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The Southeast Asian Biosphere Reserves Network fosters Community Engagement to Achieve Sustainability
On 13-15 November 2023, the annual meeting of the Southeast Asian Biosphere Reserves (SeaBRnet) gathered 100 participants from across Southeast Asia in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia, to exchange insights into sustainable practices and local communities’ empowerment and envision people living in harmony with nature. Representatives from other subregional Biosphere Reserve (BR) networks in Asia and the Pacific joined the discussions to share concrete initiatives for community engagement and collaborate towards innovative solutions to environmental and cultural challenges.
The regional meeting highlighted the essential role of Biosphere Reserves for biodiversity conservation, sustainable resource management, and the promotion of responsible tourism, cultural understanding and sustainable development. It facilitated the exchange of knowledge and experience among biosphere reserves, researchers, policymakers and Civil Society Organizations, towards a more harmonious coexistence of people and nature.
The 14th SeaBRnet Meeting encapsulates our collective commitment towards preserving nature's sanctity, while fostering sustainable development within Biosphere Reserves. It serves as a beacon, guiding us towards a future where humanity and the environment thrive in harmony.
The event introduced research on specific mountain issues, and on island and coastal Biosphere Reserves. Renaming the Man And the Biosphere (MAB) Programme and youth participation in Biosphere Reserves’ management were also part of the discussions.
It concluded with a field trip to Crocker Range Biosphere Reserve. Participants visited Lingga eco-tourism site in Kiulu area and discovered successful practices for community engagement in sustainable tourism that could be replicated in various contexts.
I visited Crocker Range BR eight years ago, and bought a cardholder made by the local community as a souvenir. Today, I’m still using it. This is an example of a sustainable product produced in the Biosphere Reserve.
The 14th SeaRBnet meeting was hosted by Malaysia through the Ministry of Tourism, Culture, and Environment – Sabah, Sabah Parks, and UNESCO Jakarta, with support from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology (MEXT) of Japan, through the Japanese Funds-in-Trust (JFIT).
The 15th SeaBRnet meeting will be hosted by Indonesia in April 2024, on the island and coastal Wakatobi Biosphere Reserve, to further strengthen collaboration among Biosphere Reserve stakeholders and communities, towards innovative local solutions for living in harmony with nature.
