Culture and Nature

UNESCO Biosphere Reserves in Germany

UNESCO Biosphere Reserves are very important in Germany. The term "biosphere reserve" is legally defined in all federal states. Biosphere reserves are mentioned in the German Sustainability Strategy 2016 as well as in the Africa Policy Guidelines of the Federal Government. German development cooperation supports more than 30 biosphere reserves worldwide.

The biosphere reserves comprise about 3 percent of the total area of ​​Germany (without sea areas). 16 biosphere reserves are designated both according to the law of the respective federal state and by UNESCO. The 16 areas represent important German landscape types and are representative of the diversity of habitats, fauna and flora in this country. Biosphere reserves are rarely "original" biotopes - much more often are cultural landscapes of particular importance for the preservation of biodiversity: their particular ecological wealth has been created through economic exploitation, for example grazing or vine growing - and can only be obtained through economic exploitation.

Almost all German biosphere reserves are located in rural areas and are therefore above all a future-oriented concept for these spaces. Because of their low environmental impact and attractive landscape, they are also popular holiday destinations and recreational areas. This means that the people in these regions are in the center of attention - together with them sustainable economic forms can be developed.

The high quality of the work of the German biosphere reserves is regularly proven by awards, for example as "Germany's most sustainable tourism region". Scientific research has shown that German biosphere reserves generate more than 120 million euros through tourism alone. Among other things, German biosphere reserves have the highest shares of organic farming in Germany and the highest degree of economic integration between local businesses. Cooperations with large companies such as Danone Waters also prove the attractiveness of biosphere reserves. A scientific publication ("Biosphere reserves: Attributes for success") from 2016 resulted in twelve biosphere reserves as a result of an international expert survey, which are considered to be particularly successful. Three of these twelve biosphere reserves are located in Germany, with the Rhön even the most frequently cited by experts. Similarly, the majority of those biosphere reserves which the MAB Council called exemplary are located in Germany.

  • Berchtesgadener Land
    Year of UNESCO designation: 1990
    (Extension and renaming 2010)
    Area: 840 km2
    Federal state: Bavaria
  • Black Forest
    Year of UNESCO designation: 2017
    Area: 630 km2
    Federal state: Baden-Wuerttemberg
  • Bliesgau
    Year of UNESCO designation: 2009
    Area: 361,5 km2
    Federal state: Saarland
  • Elbe River Landscape
    Year of UNESCO designation: 1979 (Extension 1997)
    Area: 2,822.5 km2
    Federal states: Lower Saxony, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt
  • Palatinate Forest (D) – Northern Vosges (F)
    Year of UNESCO designation: 1998
    Area: Transboundary (Germany and France) 3,018 km2, 1,809.2 km2 in Germany
    Federal state (in Germany): Rhineland-Palatinate
  • Rhön
    Year of UNESCO designation: 1991
    (Extension 2014)
    Area: 2,433,2 km2
    Federal states: Bavaria, Hesse, Thuringia
  • Schaalsee
    Year of UNESCO designation: 2000
    Area: 310 km2
    Federal state: Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania
  • Schorfheide-Chorin
    Year of UNESCO designation: 1990
    Area: 1.292 km2
    Federal state: Brandenburg
  • South-East Rügen
    Year of UNESCO designation: 1991
    Area: 228 km2
    Federal state: Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania
  • Spree Forest
    Year of UNESCO designation: 1991
    Area: 475 km2
    Federal state: Brandenburg
  • Swabian Alb
    Year of UNESCO designation: 2009
    Area: 850 km2
    Federal state: Baden-Wuerttemberg
  • Upper Lausitz Heath and Pond Landscape
    Year of UNESCO designation: 1996
    Area: 301 km2
    Federal state: Saxony
  • Thuringian Forest
    Year of UNESCO designation: 1979
    (Extensions 1986, 1990, 2018)
    Area: 337 km2
    Federal state: Thuringia
  • Wadden Sea and Hallig Islands of Schleswig-Holstein
    Year of UNESCO designation: 1990
    (Extension and renaming 2004)
    Area: 4,431 km2
    Federal state: Schleswig-Holstein
  • Wadden Sea of Lower Saxony
    Year of UNESCO designation: 1992
    Area: some 2,400 km2
    Federal state: Lower Saxony
  • Wadden Sea of Hamburg
    Year of UNESCO designation: 1992
    Area: 117 km2
    Federal state: Hamburg

The German biosphere reserves cooperate closely and their managers have semi-annual meetings. Also via the umbrella organization Europarc Germany they exchange information and best practice, also with German National Parks and Nature Parks. The secretariat of the MAB National Committee – and the first contact for all questions relating to biosphere reserves in Germany – is the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation.