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This year’s Hybrid University targets postgraduate students, educators, young scientists and managers, studying or working in existing or potential Biosphere Reserves, Natura 2000 sites and other designated areas with a priority given to participants from South-East European and Mediterranean countries. The overall aim of the Hybrid University is to equip those that take part, through mutual learning, with the knowledge, skills, and methodology tools that will inspire them in transforming their Biosphere Reserves into living labs for sustainability.

The 2023-2024 Hybrid University will take place in a hybrid format with Phase A (live/Summer University) in Asterousia and Phase B online: 

Phase A (in person): a brief dedicated face-to-face session will take place in Crete (Greece) in the Asterousia Biosphere Reserve from 18 to 24 September. The draft daily agenda will entail lectures, workshops, field visits, and exchanges with local professionals, associations and youth. Phase A is designed for up to 30 participants (20 international and 10 national and local). Priority will be given to participants from South-East European and Mediterranean countries.

Phase B (online): scheduled from December 2023 to February 2024, the 4-week long event will provide learning opportunities to a wider international audience (around 100 participants). It will build on previous e-courses, properly enriched with this year’s topics and input from Phase A. The learning will include asynchronous content (video lectures; existing online videos, toolkits, presentations; recorded material from Phase A) but also synchronous activities (live sessions with experts).

This year, the umbrella-theme is water management as a catalyst for sustainable development and in achieving all SDGs. The Hybrid University will elaborate on state-of-the-art integrated approaches to water management without neglecting the water-related and cultural aspects.

Specific topics to be covered through the lectures, workshops, and field-visits are:

• Freshwater-related challenges in Biosphere Reserves (e.g. land use, soil degradation due to agriculture and grazing, pollution, conflicts among users, climate change impacts, etc.)
• The sea-related challenges (e.g. pollution including marine litter, overfishing, alien species invasion etc.)
• Integrated water and coastal resource management (theory and lessons from practice)
• The Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystems (WEFE) nexus and the Source-to-Sea approaches
• Non-Conventional Water Resources (What are they? How can they be enhanced?)
• The role of water in culture (traditions, people’s narratives, water heritage monuments, etc.)
• Educating about water aspects especially through citizen/participatory science and ESD projects

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