The Biosphere Reserves Institute (BRI) had a strong presence at the 5th World Congress of Biosphere Reserves (WCBR), which took place in Hangzhou (China) from 22 to 26 September 2025. Every ten years, the congress brings together managers, researchers, policy makers, young people and representatives of local communities and international organisations to shape the future of biosphere reserves.

Organised by UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB) under the leadership of Dr António D. Abreu, the meeting brought together over 3,000 participants from 130 countries. Two key documents - the Hangzhou Strategic Action Plan and the Hangzhou Declaration - emphasise the role of biosphere reserves as living laboratories for sustainable development and global biodiversity policy.

The BRI team was represented by Prof. Dr Carsten Mann, Prof. Dr Martin Welp, Dr Ana Filipa Ferreira, Prof. Dr Erik Aschenbrand and Prof. Dr Denise Matias. At an information stand, the institute presented its projects, partner institutions and the Master's study programme "Biosphere Reserves Management (BIOM)".

The BRI also organised two side events:

• "Catalyzing Biodiversity Conservation and Social Transformation" (led by Prof. Erik Aschenbrand, in cooperation with the UNESCO Venice Office)
• "Citizen Science in Biosphere Reserves - Towards Open Science for Conservation and Education for Sustainable Development" (led by Prof Martin Welp and Dr Ana Filipa Ferreira, in cooperation with the Michael Succow Foundation, the MAB Secretariat and the BfN).

A highlight was the keynote speech by Prof. Carsten Mann in the plenary session "Biodiversity, Science and Education", in which he presented the work of the BRI and the role of research institutes in the MAB programme.

Around a year after being recognised as a UNESCO Category 2 institute, the BRI's participation in the WCBR marked an important milestone that strengthened international networking, new partnerships and exchange with the global MAB community.