A working group on applying the biosphere reserve concept to urban  areas has been set up within the Cities and Protected Areas Specialist

Group of IUCN's World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA). The working group aims to facilitate communication between the IUCN protected areas community and those involved with urban aspects of the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere (MAB) program — especially those involved with biosphere reserves subject to urbanization pressures, and those interested in applying lessons learned from the biosphere reserve initiative to urban areas.

 

Intended to sustain biodiversity and facilitate sustainable use, the concept of the biosphere reserve draws protected areas into a broader context and recognizes that people are an essential part of the fabric of nature. As such, the designation of these areas is also intended to conserve their socioeconomic and cultural values. A valuable characteristic of the biosphere reserve concept is its adaptability, with no rigid blueprints for their establishment, allowing the idea to be interpreted and implemented to suit local conditions. This has led workers from across the world to examine the benefits which could come

to towns and cities from adopting the biosphere approach across the entire urban area.

 

More about the relationship of UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme to urban areas can be found by using search engines.   l

 

The IUCN working group is chaired by Peter Frost of the Countryside Council for Wales, United Kingdom. E-mail: p[dot]frost[at]ccw[dot] gov[dot]uk. Working group members are indicated by "ubr" on the specialist group membership list.