The
Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB) of
UNESCOThe United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
was established in 1971 to promote interdisciplinary approaches to management, research and education in
ecosystemAn ecosystem is a biological environment consisting of all the organisms living in a particular area, as well as all the nonliving , physical components of the environment with which the organisms interact, such as air, soil, water and sunlight....
conservation and
sustainableSustainable development is a pattern of resource use, that aims to meet human needs while preserving the environment so that these needs can be met not only in the present, but also for generations to come...
use of
natural resourcesNatural Resources is a soul album released by Motown girl group Martha Reeves and the Vandellas in 1970 on the Gordy label. The album is significant for the Vietnam War ballad "I Should Be Proud" and the slow jam, "Love Guess Who"...
.
Development
The MAB programme’s primary achievement is the creation of the
World Network of Biosphere ReservesThe UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves covers internationally-designated protected areas, known as biosphere reserves, that are meant to demonstrate a balanced relationship between man and nature The UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves covers internationally-designated protected...
since 1977. This World Network is more than a listing -
biosphere reserves exchange knowledge and experiences on sustainable development innovations across country and continent borders - they exist in more than 100 countries all across the world. Biosphere reserves are areas that are supposed to develop innovative approaches, test them and share the results; more importantly to combine many different approaches in a vast diversity of policy and management fields, towards a balanced relationship between mankind and nature.
In order for an area to be included into the World Network of Biosphere Reserves, work on the ground has to have started, appropriate information about the region gathered, the population needs to have agreed. Nominations then are prepared and submitted to UNESCO by national governments, in most cases through
MAB national committees. Benefits gained from being part of the network include access to a shared base of knowledge and incentives to integrate conservation, development and scientific research to sustainably manage ecosystems.
Owing to the MAB programme’s focus to improving mankind's relationship with nature, MAB has gradually been seen as
UNESCOThe United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
’s, and as one of the
United NationsThe United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
’s most important responses to international dialogues such as the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) and the
Convention on Biological DiversityThe Convention on Biological Diversity , known informally as the Biodiversity Convention, is an international legally binding treaty...
(CBD). Ahead of the 1990s, the MAB programme was a research programme organized along 14 large research projects addressing ecosystems such as mountain areas, arid lands, etc.
During the initial years of the MAB programme, the designation of biosphere reserves focused on research questions and on environmental conservation. Hence, there are several national parks among the areas included in the network - these mostly encompass isolated wilderness with outstanding
biodiversityBiodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of ecosystems. Biodiversity is in part a function of climate. In terrestrial habitats, tropical regions are typically rich whereas polar regions...
values. In the early 1990s, the MAB programme’s focus shifted to promoting interactions of mankind with nature in terms of sustainable living, income generation and reducing poverty. In biosphere reserves, nature is not isolated from man, but it is conserved
through using it. Hence, they are places where livelihood is sustained - even urban greenbelts can be found among the biosphere reserves.
In 1995, the second
World Congress of Biosphere Reserves held in
SevilleSeville is the artistic, historic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain. It is the capital of the autonomous community of Andalusia and of the province of Seville. It is situated on the plain of the River Guadalquivir, with an average elevation of above sea level...
formally defined and designated a set of objectives and procedures governing the recognition of potential biosphere reserves based on this strategic thrust (
Seville Strategy and the
International Guidelines). Criteria have been set to ensure that the objectives of the programme will be met. A regular evaluation of biosphere reserves is obligatory. Therefore, many biosphere reserves which had been included during the 1970s and 1980s have in the meantime either been withdrawn from the World Network or redefined so as to remain relevant to this new setting. All relevant decisions in the MAB Programme are taken by an intergovernmental committee, the
MAB International Co-ordinating Council (ICC): The 38 members of the ICC are government representatives which are elected for a four-year term by the UNESCO General Conference. The Secretariat of the MAB Programme is located with UNESCO Headquarters Paris.
To date, 580 biosphere reserves in 114 countries have been included in the World Network of Biosphere Reserves.
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