News from the Biosphere Regions
Welcome to US Biosphere Network News, a periodical newsletter sharing notable national and international activities by biosphere regions and partner organizations. Cooperative efforts in biosphere regions work to maintain healthy lands, air, and water and sustain our quality of life.
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For the first time since 2017 and its recent return as a UNESCO Member, the U.S. participated at the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Program’s International Coordinating Council (MAB-ICC) annual meeting from July 1-5, 2024 in Agadir, Morocco. The ICC is the governing body of UNESCO’s MAB Program. Cliff McCreedy, National Park Service, U.S. MAB Focal Point, and Kelly Cerialo, U.S. Member, International Advisory Committee on Biosphere Reserves, attended for the USBN as Observers. At this meeting, UNESCO approved the designation of 11 new biosphere reserves in 11 countries, including Belgium and Gambia for the first time, and two transboundary biosphere reserves.
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August 12, 2024, marked the 24th annual International Youth Day celebrating youth empowerment and the critical role of young people as partners in our collective work towards a sustainable future. The USBN Youth Board (USBN-YB) is a youth-led (18 to 35 years old) organization that works in cooperation with the USBN to provide project-based professional development opportunities for its members and further the goals of the USBN, the Man and the Biosphere (MAB) program, and the UN Operational Strategy on Youth. Young people interested in active participation within UNESCO, sustainable development, bioregional planning, international collaboration, and management are invited to participate. You can read more here to learn more about the USBN-YB projects and how to get involved.
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Chef Daniel Humm of Eleven Madison Park, a Michelin-starred, plant-based, fine dining restaurant in New York City, visited Shelburne Farms in the Champlain Adirondack Biosphere Region in early June. He joined fifth grade students from Burlington’s Sustainability Academy as they explored the importance of healthy soils, food, and people with farm educators. While at Shelburne Farms, he and Eliot Minchenberg, Director of the UNESCO Liaison Office in New York, also met with Jim Brangan, Co-Chair of the Champlain-Adirondack Biosphere Network.
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The endangered Sonoran pronghorn, a subspecies of the American pronghorn and the fastest land mammal in North America, faces numerous challenges in its native habitat in the Sonoran Desert Biosphere Region. These challenges include a drought that nearly wiped out the population and movement barriers such as roads, walls, and fences that are causing sub-populations to become isolated. In March 2024, with support from the National Park Service and United States Fish and Wildlife Service, the Center for Large Landscape Conservation organized the Sonoran Pronghorn Connectivity Workshop in Ajo, Arizona. Participants from diverse US- and Mexico-based organizations exchanged information about pronghorn habitat areas, movement barriers, climate impacts, and a path forward for collaborating to save this imperiled species.
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The US Biosphere Network (USBN) will launch a workshop series in September aimed at empowering leaders to drive collaborative conservation efforts while enhancing socioeconomic well-being in biosphere regions. The series includes three workshops designed to equip biosphere region leaders with the tools and knowledge needed for the next decade of work.
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On June 3rd, a successful introductory meeting was held in Beijing between representatives of the Chinese National Committee for the UNESCO Man and Biosphere (MAB) Program, the US Biosphere Network, and the Mammoth Cave Biosphere Region. Participants discussed US/Chinese collaborations, the structure and functions of China’s MAB Program, and opportunities for collaboration specifically with regard to the implementation of the World Conference on Biosphere Reserves in Hangzhou in 2025 and the next ten-year action plan. While in China, members of the US team also met with leaders of the South China Karst World Heritage Site (WHS) to strengthen an existing NPS Sister Park Arrangement with the Mammoth Cave National Park, also a WHS. This highlights the positive synergy that can be realized between UNESCO science and conservation programs.
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Biosphere Bites Returns September 11th
The biweekly seminar series “Biosphere Bites” will return on September 11th with a presentation about The Wild Center’s Youth Climate Summit. The 30-minute talks will take place every other week on Zoom to give biosphere regions and partners an opportunity to share knowledge, ideas, and resources across our national and international networks. These informal, virtual presentations are designed to connect the USBN to local, regional, and international partners and highlight the important work that is being done in biosphere regions to improve the human connection to nature and make progress toward the sustainable development goals. Visit our Biosphere Bites webpage to access recordings, stay up to date on future “Biosphere Bites” talks, or sign up to present or propose a topic for an upcoming session.
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In June 2024, five USBN delegates—Jenelle Booker, Dr. Kelly Cerialo, Katie Darr, Dr. Jeremy Dertien, and Dr. Annika Keeley—participated in the biennial EuroMAB conference in Lutherstadt Wittenberg, Germany to exchange ideas and network with biosphere colleagues from Europe, the US, and Canada. The 2024 conference theme was "Climate for Change – UNESCO Biosphere Reserves for Sustainable Futures," focusing on climate action and sustainable development in biosphere reserves. Hosted by the German MAB National Committee, the Federal State of Saxony-Anhalt, and the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Elbe River Landscape, the event brought together stakeholders from more than 300 UNESCO Biosphere Reserves across 41 countries. Jenelle Booker and Katie Darr were specially invited to attend as delegates of the EuroMAB Youth Conference. Check out the EuroMAB Conference 2024 - USBN Delegate Download video on the USBN YouTube Channel.
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The USBN-SEAS Team has been hard at work conducting field visits and research in many of the 28 biosphere regions this summer. You can read more here to follow along on their journeys and learn more about their work to support the USBN.
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On July 4, Xena Lazaro was one of 15 awardees announced at the MAB International Coordinating Council annual meeting to receive a Young Scientist Award. Her award supports her graduate studies on the behavior of bats in the Cape Horn Biosphere Reserve in Chile.
| | | The United States Biosphere Network connects biosphere regions with each other and provides resources for their work. We invite you to join a USBN subcommittee to broaden our collaborations, learn from your peers, and expand our capacity. Contact Robert Reese at rreese4@bellsouth.net | |  | USBN is launching on social media (Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram) in Fall 2024, and we'd like to feature the incredible projects, events, and activities that you and your partners are working on in your Biosphere Region. Please fill out this short form so we can highlight and promote your work on social media. | | | USBN has created a site to share and to keep track of current funding opportunities for US Biosphere Regions. Check out the USBN Funding Opportunities site. | | | Watch this video to learn more about sustainable tourism in the Virginia Coast Biosphere Region. | | | |
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Biosphere Regions in the United States | The US Biosphere Network (USBN) is made up of 28 internationally recognized places across the continental United States, the US Caribbean, Alaska, and Hawai’i called biosphere regions. | | | |
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United States Biosphere Network (USBN) fosters national and international connections among biosphere regions, facilitates their sharing of best practices, and supports their work toward connecting people and nature. |
You can play an important role in this effort by making a donation to the Center and designating your gift to the US Biosphere Network. | | |
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The US Biosphere Network is a fiscally sponsored project of the Center for Large Landscape Conservation.
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Photos, top to bottom: Cliff McCreedy and Kelly Cerialo at MAB ICC in Agadir, Morocco - Barbara Engels; Chef Daniel Humm of Eleven Madison Park at Shelburne Farms in the Champlain-Adirondack BR - Ye Fan; Sonoran pronghorn - USFWS/Matthew Wilcox; Representatives of the Chinese and US MAB programs met in June in Beijing - XIAN Yijie; EuroMAB Youth Conference participants - Stefanie Wetzel; Sarah and Bark Ranger Eli at Cascade Head BR - courtesy of Sarah Davis; Xenabeth Lazaro - courtesy of Xenabeth Lazaro. | | | | |
