UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Großes Walsertal
What is a Biosphere Reserve?
The program "Man and Biosphere" was started by UNESCO in the 70s with one ambitious goal: to show ways in which particularly protected habitats can be preserved for future generations. Over the years, a global network of model regions for sustainable livelihoods and economies has been established.
Biosphere reserves (international biosphere reserves) are areas that are recognized under an international criteria as part of the UNESCO program "Man and the Biosphere" (MAB). They encompass large-scale ecosystems of outstanding importance for the conservation of biological diversity.
Biosphere reserves have three inter-connected functions:
- Conservation: protecting cultural diversity and biodiversity, including genetic variation, species, ecosystems and landscapes and securing services provided by such diversity
- Development: fostering economic and human development that is environmentally and socially sustainable and culturally appropriate
- Logistic support: facilitating demonstration projects, environmental education and sustainable development education and training, research, and monitoring. While education, research, monitoring and capacity enhancement are seen as components of the logistic or knowledge-generation function of biosphere reserves, they are also integral to the conservation and development functions.