The Appennino Tosco-Emiliano Biosphere Reserve is convening an international workshop to discuss and exchange views and opinions on the topic of biosphere reserves branding through high quality food products and their use in gastronomy, at the request of the UNESCO MAB Programme.

The event follows up on the MAB-BIRUP Workshop “Promoting Green Economies in Biosphere Reserves through Certification, Labelling and Branding Schemes” (Shanghai 2015) and the 4th World Congress of Biosphere Reserves “A New Vision for the Decade 2016-2025. UNESCO Biosphere Reserves for Sustainable Development” (Lima 2016).

UNESCO is promoting the Langhirano workshop through its MAB programme, with the assistance of its Regional Bureau for Science and Culture in Europe, Venice (Italy) - allowing for the umpteenth presentation and display of the exhibition “Behind Food Sustainability”, in Italian and English. Developed by the UNESCO Regional Bureau as part of Venice to EXPO 2015 initiative and on display in multiple locations around Italy from May 2015 up to June 2016, the exhibition highlights experiences from UNESCO networks around the world, to help us address some of the main challenges to food sustainability. Through its different stops, the exhibition - whose first Italian copy was inaugurated in the Appennino Tosco-Emiliano Biosphere Reserve - engaged with success visitors of UNESCO designated sites, in promoting sustainability and safeguarding natural heritage on a daily basis, and learning more about how they play out on a global scale.

The workshop in Langhirano will focus on high quality products - not only as tasty, delicious and well-known products, but also on products whose supply chain is ingrained and integrated with the landscape and the local communities. Such products contribute to the conservation of biodiversity and to sustainable development in ways that benefit the community, the environment, the landscape and the economy as well, as set forth by the UN Millennium Development Goals - specifically by Goal 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns, Goal 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts and Goal 15: Sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, halt and reverse land degradation, halt biodiversity loss. Typical high quality food produced in the Appennino Tosco-Emiliano Biosphere Reserve is: Prosciutto di Parma ham, Lambrusco wine and Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.