Research and Monitoring
The Berchtesgadener Land has been designated a biosphere reserve, making it a model region for sustainable development throughout Germany. Here, new issues are to be tested, researched and successful results spread beyond the region. Research and monitoring also help to document changes and, if necessary, to develop timely solutions to various economic, ecological or social issues. Many different actors in the Berchtesgadener Land are active in this process. The administrative office itself also runs research projects or integrates research questions into implementation projects.
Health and Recreation - Green Care
The Berchtesgadener Land is appreciated by locals as well as tourists for its high health and recreational value. The beautiful landscape, the numerous outdoor activities as well as in the spas and other health and leisure facilities are proof of the award as Gesundheitsregionplus (health region plus). The work of the Biosphere Region Administration Office focuses on the research project “Green Care: Nature and Mental Health”, which scientifically investigates the extent to which mindfulness and nature-based interventions are suitable for promoting people’s mental health.
Wild and cultivated
In order to preserve a genetic diversity in the region, numerous projects of the Administration Office deal with the preservation of old varieties and endangered cultivated species. In the course of these projects, questions repeatedly arise that are of importance for practical implementation: for example, the possibilities of propagating arable wild herbs were investigated in cooperation with the Technical University of Munich and the Bavarian Cultivated Land Foundation, meadow seeds were examined by the Raumberg-Gumpenstein Research Station for their detailed composition and germination capacity. Questions such as the baking properties of old cereal varieties also play an important role.
Research in the National Park
As the core zone of the Biosphere Region, Berchtesgaden National Park has been conducting research projects with ecological questions and geographical reference to the core and maintenance zone for many decades.
Further Research
The Biosphere Region is repeatedly used as a study area for third-party research projects and regularly participates in federal research and development projects. Third-party research projects include the INTERREG projects “AlpES – Alpine Ecosystem Services” (2015-2018) on alpine ecosystem services and “OpenSpaceAlps” (2019-2022), which deals with the sustainable development of alpine open spaces.
