Saleem Haddad is a young researcher who won the UNESCO MAB Young Scientist Award for his work focusing on the Mediterranean Biosphere Reserves. He is studying at Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development (HNEE) and accomplished his master's thesis in collaboration with the International Center for the Mediterranean Biosphere Reserves (UNESCOMED centre). He defines himself as a descendant of a Mediterranean family. An international family that lived in close connection to their land, shaping it and getting shaped by it, physically and emotionally, that grew up with the values of equity, justice and openness to other cultures.

UNESCOMED took the opportunity to talk with Haddad:

Why did  you choose to study your master’s degree? Why did you choose the UNESCOMED  Centre to undertake your internship?

My first contact with a Biosphere Reserve was in 2017 as a volunteer in South Africa and then as a team member for more than a year. The idea of merging development work with nature conservation attracted me, it matched my educational background as an engineer and at the same time my connection to nature. During this time, I realised the need to gain more in-depth knowledge on the BRs topic. The master's program (Biosphere Reserve Management at HNEE was the best match.

Collaborating with UNESCOMED allowed me to study an important dataset and gave me the chance to do the thesis in collaboration with an acting entity, which gave great added value to my work. But on a personal level, my motive for this partnership was the history of the Mediterranean Sea as the connecting geographical body between Europe, Africa, and Asia. History contains different dynamics from shared cultural elements to injustice – in the past and unfortunately still in these days – and colonial fleets. The motive was to contribute to the region in a partnership based on equity, not supremacy.

Explain  a little bit about your master’s Thesis Topic. 

The thesis title is “Assessment of the MAB policies' effects on the implementation of the Biosphere Reserves in the Mediterranean Region (Political Frameworks and Cooperation Methods)”. I aimed to understand how the BRs that have been established in different timeframes were influenced by the program policies. 

Tell us  briefly your experience as one of the 2024 MAB Young Scientist Award winners.

I am so grateful for this recognition, and thankful to everyone who supported me in this journey. I am looking forward to more engagement on the international level. In addition, I hope that this will motivate more colleagues from the ArabMAB region to engage more in the program, as I see the need for more active engagement on the network level.

Why do  you think a Mediterranean Network of Biosphere Reserves is important?

The Mediterranean Sea is a unique and important ecosystem but also as I mentioned before, it witnessed and still witnessing a lot of injustices along its shores. The fact that the MAB program aims to create role models of sustainable development and that there is no sustainability without justice, I hope the MedMaB network will play an important role in reversing the historical injustice and the ongoing injustice elements by initiating partnerships driven by equity and respect the indigenous communities’ knowledge and rights. In my opinion, not development nor sustainability can be achieved by looking at the Mediterranean Sea in isolation from addressing the injustice on its shores and the drowned boats under its waters.

More information: https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/unesco-announces-15-awards-young-researchers-working-biosphere-reserves?hub=66369