countries focusing on biodiversity relationships with climate change and human well being in designated or potential UNESCO biosphere reserves.

At its 21st session held in the Jeju Island Biosphere Reserve, Republic of Korea on 25-29 May 2009, the International Co-ordinating Council (ICC) of MAB applauded the success of the MAB Young Scientists Award Scheme, now in its 20th year since its launch in 1989 and urged the Secretariat and ICC Member and Observer Delegations attending the Council session to think of increasing the number of awards provided under this scheme to more than 10 per year financed by the UNESCO Regular Programme Budget with each award being a maximum US$ 5,000. The generous Austrian offer of four additional awards for the 2010-2011 biennium comes as a direct response to the Council’s recommendation and strengthens the Secretariat’s possibilities for seeking such additional awards from other sources.

Related links

• Winners of the 2009 Awards
• Information on how to apply for the award
• some research reports on global environment and development
• Assessment of Ecosystem State and Dynamics for Implementation of Ecosystem Approach in Management-Planning of Biosphere (Final report)
• Using ecological and socio-economic indicators in assessing sustainability of the Red River Delta Biosphere Reserve. (Final report)
• Importance des agrosystèmes traditionnels de montagne pour une dimension humaine et culturelle du projet de la Réserve de biosphère transfrontalière Maroc-Andalousie. (Final report)
• Towards Strategic Environmental Education in the Dana Biosphere Reserve. (Final report)
• The impact of Urbanization on Biosphere Reserves: A Comparative Study of Protected and Non-Protected Coastal Areas (Final report)

• 17-07-2009