Biosphere reserves

Background and evolution

Classic protected areas tried to keep people out. By the early 1970s, conservationists realised that this approach often failed, because landscapes around parks were being degraded and local communities saw conservation as a threat. UNESCO launched the Man and the Biosphere (MAB) programme in 1971 to study the relationship between people and nature, and the first biosphere reserves were designated in 1976.

The idea is that one area can serve three functions together: conserving biodiversity, supporting economic and human development that is socially and ecologically sustainable, and providing a logistic base for research, monitoring and education. The Seville Strategy (1995) gave the network a common framework. India started its national biosphere reserve programme in the 1980s, designating Nilgiri, spread across Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka, as the first in 1986.

Key features and provisions

• Core zone: legally protected area, usually a national park or sanctuary, with minimal disturbance.
• Buffer zone: surrounds the core; research, education, eco-tourism and limited traditional use are allowed.
• Transition zone: the outer area where communities, agencies and businesses practise sustainable resource use.
• Designation in India: by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change; management by states.
• UNESCO recognition: the national government nominates sites; the MAB International Coordinating Council approves them.
• Periodic review: sites in the world network are reviewed every ten years.