-Courtesy of Rebecca Pollock

When the research network was first established in 1999 the intent was to “stimulate what it was hoped would become a self-organizing student network composed of people interested in, or already undertaking research and monitoring in biosphere reserves” (Francis, 2004). In 2004, Munju Ravindra made a presentation on CanBRAT to the CBRA board of directors. CanBRAT operates in parallel with and in cooperation with CBRA. Its members are current and former student researchers interested in biosphere reserves. CanBRAT was set up by Munju and Sherry Sian shortly after they had completed Masters theses on biosphere reserves. It had ambitious goals, namely:

A.    share information and ideas, research methodologies and funding sources;

B.     link academic research to research needs of biosphere reserves;

C.     help researchers translate research into language useful to biosphere reserves;

D.    try to develop a code of ethics for research in biosphere reserves

E.     develop a database of research on biosphere reserves; and,

F.      create a publication series on biosphere reserves.

In discussions in 2004, two main approaches were put forward. One was to have CBRA take over the functions of CanBRAT. It was suggested that CBRA might set up a database of information on biosphere reserve research. The other approach was to use the CBRA network to find resources (people) to make CanBRAT more functional. It was noted here that CanBRAT has a discrete mandate for research and could well work in cooperation with CBRA while liaising with biosphere reserves.