Biosphere Reserves

Intents and Origins

Biosphere reserves were originally intended as places for scientists and public agencies to conduct scientific research together in order to meet the changing needs of the environment on a global scale. The biosphere reserve network established through the Man and the Biosphere Program was intended to facilitate the compilation and international sharing of information, especially for ecosystems that were heavily impacted by human activities.

The origin of biosphere reserves dates to the Biosphere Conference, which was organized by UNESCO in 1968. It was the first intergovernmental conference of its kind to address both the themes of conservation and use of natural resources, which were the precursor to present-day notions of sustainable development.

The primary result of the Biosphere Conference was the establishment in 1970 of the Man and the [Page 135]Biosphere Program. Within this program is the World Network of biosphere sites, which sought to have the main ecosystems of the world protected and monitored, with some scope for training. The term biosphere reserve was in reference to the overall UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Program.

Biosphere reserves were seen in the 1970s as sites of natural excellence in the areas of science, conservation, and natural resource education, and were intended as model places from which lessons could be learned and applied more widely to other protected areas. Plants and animals within the biosphere reserves were to be protected, particularly in regard to genetic diversity. Environmental and ecological research was to take place within biosphere reserves, and facilities for training and education were to be provided.

In the early 1980s, emphasis shifted as key links between conservation and development were made more widely in the world. Partly as a result of experience from the first decade of biosphere reserves, local people were increasingly regarded as critical to the success of a biosphere reserve. This is reflected in the expansion of purpose of a biosphere reserve, which moved beyond the original concept of conservation, monitoring, and training. Indeed, the concept of biosphere reserves is an evolving one. In addition to conservation, biosphere reserves are also intended to provide logistical support for the research, education, monitoring, and exchange of information made possible through the activities within the biosphere reserve. Both human and economic developments are to be fostered in a socioculturally and ecologically sustainable manner.

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