Biosphere Reserves

Biosphere Reserves, conservation designation given to areas of land or water ecosystems protected under the Man and the Biosphere (MAB) program of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

The MAB program was launched in 1970 to promote the importance of the relationship between human beings and the natural environment, focusing on the key issues of sustainable development and conservation of biodiversity.

A designated biosphere reserve site contains three distinct zones, each demanding a slightly different level of management and environmental protection. At the heart of each reserve is a strictly protected core zone, which is managed with the highest level of conservation. This zone is reserved for monitoring and research (for example, nondestructive educational purposes). Access to this central area is usually minimal or restricted. The core zone will have already received a formal environmental protection designation, for example, from its national government as a national park or nature reserve, or as a natural World Heritage Site.

Surrounding the core of the reserve is a less rigidly governed buffer zone that can be used for various ecologically approved and environmentally friendly activities, including research, education, recreation, and ecotourism. The wider area surrounding the reserve is known as the transition area. This zone is largely concerned with human activity, and is characterized by the development of communities in which the local economy relies upon sustainable practice, such as agriculture and pastoralism, and which are ethically responsible in their use of the available natural resources.

Since 1976, UNESCO has created nearly 500 biosphere reserve sites in more than 100 countries. They form an international network of protected natural sites, including Yellowstone National Park, United States; Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, Australia; the Sundarbans, India; Mount Kenya, Kenya; and Mount Olympus National Park, Greece.