On 26 to 29 May 2026, secondary school students from Belgium and China came together in a virtual exchange titled “STEM Bridges Across Biosphere Reserves”. The initiative linked Kempen-Broek UNESCO Biosphere Reserve (Belgium) and Xingkai Lake UNESCO Biosphere Reserve (China), turning them into living laboratories for international collaboration and cross-continental learning.
Three online sessions engaged more than 300 students in dialogue on water resources, biodiversity, green schools, climate change and youth action. Students from St. Augustinus Institute Bree, Mosa RT and TISM Bree in Limburg Province of Belgium, together with their peers from No. 1 Mishan High School in Heilongjiang, China, shared mutual self-presentation videos, discussed practical solutions around three themes, water resource management, Green Schools and Biodiversity: Youth Action for a Sustainable Future and finally on Climate and Education: Youth Action for a Resilient Future – from solar panels and circular heating to wetland restoration and low‑carbon lifestyles. Participants exchanged on-site investigation findings from their respective biosphere reserves and swapped feasible small-scale green campus ideas during group talks.
The event was co‑organized by UNESCO Regional Office for East Asia, the Embassy of Belgium in China and the Heilongjiang Forestry and Grassland Administration (HFGA). In his address, Prof. Shahbaz Khan, Director of UNESCO Regional Office for East Asia, highlighted the importance of biosphere reserves as platforms for education and innovation, and encouraged young people to become future leaders for a sustainable future.
H.E. Mr. Bruno Angelet, Ambassador of Belgium to China, initiator of this activity at the HFGA-UNESCO side event in Hangzhou in September 2025 at the occasion of the 5th World Congress of Biosphere Reserves, congratulated this bilateral eco-education ties and expected continuous student exchanges between the two biosphere reserves. Mr. Song Guozhong, Deputy Director‑General of HFGA introduced Xingkai Lake’s ecological protection progress and pledged ongoing institutional support for follow-up cooperation.
The active discussions from very ecological and environmental matters to more socio-cultural topics generated practical actions youth could undertake in daily life as well as a proposal to develop a joint map of migratory birds. This activity enriches UNESCO Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme’s regional education repository and lays groundwork for more twin biosphere reserve school cooperation projects ahead. The exchange demonstrated that even thousands of kilometers apart, youth can build bridges of friendship, share knowledge and take collective action for a resilient future.
read more: https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/stem-bridges-across-biospheres-belgian-and-chinese-students-connect-climate-and-sustainability?hub=701
