All over the world, UNESCO biosphere reserves are designated in order to protect regionally distinctive landscapes. This designation represents a significant upvaluation of nature reserves and landscape conservation areas, forests and other mostly rural landscapes. In cases where biosphere reserves include urban areas, additional objectives are established such as the development of urban-ruralrelationships. The Biosphere Reserve Bliesgau which is a sustainable model region responds to this challenge. Located in a rural part of Saarland, the biosphere Bliesgau is still facing further challenges which are connected to the designation as a UNESCO biosphere reserve. This designation entails many obligations that are conditions and restrictions for the actors on the one hand and that provide opportunities for key personalities to make progress in achieving their aims concerning nature conservation on the other. Hence, not only prospects but potential for conflict emerged which complicates regional development in rural Saarland. A primary survey in the biosphere reserve allowed for the identification of the presented conflicts.

Abstract:International labour migration is one of the main challenges in the 21st century for rural areas within Europe. So far, rural areas have not been in the focus of research.

Welche besonderen Perspektiven und Herausforderungen in Grenzräumen für die Tourismuswirtschaft bestehen, betrachtet der von Harald Pechlaner und Judith Jochmann herausgegebene Band aus vielseitigen Blickwinkeln: von den Chancen grenzüberschreitender Kooperationen für die Entwicklung und Wettbewerbsfähigkeit touristischer Destinationen bis zur konkreten Produkt- und Angebotsentwicklung. Neben handfesten Ansätzen für Destinationsmanager und Regionalentwickler finden Sie viele Erfolgsbeispiele aus typischen Grenzregionen.

More than ever, globalization puts Europe's rural areas at the centre of competing claims between agriculture, residents, nature protection (or exploitation) practices, tourism, recreation and industry parks. To create resilient rural areas which take opportunity from globalisation asks diverse development actors to work jointly towards a common development vision. To arrive at a common development vision requires diverse actors to learn to work together (Roep et al. 2009). It requires actors to develop synergy, joint development visions and joint development activities, for which they need to source and pool knowledge and capacities (Collinge and Gibney 2010, Gibney 2011). Collective learning is thereby regarded as 'the diversity of adaptations, and the promotion of strong local social cohesion and mechanisms for collective action' (Adger et al. 2005 p. 1038).