World culture on wild shores

Biosphere reserves are "model regions" for sustainable development. Together with the people of the region, biosphere reserves develop and implement exemplary concepts for the protection, care and development of the area. The aim of biosphere reserves is not to conserve what already exists, but rather to show ways in which people can use nature and the landscape in the most nature-friendly and resource-conserving way possible and how the diverse natural features of the often historic cultural landscapes can be preserved.

Biosphere reserves have been recognized worldwide by UNESCO in the "Man and the Biosphere" (MAB) programme since the 1970s on the basis of internationally defined criteria. The world network of biosphere reserves currently comprises 748 UNESCO biosphere reserves in over 130 countries. The recognition and implementation of the criteria is regularly evaluated by UNESCO every 10 years.

With a total area of around 282,000 hectares, the UNESCO Elbe River Landscape Biosphere Reserve spans several federal states and is the largest inland biosphere reserve in Germany. The federal states of Schleswig-Holstein, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Lower Saxony, Brandenburg and Saxony-Anhalt are part of this large protected area along the Elbe - the third largest river in Western Europe (or Central Europe??).

In order to create a common basis for the management and development of the biosphere reserve, the biosphere reserve administrations of the federal states have drawn up an overarching framework concept, which is adapted at regular intervals to the changing requirements of the biosphere reserve. framework conditions must be adapted and revised.

Here you can find the evaluation report from 2017 and the framework concept for the UNESCO Elbe River Landscape Biosphere Reserve, which spans several federal states.