Biosphere reserves serve in some ways as "living laboratories" for testing and demonstrating integrated management of land, water and biodiversity. With this publication the national MAB-committee of Germany gives a detailed presentation and description of the Biosphere Reserves of Germany.

The Andes are attracting global interest again: they hold valuable mineral resources, tourists appreciate their great natural beauty and the diversity of indigenous cultures, climbers scale rock and ice faces, while many others are intrigued by regional political developments, such as the Bolivarian revolution in Venezuela or the almost unfettered hegemony of the neoliberal economic model in Chile. This volume is the first attempt for decades to present a complete overview of the longest mountain chain on the planet – a region of remarkable climatic, floristic and geologic diversity, where advanced civilization developed well before the arrival of the Spanish. Today the Andes continue to be characterized by their ethnic, demographic, cultural and economic diversity, as well as by the disparity of local socioeconomic groups. The Andean countries pursue a wide range of approaches to tackle the challenges of making the best use of their natural and cultural potential without damaging their ecological basis, as well as to overcome economic disparity and foster social cohesion. This book provides insights into this unique region and its most pressing issues, complemented by a wealth of pictures and comprehensive diagrams, which, in sum, help to better understand these fascinating mountains.

The Seville Strategy spurred a signifi cant paradigm shift in UNESCO's MAB Programme, re-conceptualising the research programme as a modern tool for the dual mandate of nature conservation and sustainable development. However, many biosphere reserves failed to comply with the new regulations and in 2013 the 'Exit Strategy' was announced to improve the quality of the global network. This study presents a global assessment of the implementation of the quality enhancement strategies, highlighting signifi cant differences worldwide through 20 country-specifi c case studies. It concludes that the strategies have been fundamental in improving the credibility and coherence of the MAB Programme. Challenges in the implementation were not unique to individual countries but were common to all Member States with pre-Seville sites, and in many states the process has led to a rejuvenation of national biosphere reserve networks.

It is in the best interest of all concerned that tourism become sustainable and environmentally compatible. This need for "sustainable development" is and more by the responsible parties. Moreover, in the being recognised more search for solution strategies the realisation is gaining ground that tourism must be viewed as a worldwide phenomenon whose development must be co-ordinated in a co-operative effort spanning regions and continents. That the preservation of biological diversity also requires global co operation has been confirmed by over 170 countries which have already acceded to the "Convention on Biological Diversity". It is thus an important task to provide the foundations for joint action. Germany, one of the largest source countries of international tourism, must feel particularly obligated in this regard. The report published here is the result of a research project com missioned by the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation. The study pursued and examined the thesis that the Convention on Biological Diversity be used as a central instrument for arriving at international principles and regulations for combining nature conservation and tourism which could lead to a sustainable development of tourism. To further the discussion, the authors brought the study to a logical conclusion by working out a proposal for a "tourism protocol" additional to the existing Convention on Biodiversity. Such a protocol additional to the Convention would entail the stipulation of internationally binding implementation and regulations for achieving sustainable tourism.

The challenges in ecosystem science encompass a broadening and strengthening of interdisciplinary ties, the transfer of knowledge of the ecosystem across scales, and the inclusion of anthropogenic impacts and human behavior into ecosystem, landscape, and regional models. The volume addresses these points within the context of studies in major ecosystem types viewed as the building blocks of central European landscapes. The research is evaluated to increase the understanding of the processes in order to unite ecosystem science with resource management. The comparison embraces coastal lowland forests, associated wetlands and lakes, agricultural land use, and montane and alpine forests. Techniques for upscaling focus on process modelling at stand and landscape scales and the use of remote sensing for landscape-level model parameterization and testing. The case studies demonstrate ways for ecosystem scientists, managers, and social scientists to cooperate.