ABSTRACT
Biosphere reserves (BRs) are model regions for testing participatory approaches to establish a new relationship between human beings and nature. This requires changes in land use and in biodiversity and natural resource management. Driving changes of this kind is challenging. BRs, therefore, need knowledge about how to organize participatory processes, prevent conflict and encourage cooperation among multiple stakeholders including municipalities, land users and scientists. Learning, education, experimentation and participation across different cultural contexts play a major role in biosphere reserves. BRs are or should be Science for Sustainability support sites – special places for testing interdisciplinary approaches to understanding and managing changes and interactions between social and ecological systems, including conflict prevention and management of biodiversity. Universities can participate in this learning process by contributing theoretical and empirical knowledge. Moreover, as universities maintain academic neutrality when it comes to the conflicts of interests among stakeholders in BRs, they can play the role of catalyst by initiating and reflecting on processes. With this role for universities, BRs would not only become places for research, but also places for participation and learning for sustainability. In this article, we outline this modified role with three examples of transformative research and teaching between German biosphere reserves and the Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development.
