The Berchtesgaden National Park ensures undisturbed natural processes - free from human objectives and values. This dynamic mountain nature is perceived and respected by man as unique. National park employees, locals and visitors support the goals of the national park in respectful cooperation. The national park is recognized as an attractive partner of the region for its competence and transparency.
In the national park we protect the self-dynamic development of nature on a large area. For our visitors, we maintain a network of trails that should enable everyone to experience the diverse nature. And we offer extensive guided hikes for those who want to know more.
Through research and public relations work, we are expanding our knowledge of these interrelationships in a worldwide network - in order to protect nature even better beyond the boundaries of the national parks.
Biosphere reserves were first established by UNESCO in 1968 as part of the Men and Biosphere program. The aim is to place areas under protection worldwide that represent a specific habitat or an ecological or cultural feature. Biosphere reserves are model regions in which the coexistence of man and nature is developed and tested in an exemplary manner. Thus, this is not primarily about nature conservation, but also about the preservation and development of cultural landscapes, the exploration of nature, sustainable regional development and illustrative examples for education and science.
The Berchtesgaden biosphere reserve has existed since 1990, was expanded to include the entire Berchtesgadener Land district in 2010 and renamed a biosphere region in 2012. Biosphere reserves are also divided into core, maintenance/buffer and development zones. The Berchtesgaden National Park represents the core and maintenance zone of the biosphere region, the national park foothills the so-called development zone. While the protection and preservation of the natural landscape are in the foreground within the national park or the core zone, the objectives in the apron are the preservation and development of the cultural landscape.
The Berchtesgaden National Park is almost entirely owned by the Free State of Bavaria. In addition to its technical responsibility, the National Park Authority is for the most part also responsible for land management as the landowner's representative. An exception to this are the water areas of Königsee and Obersee as well as the peninsula of St. Bartholomä, whose land is administered by the Bavarian Administration of State Palaces, Gardens and Lakes. The Federal Government owns the areas of the Federal Police on Kühroint to the extent of 1.2 hectares; these are administered by the Federal Agency for Real Estate Tasks (BImA).