Prof. Erik Aschenbrand and Saleem Haddad led a team of authors who published a scientific article examining how international MAB policies are implemented at the local level in Mediterranean biosphere reserves. The work was carried out in collaboration with the UNESCO Category 2 Institute International Centre for the Mediterranean Biosphere Reserves.

A key finding of the study is that there are still significant differences between biosphere reserves designated before and after the Seville Strategy, particularly with regard to organisational structures and governance systems. The study builds on the findings of Saleem Haddad's BIOM master's thesis, for which he was awarded the UNESCO MAB Young Scientist Award in 2024.

Aschenbrand, E., Haddad, S. F., Romera Puga, M. C., Maneja Zaragoza, R., Cerialo, K. (2025).
Exploring implementation differences of UNESCO policy among 38 biosphere reserves across 14 Mediterranean countries. Ecosystems and People, 21(1).
https://doi.org/10.1080/26395916.2025.2593914