A biosphere reserve is an area proposed by its residents, ratified by a national committee, and designated by UNESCO’s’ Man and the Biosphere program (MAB), which demonstrates innovative approaches to living and working in harmony with nature.
The World Biosphere Reserve Network currently consists of 738 biosphere reserves in 134 countries (2023). Canada currently has 19 biosphere reserves, connected through the Canadian Biosphere Reserve Association.
Across the globe, biosphere reserves involve local communities and interested stakeholders in collaborative planning and management efforts that focus on conservation of biodiversity, sustainable development that is socially, culturally, and environmentally sustainable (meets the needs of the present, without compromising the needs of future generations), and capacity building through research, monitoring, education, and training.
Photo by Nora Manners
Biosphere reserves serve as “learning places for sustainable development”. They demonstrate practical approaches to balancing conservation and human use of an area and are excellent examples of community-based initiatives that protect our natural environment while ensuring the continued healthy growth of the local economy. Biosphere reserves recognize that quality economies require quality environments, and that conservation is important for both.
The term ‘biosphere’ refers to all of the land, water, and atmosphere that supply life on earth. The word ‘reserve’ means that it is a special area recognized for balancing conservation with sustainable use. The term ‘reserve’ does not mean that these places are set aside from human use and development. In fact, the study of human use is an important part of the biosphere reserve program.
The biosphere reserve program is entirely voluntary. Authority over land and water use does not change when a biosphere reserve is designated in Canada. Government jurisdictions and private ownership rights remain as they were before designation.
Photo by Waterton Watershed Group
What a biosphere is not …
- It is not a new level of bureaucracy
- It is not a World Heritage Site
- It does not create new protected areas
- It does not create any new regulations
- It does not restrict the rights of citizens