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Mountaintop classroom. The research station atop Sierra de Manantlán Biosphere Reserve in Mexico. (© 1998 by Fred Powledge.)
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A global networkBiodiversity reserves |
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| Biosphere
Reserves are specially designated areas of land-based and coastal ecosystems.
They function under the supervision of the United Nations Educational,
Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and are part of UNESCO’s
Man and the Biosphere Program (MAB). The Reserves are part of a global network of 368 areas in 90 countries. Each nation maintains ownership and control of its reserves, but adheres to guidelines laid down globally. Each reserve is nominated by its host country, and must meet a set of criteria, all of which seek to fulfill three basic functions: 
They
must contribute to the conservation of landscapes, ecosystems, species,
and biological diversity.
They must foster human and economic development which is “socio-culturally
and ecologically sustainable,” in the words of UNESCO.
They must offer a “logistic function,” or means for supporting research,
monitoring, education, and information exchange.
Biosphere Reserves, then, recognize that biological diversity does not exist in a vacuum; understanding and protecting it must take special account of human involvement with environment. For more information on the Reserves, visit UNESCO’s MAB site on the World Wide Web. There is also specific information about the Sierra de Manantlán reserve. ¤ |
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