13 April 2015: At its fifth meeting, held in Attard, Malta, from 24-26 March 2015, the World Network of Island and Coastal Biosphere Reserves (WNICBR) focused on ‘The Impact of Climate Change and Sustainable Development on Island and Coastal Biosphere Reserves.’

The meeting was attended by representatives from 18 biosphere reserves (BRs) from Australia, Canada, Chile, Estonia, France, Germany, Japan, the Philippines, Portugal, the Republic of Korea, São Tomé and Príncipe, Spain and Tunisia, as well as the Man and Biosphere Programme (MAB) National Committees of the Republic of Korea and Spain, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) National Commissions of Iceland, Malta and the Republic of Korea, and the UNESCO/MAB Secretariat. Participants introduced their BRs, examined future action plans and took a number of decisions.

The meeting’s main outcomes included the WNICBR decision to establish regulations for systematically ensuring and managing network activities on a continuous basis, and the WNICBR’s strong support for the application of the new Fajas de São Jorge BR, Azores, Portugal. Participants also suggested that BR members work to share their activities with others, including their use of the BR brand as a contribution to conservation and sustainable development, and for profit creation.

Information and experiences presented at the meeting will be published in book form by the WNICBR Jeju Secretariat in the Republic of Korea, with support from its Menorca counterpart in Spain.

The WNICBR 6th meeting will take place in Lima, Peru, during the 4th World Congress of Biosphere Reserves, from 14-19 March 2016. [UNESCO Press Release] [UNESCO WNICBR Webpage]