Biosphere Reserves

Drylands cover more than 40% of the Earth’s total land surface and are home to more than 2 billion people. Their biodiversity plays an important role in the global fight against climate change, poverty and desertification. According to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), drylands are defined as: ‘areas where the potential amount of water that is transferred from the land to the atmosphere is at least 1.5 times greater than the mean precipitation: a calculation known as the aridity index. They are defined by water scarcity and characterized by seasonal climatic extremes and unpredictable rainfall patterns’.

Despite what many think, drylands contain a great variety of biodiversity. Many species and habitats found in drylands are not present in more humid ecosystems. Their biodiversity is also central to sustainable development and to the livelihoods of their inhabitants, many of whom are poor. For this reason the importance of biodiversity to poverty reduction and economic development may be greater in drylands than in many other ecosystems. Drylands also contribute a number of high-value products of global economic importance, at least 30% of the world’s cultivated plants and many livestock breeds originate in drylands. They, therefore constitute an important genetic reservoir that is becoming increasingly valuable for climate change adaptation.

In 1994, the UNCCD was created to combat further desertification of land areas, and to protect the environment and develop sustainable land management in drylands. This Convention is the sole legally binding international agreement linking environment and development to sustainable land management. 

As of today, 70 biosphere reserves (or 9% of the WNBR) include dryland ecosystems.

Mangroves are rare but spectacular ecosystems that occupy the boundary between land and sea. They consist of trees or large shrubs, including ferns and palms, that normally grow in or adjacent to the intertidal zone. Mangroves have adapted to survive in this environment and grow in saline coastal sediment habitats. They are found in 123 tropical and sub-tropical nations of which two-thirds can be found in 12 countries. The largest areas of mangrove ecosystems are found on the wetter coastlines of South and Central America and West and Central Africa, and from northeast India through Southeast Asia to northern Australia. Globally, they cover only 152,000 square kilometres, equating to less than 1% of all tropic forests around the world, making them a rare habitat type.

The conservation of mangrove areas is of great importance. Since 1980 one-fifth of the world’s mangrove ecosystems have been lost according to the World Atlas of Mangroves. Mangroves are ecosystem engineers, exerting a direct influence and helping to shape their environment. They can function as rich stores of biomass and are highly productive, supporting complex communities and exporting nutrients to adjacent ecosystems. 
Mangroves offer a considerable array of goods and services to people, including forest products and fisheries, and they play a critical role in coastal protection. They are one of the most productive ecosystems on earth and their economic values range from US$2,000 to US$9,000 per hectare per year. Unfortunately many societies have overlooked these benefits, including the indirect support they provide to offshore fishing. 

Today, 91 out of the 701 biosphere reserves that currently form the World Network of Biosphere Reserves include mangrove ecosystems.

(Updated in July 2019)

World Network of Island and Coastal Biosphere Reserves (WNICBR)

Island and coastal areas biosphere reserves around the world have different natural, cultural, socio-economic and political characteristics. However, they also have similar and specific problems that can be addressed in a common way. 

These areas, especially small islands in the Caribbean and the Asia-Pacific region, are highly vulnerable to climate change, the impacts of which cause poverty, natural disasters, depopulation, loss of traditional culture and the detrimental effect of invasive species. These alter the balance of marine and terrestrial island ecosystems and cause irreversible loss of biodiversity.

Established in 2012, the World Network of Island and Coastal Biosphere Reserves aims to study, implement and disseminate island and coastal strategies to preserve biodiversity and heritage, promote sustainable development, and adapt to and mitigate the effects of climate change. Its two technical headquarters coordinate the network and work together at the global level: the office in the island of Jeju (Republic of Korea) focuses on climate change issues while the other in Menorca (Spain) specializes in sustainable development. This network is formed by the representatives of twenty islands and coastal biosphere reserves around the world and is open to all islands and coastal biosphere reserves that want to join it.

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Mountain regions represent about one-quarter of the Earth's terrestrial surface, and are home to approximately 25% of the global population. Mountains are crucial for life. They offer a wealth of ecosystem functions and services including: freshwater, biodiversity, forest products, minerals, habitats for threatened species, landscapes and cultures of exceptional value.

