China, like most of the developing countries around the world is struggling to achieve a balance between nature protection and economic development. In relation to this, the research paper focuses on Chinese natural ecosystems and intends to analyze the effects that the Biosphere Reserve designation brings to nature reserves in terms of their management. The authors elaborate on institutional challenges regarding Nature Reserve Management and the implementation of the MBA Programme, while including relevant data and providing the reader with interesting insights into sustainability related efforts in China. Arguably, Chinese Nature Reserves designated as Biosphere Reserves within the framework of the MAB Programme generally tend to have more resources and better management, which is why it can be considered to play a crucial role for future-orientated sustainability research in the Chinese society.

The research for the paper was conducted during two UAS Junior Research Stays at the Peking University in 2016/2017. You find the complete Working Paper here. Please feel free to share the UAS Working Papers with you colleagues and fellow students! For further information on recently published papers and programs, please see the UAS Pool here.