Abstract:

Aims: In September 2025, the 5th World Congress of Biosphere Reserves of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) will take place in Hangzhou, China. The decadal Congress will establish a new global action plan for the Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme, namely “Hangzhou Strategic Action Plan”, to re-anchor the mission of MAB in addressing global challenges in biodiversity and sustainable development, and to specify the roles of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves (WNBR). This article aims to provide insight on the relevance of MAB’s mission and offer suggestions for future actions, as complementary input toward the global preparation of this strategic MAB document.

Methods: The priorities for action are identified on the author’s long-term involvement in MAB and WNBR since early 1990s, through direct experience in developing MAB research projects, thematic and regional biosphere networks and the formulation of global strategic plans in UNESCO. Consideration is given to the needs and challenges in established global biodiversity and sustainable development agreements where MAB and WNBR may make contribution.

Results: The article outlines the current main difficulties encountered in global biodiversity and sustainability agenda, including the stagnation in many Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and provides views on the main underlying causes. It recalls the initial mission setting of MAB and stresses the historical responsibility of MAB as a long-standing intergovernmental scientific programme to drive change and enable progress. The MAB community must stand on the front to address global challenges and be scientifically inspiring and institutionally dynamic. Arrangements should be made to call and review, on a routine basis, the most pertinent scientific questions for MAB and WNBR, in order to build new consensus for cooperation. The article further suggests six areas for new MAB research and action: (1) biosphere integrity and resilience; (2) studies on interactions between biosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere, and social sciences, building on UNESCO’s parallel long-term scientific programmes; (3) the components in biosphere so far less studied but may potentially be more significant especially in connection with climate change and social economic development; (4) ecosystem restoration, natural recovery and ecological reconstruction; (5) green economies and sustainable livelihoods for communities living within and around biosphere reserves; (6) the development of digital twin of biosphere as new platform for future scientific research, assessment, monitoring and for design and simulation of various management scenarios for WNBR sites. The need for the MAB Programme and WNBR to further enhance its partnership is discussed, particularly concerning the partnership with relevant international conventions and programmes, with the science programmes of UNESCO. It further calls for attention regarding partnership with local governance mechanisms where Biosphere Reserves are located, as such partnership is currently weak but critical for MAB and WNBR to become effectively connected to the diverse and real national and local development contexts.

Conclusions: Amid growing global challenges, the MAB Programme plays a vital role in advancing sustainability. Despite progress in research and actions, biodiversity loss, ecosystem degradation, and climate change remain critical. The WNBR provides model sites for learning and testing sustainable development strategies and should be considered as a global infrastructure for sustainability. Future priorities for MAB and WNBR include enhancing interdisciplinary research on biosphere integrity and resilience, Earth system interactions, ecological restoration, green economy, and digital biosphere technologies. Strengthening partnerships with multilateral environmental agreements and UNESCO’s science programmes is essential. A much-improved engagement with local governments through structured dialogue mechanisms can support place-based conservation and development. At this pivotal moment of history, MAB must mobilize global scientific capacities and policy networks to harmonize the relations of humans and the biosphere.

Key words: World Congress of Biosphere Reserves, biodiversity, Hangzhou Strategic Action Plan, MAB Research and Partnerships