Mountains supply more than half of humanity with water for drinking, irrigation, industry, food and energy production. They regulate climate, air quality and water flow, and contribute to protection against natural hazards and the impacts of extreme events. In addition, a remarkably high proportion of the world’s cultural and ethno-linguistic diversity can be found in mountain areas.

Yet, such wealth is fragile. Threatened by global and climate change, mountain regions face loss of rare and endangered species, modified water balances (including glacial melt), and changing land use altering socio-economic conditions and the livelihoods of people.

UNESCO-MAB assesses the impacts of global and climate change on fragile mountain ecosystems, using mountain biosphere reserves as sites for study and monitoring.

• UNESCO MAB Programme relaunches the network on mountainous regions (2021)
• New secretariat of the World Network of Mountain Biosphere Reserves announced (2021)
• World network of mountain biosphere reserves secretariat kicks off activities (2022)

Sustainable Use of Biodiversity in Dryland Biosphere Reserves in West Africa Regional Project on building scientific and technical capacity for effective management and sustainable use of biodiversity in dryland biosphere reserves in West Africa.

The World Network of Biosphere Reserves extended to West Africa in 1977 by the creation of the park Taï in Côte d'Ivoire. If the concept of biosphere reserves emphasizes the integration of local communities into the management and evolution of the biodiversity, it also provides for the access rules required for the protection of ecosystems which, in some cases, can become sources of conflicts between villagers and reserve managers.

The UNESCO - MAB / UNEP - GEF regional programme, which includes six biosphere reserves in West Africa, aims to improve the understanding of "societies - savannahs" interactions in order to facilitate the dialogue between different stakeholders intervening in protected areas.

Man and his interactions with nature is at the centre of the MAB-UNESCO Project co-financed by the UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme) and the GEF (Global Environmental Facility), launched in September 2004 for a duration of four years. Land occupation, plant species collecting, and exploitation of natural resources by local communities represent different types of pressure on biodiversity. This programme aims to reduce anthropogenic pressures by means of alternative economic activities for communities living in the vicinity of the reserves, taking full advantage of methods proposed by social sciences.

Most of the world species live in forests and in particular in tropical forests. Although some of these creatures are not obvious to all, e.g. insects, fungi and lower life forms, they play a critical role: they notably recycle nutrients and enable our ecosystems to renew themselves. It is estimated that 73% of tropical forests will have been felled by the year 2100.

The rapid disappearance of tropical forest and their biodiversity involves a wide range of changes, well beyond the known crucial interactions between forest cover and climate. The MAB Programme promotes economically viable and ecologically sound management of these forests. The activities notably span research, conservation and training. 

Today, 126 out of the 686 biosphere reserves that currently form the World Network of Biosphere Reserves include rainforest ecosystems.

Wetlands are ecosystems saturated with water, either seasonally or permanently. They store water and ensure its quality, providing resilience against drought. They play a central role in sustainable development by supplying all our fresh water. According to the RAMSAR Convention, wetlands include: “all lakes and rivers, underground aquifers, swamps and marshes, wet grasslands, peat lands, oases, estuaries, deltas and tidal flats, mangroves and other coastal areas, coral reefs, and all human made sites such as fish ponds, rice paddies, reservoirs and salt pans”. Due to regional and local differences wetlands vary widely due to differences in soils, topography, climate, hydrology, water chemistry, vegetation, human disturbance and other factors. They are found all over the world, on every continent except Antarctica. 

Since ancient times, humanity has inhabited wetlands and used them in different ways. In fact, the ancient society of Mesopotamia, between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, was founded and thrived in wetlands. Wetlands play a major role in protecting land against floods and the impacts of storms. They provide food and diverse habitats which support genetic, species and ecosystem biodiversity. Wetlands play a key role in the life cycles of many species and in annual migration patterns. 

Unfortunately, wetlands are being degraded and lost due to pollution, over exploitation, climate change and human population growths. In recognition of these challenges, the RAMSAR Convention, an international treaty, was adopted in 1971. The Convention was designed to address global concerns regarding wetland loss and degradation.