CREATING 'LEARNING LABORATORIES FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT' FOR UNESCO BIOSPHERE RESERVES

摘要

This paper discusses the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Learning Lab project in Cat Ba Island (Viet Nam) as a demonstration case for systems thinking, organisational learning and multi-stakeholder decision making. The project addresses:• The UNESCO/MAB and the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD) initiatives in relation to sustainable development knowledge and education globally;• the inherent interconnectedness of the environment (biodiversity), poverty alleviation, and economic development imperatives;• the development of integrated policies and processes by Government and management bodies to ensure that long term sustainable management will become institutionalised and ongoing.The Cat Ba project which began in March 2007 as a systems thinking case study, has since become a notable initiative in Hai Phong City (Viet Nam) involving senior politicians from district to central government, academics, donor organisations, field officers and managers at various levels of the government as well as villagers and commune residents, as well as several PhD, Post-doc and Masters students. The Cat Ba Learning Lab (LLab) addresses tourism development, ecological degradation and poverty in a systemic, participatory and collaborative cross-sectoral framework. Using a novel group model building process leading to several systems models (CLDs), diverse stakeholders identified key leverage areas for systemic interventions. These leverage areas have formed the basis for integrated projects and policies covering multiple dimensions of sustainability including social, economic, cultural, and ecological imperatives. The Learning Lab concept and methodology has since been adopted by UNESCO MAB (Man and Biosphere) as a pilot and model for possible adoption by other UNESCO Biospheres around the world. Currently there are three Biosphere Learning Labs in Australia and South East Asia.