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Southeast Asian Biosphere Reserves Network Gears Up for Hangzhou, 2025
Over 60 participants from across Southeast Asia convened online on 23 April for the 2025 Southeast Asian Biosphere Reserve Network (SeaBRnet) meeting. The successful gathering marked a key milestone in regional preparations for the 5th World Congress of Biosphere Reserves (WCBR), which will take place this September in Hangzhou, China.
The meeting focused on aligning national and regional priorities and strengthening collaboration under UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme. Key highlights included insights from Mr Hans Thulstrup of the MAB Secretariat on WCBR preparations. The co-chairs Prof. Keping Ma and Ms Natalia Beltran Diaz, also presented a preview of the new MAB Strategy and Action Plan.
Participants also reflected on the outcomes of the 15th SeaBRnet meeting hosted in 2024 by the Wakatobi Biosphere Reserve, Indonesia. The SeaBRnet Secretariat, based at the UNESCO Regional Office in Jakarta, noted significant progress made by its members in advancing coastal and marine conservation under the current Lima Action Plan. They also shared a set of proposed activities for the upcoming Congress in Hangzhou.
Building on this momentum, the network officially welcomed the yApayaos Biosphere Reserve from the Philippines as its newest member, further expanding SeaBRnet’s reach and representation.
Regional partnerships also remain key. Support from the Government of Japan, an instrumental partner in enabling regional cooperation and capacity building through UNESCO’s MAB Programme, was acknowledged. Representatives from Indonesia, Viet Nam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, and Japan actively contributed to a dynamic exchange of ideas on how Southeast Asia can effectively shape the global dialogue at the Congress in Hangzhou.
