Under the theme “Envisioning People in Biosphere Reserves Living in Harmony with Nature”, the 14th Southeast Asian Biosphere Reserves Network (SeaBRnet) meeting will be held in a hybrid mode in Crocker Range Biosphere Reserve at Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia during 13 – 15 November 2023 and will include a special session of the Asia-Pacific Biosphere Reserve Network (APBRN).

The meeting is hosted by Malaysia through the Sabah State Government represented by the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Environment – Sabah (MTCES). Sabah Parks, an agency under the MTCES and Crocker Range Biosphere Reserve management, facilitated by the SeaBRnet Secretariat at UNESCO Jakarta, and supported by Japanese Funds-in-Trust (JFIT) from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), which is the longstanding partner of the SeaBRnet.

The 14th SeaBRnet meeting will gather representatives from MAB stakeholders in Southeast Asia, including MAB National Committees and/or Biosphere Reserve managers and other stakeholders. In order to strengthen the network within Asia and the Pacific, they will be joined by representatives from the South and Central Asia MAB Network (SACAM), the East Asian Biosphere Reserve Network (EABRN) and the Pacific Man and Biosphere Network (PacMAB).

The programme will include exchanges of experience and updates among the members of SeaBRnet and its sister networks, as well as discussions on interaction among UNESCO programmes, progress implementation of the Lima Action Plan, and the strategic contributions of MAB and its networks in Asia and the Pacific towards the achievement of SDGs.

The meeting also includes a one-day field visit to the Crocker Range Biosphere Reserve. The field visit will allow participants to observe the implementation of the BR concept in Crocker Range BR, interact with the local community and provide advice and suggestions to the site management, as well as to enjoy the unique scenery of the Crocker Range BR.