People
People are the most critical part of what makes a UNESCO Biosphere thrive. The Galloway & Southern Ayrshire Biosphere Partnership is committed to facilitating lifelong learning, creating local connections, and promoting activity and exploration outdoors. Remember: if you live, work, play or learn in the UNESCO region, the Biosphere belongs to you!
One of our goals is to raise awareness of sustainability – finding a balanced relationship between environment, community, and economy. Tangible benefits follow if equal attention is paid to all three. Our Biosphere Communities initiative supports the villages and towns of the UNESCO region to put this into practice, and to share their identity, heritage, and learning worldwide. Explore the Biosphere Communities via the green button on the right.
Our Proud Supporter scheme was launched as a way for people to connect with the UNESCO Biosphere and to signal their support for sustainability. It is a charter of six principles reflecting our shared journey towards Global Goals. Membership of the scheme is currently around 400 individuals, businesses, organisations, schools and community groups across the Biosphere and beyond – a growing network of people with shared values. If you’d like to join, click here (there is no cost involved).
For businesses there are further opportunities to become more sustainable and build stronger connections across the region, through our Biosphere Certification Mark scheme. We are a certified Carbon Literate organisation and deliver Carbon Literacy training across the UNESCO region. Our own Biosphere Footsteps programme is bringing climate awareness into communities and schools, by discussing how together we can reduce carbon emissions and waste.
We are committed to helping people to discover more about the Biosphere’s unique natural and cultural heritage through initiatives such as the PLACE in the Biosphere Project, which ran between 2018-2021 thanks to Heritage Lottery funding. Read more about this via the green button on the left.
We also share opportunities to get involved with projects, events and opportunities across our region. Check our News page to find out what’s going on locally and where The GSA Biosphere Partnership is currently active. And follow us on social media using #gsabiosphere to keep up to date with Biosphere life!