Biosphere reserves have long been considered a place for learning about the environment, biodiversity and conservation, and sustainable development. While environmental education can be one of their man- dates, many other institutions or organizations can play a contributing role in this matter. In this paper, I present how my UNESCO Chair and Brock University decided to contribute to this learning function through the development of a course called “Biodiversity in a biosphere reserve”. This course is based on experiential learning and aims to give students practical skills in how to monitor ecosystems. The use of permanent biodiversity monitoring plots allows for the possibility to accumulate data over time and therefore monitor how diversity on terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems near Brock University varies over time. Such courses are being developed in other universities and allow to contribute to the learning function of the biosphere reserves. They should be promoted not only in universities but also in colleges and other institutions.
1- Learning the role of biodiversity monitoring in a biosphere reserve
