International Summer School on Education for Sustainable Development
From March 23rd to 30th, 2009, Prof. Susanne Stoll-Kleemann and her team (University of Greifswald), in cooperation with Dr. Regine Schönenberg (Germany Agency for Technical Cooperation, GTZ), organized an international summer school at the International Academy for Nature Conservation on the Island of Vilm. The summer school was funded by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) in the runup to UNESCO's World Conference on Education for Sustainable Development (Bonn, March 31st to April 4th, 2009)
Under the umbrella topic "From Research to Practice: The Role of Education for Sustainable Development in Natural Resource Management in Research, Education and International Cooperation", 26 participants from 17 countries shared their knowledge with experts on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), stakeholder dialogues, higher education, research and natural resource management.
With their integrated approach and logistic support function, biosphere reserves play a key role in education for sustainable development. For that reason, discussions and workshops had been thematically structured around two questions: How do biosphere reserves function? And what can each of the participants contribute to its success?
Participants were organized into four working groups, each focusing on a different aspect of sustainable development in biosphere reserves:
| Education for Sustainable Development, Environmental Communication in the Context of Biosphere Reserves | Dr. Angela Franz-Bahlsen University of Luxembourg |
| Research in Biosphere Reserves | Dr. Thomas Schaaf UNESCO-MAB Secretariat, Paris |
| Development Cooperation and Natural Resource Management in Biosphere Reserves | Dr. Rolf Mack GTZ |
| Participation and Stakeholder Dialogues | Dr. Cristina de la Vega-Leinert University of Greifswald |
Impressions from the Summer School
26 partipants from 17 countries attended the Summer School on the Isle of Vilm.
Through interactive peer learning processes, participants exchanged knowledge and experiences on research, education, stakeholder dialogue and international cooperation in worldwide biosphere reserves. Further on-the-ground insights were gained during excursions to the Southeast Rügen Biosphere Reserve.