biosphere reserve

biosphere reserve, in general, a discrete parcel of terrestrial, marine, or coastal ecosystems that is managed according to special regulations for the purpose of conserving habitats and biological communities within the context of highlighting how people live in balance with their environment. UNESCO, which designates each biosphere reserve, considers such sites to be “learning places for sustainable development” in which various interactions between social structures and ecosystems, including the conflicts that arise between them and how they collaborate with one another to manage biodiversity, can be examined.

Establishment and international participation

The notion of biosphere reserves evolved from the creation of UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme in 1971, which was given the mission to promote environmental sustainability by fostering connections between human beings and their environment. One of the ideas generated by the program was the creation of a worldwide network of living laboratories that modeled these connections while using the natural resources and ecological connections between species at these sites to develop innovative solutions to contemporary environmental problems. The first biosphere reserves were established in 1976 in Iran, Montenegro (at the time a part of Yugoslavia), Norway, Poland, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, Uruguay, and Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo).

To participate in UNESCO’s biosphere reserve program, host countries submit site proposals, which are then evaluated by representatives of the MAB Programme on the basis of the sites’ significance to global and regional conservation. If approved by the MAB Programme, a site is formally recognized by the international community and incorporated into UNESCO’s biosphere reserve network. UNESCO’s role after this point includes sharing information and technical assistance and working with governments and other organizations to support financing and cooperation efforts. In return, even though the site is managed by the host county (and the site remains subject to its laws), the country must agree to comply with UNESCO’s management standards.

By the early 2020s nearly 750 biosphere reserves had been established in more than 130 countries. They cover more than 5 percent of Earth’s surface and serve as home to more than 260 million people. Each of seven countries (China, Indonesia, Italy, Mexico, Russia, Spain, and the United States) hosts 20 or more biosphere reserves within its borders. In many cases, such reserves function on their own as discrete management units within a country; in other cases, their footprints overlap with those of a country’s marine protected areas (MPAs) or other conservation areas, such as national parks, national forests, national monuments, or protected waterways.

Although the overwhelming majority of biosphere reserves occur within the land and sea borders of single countries, there are more than 20 transboundary reserves in the inventory. Each of these reserves connects parts of two or more countries across their common frontiers. Most transboundary biosphere reserves are found in Africa and Europe, including the Five-Country Biosphere Reserve Mura-Drava-Danube (which incorporates parts of Austria, Croatia, Hungary, Serbia, and Slovenia).

Structure

Biosphere reserves are typically divided into three concentric zones, which operate under different economic regulations and conservation restrictions. The central zone, or core area, has the strictest protections, which may include severe restrictions on, or even outright prohibitions of, human interference. This area is designed to conserve landscapes and ecosystems as well as the species and genetic variation that occur within them. Surrounding or adjoining the core area are buffer zones, which allow some level of human impact, including scientific research, monitoring, educational programs, and other activities that follow sound ecological practices. Beyond the buffer zones is the transition area, which may allow more-intensive human activities as long as they promote sociocultural well-being and sustainable economic practices (such as small-scale agriculture and selective forestry and fishing). The transition area may also include small settlements whose members actively cooperate with the conservation goals of the biosphere reserve’s management staff and researchers.