A Brief History
UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme owes its origins to the "biosphere conference" held in Paris in 1968. The conference discussed the downward trend in the health of the environment and natural resources and concluded by promoting the rational use and conservation of natural resources through cross-disciplinary research linked to policy and management issues for conservation. This conference was the first world-wide meeting at the intergovernmental level to adopt a series of recommendations concerning environmental problems and to highlight their growing importance and their global nature.
As a consequence of this conference, the Man and the Biosphere Programme was set up in 1970 to respond to the issues identified. The programme is intergovernmental and interdisciplinary in its approach. It initially defined several broad themes to guide collaborative endeavours. These included human uses and adaptations to different major ecosystems, approaches for conducting environmental assessments, and developing effective measures to remediate polluted ecosystems. As more countries joined the MAB Programme they exchanged information and experience. Relatively soon after the Programme began, its International Coordinating Council (ICC) decided to identify particular areas where cross-disciplinary work and biodiversity conservation were being conducted successfully. These areas were named biosphere reserves.
In 1995, a new era for biosphere reserves began. After an international conference in Seville, Spain a "statutory framework" for biosphere reserves was adopted. This was accompanied by the "Seville Strategy" that outlined the vision of the future of the MAB Programme into the 21st century. These documents can be found here. The criteria for biosphere reserves were revised to include social, cultural, spiritual and economic needs of society alongside the use of scientific research and biodiversity conservation. In a world increasing affected by severe human impacts, biosphere reserves were envisaged as theatres for reconciling people and nature. This new approach called for "new-style" biosphere reserves that involved more community participation.
The 3rd World Congress of Biosphere Reserves took place in Madrid in 2008. From this meeting came the "Madrid Action Plan" which addressed the vision and mission of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves from 2008-2013 and aimed to build on the success of the Seville Strategy. The action plan was reviewed in 2013, and a new strategy and action plan were developed. The Strategy for 2015-2025 was approved by the ICC in 2015.
The 4th World Congress on Biosphere Reserves took place in Lima, Peru, in 2016. At this congress the "Lima Action Plan" was endorsed, and then adopted by the ICC and, later, the General Conference of UNESCO.
As a consequence of this conference, the Man and the Biosphere Programme was set up in 1970 to respond to the issues identified. The programme is intergovernmental and interdisciplinary in its approach. It initially defined several broad themes to guide collaborative endeavours. These included human uses and adaptations to different major ecosystems, approaches for conducting environmental assessments, and developing effective measures to remediate polluted ecosystems. As more countries joined the MAB Programme they exchanged information and experience. Relatively soon after the Programme began, its International Coordinating Council (ICC) decided to identify particular areas where cross-disciplinary work and biodiversity conservation were being conducted successfully. These areas were named biosphere reserves.
In 1995, a new era for biosphere reserves began. After an international conference in Seville, Spain a "statutory framework" for biosphere reserves was adopted. This was accompanied by the "Seville Strategy" that outlined the vision of the future of the MAB Programme into the 21st century. These documents can be found here. The criteria for biosphere reserves were revised to include social, cultural, spiritual and economic needs of society alongside the use of scientific research and biodiversity conservation. In a world increasing affected by severe human impacts, biosphere reserves were envisaged as theatres for reconciling people and nature. This new approach called for "new-style" biosphere reserves that involved more community participation.
The 3rd World Congress of Biosphere Reserves took place in Madrid in 2008. From this meeting came the "Madrid Action Plan" which addressed the vision and mission of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves from 2008-2013 and aimed to build on the success of the Seville Strategy. The action plan was reviewed in 2013, and a new strategy and action plan were developed. The Strategy for 2015-2025 was approved by the ICC in 2015.
The 4th World Congress on Biosphere Reserves took place in Lima, Peru, in 2016. At this congress the "Lima Action Plan" was endorsed, and then adopted by the ICC and, later, the General Conference of UNESCO.
