Targeted biosphere work for Österlen

This is how Österlen will approach a biosphere candidacy

Österlen has great values in nature, culture, and business, and the ambition is to develop the area sustainably in the long term year-round. The non-profit association for a biosphere area for Österlen is therefore working to ensure that Österlen can eventually become a biosphere area within UNESCO's Man and Biosphere Programme.

To move forward towards a candidacy, the local work now needs to be more clearly linked to the Swedish criteria for biosphere areas and to UNESCO's goals. Through the pre-study, an experienced coordinator will help the association structure and professionalize the work.

An important result will be a strategic document that describes how Österlen's specific conditions in areas such as nature, culture, and business can be connected to the requirements of the biosphere model. The project will also develop a timeline for a future candidacy and a strategy for how Simrishamn and Tomelilla municipalities can become more clearly involved in the ongoing work.

At the same time, the network around the biosphere work should grow. The goal is to sign at least eight new cooperation agreements, four with companies and four with associations or organizations. In this way, the project aims to create a broader anchoring among businesses, associations, municipalities, and residents.

In the long term, the vision is a vibrant Österlen where ecological, social, economic, and cultural sustainability go hand in hand and where the area can function as a model area for sustainable development.

The board's assessment

Decision date: 2026-09-22
Total selection criteria: 690 points
The board's justification: The board assesses that the pre-study has a clear local anchoring and potential to contribute to a long-term sustainable development in Österlen. By coordinating the local biosphere work with national criteria and UNESCO's Man and Biosphere Programme, a clearer structure and roadmap for a future candidacy as a biosphere area is created. The project builds further on collaboration between associations, businesses, and municipalities and will result in a strategic document, a timeline, and forms for continued collaboration. The board therefore assesses that the project aligns well with Leader Östra Skåne's work for green transformation and that the results can create good conditions for continued local collaboration and sustainable development in the area.