Study tour of Armenian Delegation into German Biosphere Reserves

The delegation, led by Sergo Atanesyan, State Secretary at the Armenian Ministry of Environment, included the Head of Hayantar SNCO, the Director of Dilijan National Park, the Deputy Head of the Municipality of Dilijan, other representatives from the Ministry of Environment and the Municipality of Dilijan, as well as representatives from the Caucasus Nature Fund and Soluton LLC.

German counterparts comprised representatives from the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMUKN), the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN), and the Michael Succow Foundation, which organized the visit.

Participants gained practical knowledge in key aspects of biosphere reserve governance. They visited all three zones – core, buffer, and transition – of both biosphere reserves, gaining insights into zoning practices and typical management strategies. The delegation engaged directly with a wide range of local stakeholders, including farmers, forest managers, business owners, community representatives, and biosphere reserve administrators, and discussed key aspects of conservation and sustainable development.

The study tour provided a balanced mix of field visits and expert meetings, allowing participants to explore the biosphere reserve concept in depth. The program also included visits to scenic locations, tastings of regional products, and meals at certified partner restaurants that promote sustainable local development.

In addition to deepening their understanding of the biosphere reserve concept and experiencing its implementation firsthand, a major outcome of the visit was the initiation of cooperation between the Thüringer Wald Biosphere Reserve and the planned Dilijan Biosphere Reserve in Armenia. Both parties agreed on concrete next steps for collaboration in environmental education, biodiversity monitoring, and sustainable tourism.

This study tour marks an important step toward the establishment of Armenia’s first biosphere reserve, combining technical capacity building with international peer learning.

The tour was organized within the project “Biosphere Reserves as Model Regions for Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation – Capacity Development for the Establishment of the Dilijan Biosphere Reserve in Armenia”, implemented by the Michael Succow Foundation in cooperation with Soluton LLC. The project is financed by the German Federal Environment Ministry’s Advisory Assistance Programme (AAP) and supervised by the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN) and the German Environment Agency (UBA).

Photos: J. Wunderlich / Michael Succow Foundation