Territorial support, a solution for accelerating adaptation to climate change in Biosphere Reserves

MAB France launches a LIFE program

Since December 2024, MAB France has been a laureate of the European LIFE - Climate program, through the Biospher'Adapt project. The LIFE program is a financial instrument of the European Union, that contributes to funding actions in favor of the environment.

Anticipating and coping with the effects of climate change

Climate change, whose effects are already visible worldwide, has far-reaching consequences for populations and ecosystems. It threatens the habitability of entire regions where millions of people live and increases the frequency and intensity of heat waves, floods, droughts, and fires, while also impacting resource use and socio-economic and agricultural sectors essential to human activities. Adaptation to climate change, alongside mitigation measures, is therefore a major priority.

The French Biosphere Reserve Network is mobilizing to meet the challenges of climate change and to anticipate its profound consequences for all actors in society through a cooperative project involving seven pilot sites.

Through the LIFE Biospher'Adapt project, the goal is to develop a set of consultation mechanisms and concrete actions to encourage and support political and socio-economic stakeholders in Biosphere Reserves to reflect, plan, and cooperate in order to implement the necessary adaptations to address climate challenges in their specific contexts.

LIFE Biospher'Adapt project actions

The LIFE Biospher'Adapt project aims to establish an active and effective territorial support system for climate change adaptation, with the objective of transforming practices in human-influenced territories. This project will be carried out in seven Biosphere Reserves, recognized by UNESCO as “living laboratories” dedicated to experimenting with sustainable development. The aim is to implement a set of consultation mechanisms and concrete actions to encourage and support local political and socio-economic stakeholders in reflecting on, planning, and implementing the adaptations required to address climate challenges in their specific contexts.

The project will run over five years (2025–2030) and will focus on three main areas:

• Adapting and testing a methodology to enable Biosphere Reserve managers to draw up climate change adaptation plans.
• Supporting managers and mobilizing local stakeholders in adapting to climate change through participatory and forward-looking approaches.
• Experimenting with concrete actions to adapt to climate change.

Coordinated by MAB France, coordinator of the national network of Biosphere Reserves, the project brings together 11 other partners:

• Réserves Naturelles de France
• Consorci Centre De Ciencia I tecnologia Forestal De Catalunya (Centre II UNESCOMAB based in Barcelona)
• Marais Audomarois Biosphere Reserve (PNR des Caps et marais d'Opale)
• Falasorma Dui Sevi Biosphere Reserve (PNR de Corse)
• Moselle Sud Biosphere Reserve (Pays de Sarrebourg PETR)
• Gorges du Gardon Biosphere Reserve (SM des gorges du Gardon)
• Mont Viso Biosphere Reserve (PNR du Queyras)
• Guadeloupe Archipelago Biosphere Reserve (Guadeloupe National Park)
• PNR de Brière and SaintNazaire Agglomération - Candidate for Biosphere Reserve designation
• Cévennes Biosphere Reserve (Cévennes NP) Non-beneficiary partner 

Contacts

Coordination : Corentin Crapart : corentin.crapart@mab-france.org