Accelerating the Global Biodiversity Framework by Strengthening Biosphere Reserves
A new report has just been launched highlighting how to accelerate the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework through a network of sites working for sustainability and nature conservation.
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In December 2022, 196 parties signed the Kunming Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) of the Convention on Biological Diversity. Since then, governments and citizens all around the world have been looking for avenues to accelerate the implementation of this set of 23 Targets aimed at stemming the nature crisis.
A new report has just been launched highlighting how to accelerate the Kunming-Montreal GBF through a network of sites working for sustainability and nature conservation. This network is the World Network of Biosphere Reserves (WNBR) of the UNESCO Man and Biosphere (MAB) Programme, which has more than 50 years of experience in implementing pathways to a more life-sustaining future. In 2025, there are 759 Biosphere Reserves in 136 countries, including 25 transboundary sites.
The report has been the result of several rounds of expert consultation, workshops, and interviews, bringing together a wide range of perspectives from across the MAB programme and its engaged community. This process helped create the scope for global biodiversity data analysis and a broad scoping review of key literature linking biosphere reserves to the GBF Targets.
The outcome is a comprehensive document outlining how biosphere reserves are contributing to implementing the Kunming-Montreal GBF and its Targets. With a policy focus, it provides specific recommendations for policymakers to maximise the potential of biosphere reserves in achieving global biodiversity goals by 2030 and beyond. Featuring an abundance of local case studies, the document is also an inspiring collection of actions in support of a more sustainable future for people and nature. The report came just in time for the 5th World Congress of Biosphere Reserves (WCBR), held in China in September 2025. This congress provides an opportunity to review the progress and lessons of the past decade and to shape the new 10-year strategy of the MAB programme.
“Spearheading this initiative has been a huge honour and learning experience for me” – said Alicia D. Barraclough, the UiB researcher who led the report – “I really hope it has an impact in the policy sphere, we need as many initiatives as possible to accelerate the implementation of the Global Biodiversity Framework”. UiB researchers Inger Elisabeth Måren, Jarrod Cusens, and Janne K. Thomsen were also involved in the writing of the report.
Accelerating the Global Biodiversity Framework by strengthening Biosphere Reserves.
A collaboration across institutions and stakeholders, the effort is funded by the European Biodiversity Partnership Biodiversa+ funded project Become (Biosphere Reserves as Effective Conservation Measures). The initiative was led by UNESCO Chair University of Bergen researcher Alicia D. Barraclough in collaboration with MAB France (France), UNESCO MAB Secretariat (Paris), Stockholm Resilience Centre (Sweden), University of Pretoria (South Africa), UNESCO Chair Coimbra University (Portugal), UNESCO Chair University of Saskatchewan (Canada), and Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso (Chile).
