eco.mont – Journal on Protected Mountain Areas Research and Management, Vol. 13 / Special Issue 2021

The United States was an integral part of the early growth of UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB), yet changing political and social contexts have impacted the relationship between the US and MAB. Poised at the start of a new period of activity, as the US reviews its strategy on its current and future engagement with MAB, it is critical to discuss the factors that have influenced the history of US involvement in the World Network of Biosphere Reserves (WNBR) and how the US will engage in the future. For the purpose of this article, the US Biosphere Network (USBN) refers to the current recently reinvigorated network of biosphere reserves in the US. As many of the USBN sites are partially or fully mountainous ecosystems, the renewed engagement of the USBN will contribute to the conservation of some of the nation’s most prized mountain landscapes. This article provides an overview of the biosphere reserve concept and of US involvement with the intergovernmental programme. We discuss challenges facing the USBN, including relevancy and inclusion, political relations with UNESCO, and perceptions of zoning. We present examples of opportunities and strategies that have been implemented by the Champlain-Adirondack Biosphere Network in a mountain region, followed by conclusions on revisioning MAB in the US and globally for the next 50 years.

Keywords: Biosphere Reserve, Champlain-Adirondack, diversity, governance

The biosphere reserve (BR), as conceived by UNESCO, is a permanent intervention towards sustainable development. With 727 BRs in 131 countries (Österreichisches MAB-Nationalkomitee 2021), this means interventions in highly diverse environmental, economic, socio-cultural and institutional contexts. With the MAB Strategy 2015–2025, the Lima Declaration 2016 and the Lima Action Plan 2016–2025, UNESCO BRs should develop fully into model regions for the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals 2015–2030 (SDGs) (United Nations 2015). Because of their varied contexts, the UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves consists of different, but globally self-similar, fractal institutions. In this article we emphasize the understanding, implementation and management of BRs in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. These three European democracies are examples of federally structured states with comparatively wealthy economies as well as high political stability. Respect for property rights, regional acceptance, decentralized decisionmaking, and micro- and macro-economic considerations have always played decisive roles in the development of BRs in the DACH countries. We aim to identify, analyse and discuss the distinct characteristics and peculiarities of BRs in this area. We investigate how the framework conditions of sustainability, as presented in the concept of BRs, are perceived, discussed and implemented. As a basis for our analysis, we use a sample of 18 peer-reviewed publications, which were published collectively as a book on BRs in the DACH countries (Borsdorf et al. 2020). The individual publications present overviews, case studies and in-depth investigations in the three countries. All authors were invited to participate in a meta-text analysis. This was conducted in the form of a survey, a transdisciplinary workshop with a reflective design using a virtual whiteboard, and a concluding feedback loop. The results of the qualitative exploration are interpreted against the background of international comparisons and recent scholarly discussions. Based on the assumption that different types of ambiguities and conflicts are inherently a key element of the BR concept, we conclude that the DACH countries may have found specific ways to deal with and overcome these differences.

Keywords: UNESCO MAB-Programme, Biosphere Reserve, governance, sustainability, Austria, Germany, Switzerland

This article examines whether the Serengeti-Ngorongoro Biosphere Reserve, Tanzania, is successfully mitigating the immense challenges that rising population density and growing land-use pressure, as well as climate change and tourism, pose to vulnerable biodiversity hotspots, such as ancient Afromontane forests. The biosphere reserve’s management approach to ecological and socio-cultural heritage was analysed using the Global-Local Drivers of Change model as a theoretical basis, together with The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) analysis framework. This empirical study of a relatively old Sub-Saharan African biosphere reserve (established in 1981) used a qualitative research approach, where data was collected from focus groups living in the reserve, and semi-structured interviews with Ngorongoro Conservation Area officials and other main stakeholders. Results show that the management focus on environmental conservation over socio-cultural heritage has led to population growth, cultural change and landscape transformation, leading to human-wildlife conflicts and negative park-people relationships. It is concluded that this biosphere reserve needs to better exploit its vast potential and adjust its institutional structure and operational strategies to align with modern Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Methods.

Keywords: Biosphere Reserve, human-wildlife conflicts, park-people relations, Serengeti-Ngorongoro, sub-Saharan Africa

Arganeraie Biosphere Reserve (ABR) in Morocco was established in 1998. Today the reserve covers 2.5 million hectares and more than 3 million people and, as such, it has been a complex social-ecological system to govern. Authors draw on postnormal conservation science and environmental governance studies to investigate environmental governance processes within the ABR and shed light on their outcomes and challenges to date. First, authors analyse how Moroccan institutions are managing this vast territory. Second, we look at perceptions of an extended peer community of decision-makers. This research adds an empirical case study to the North African region and addresses two main weaknesses of UNESCO Biosphere Reserves worldwide: 1) effective governance and 2) shortcomings in their implementation. Through an ethnographic approach, we are able to point out how low strategic priority and a weak political will regarding the ABR may be hindering inclusive environmental governance. The authors suggest some key aspects for improving the existing governance system; various baseline needs and barriers that may be addressed in advance; a set of drivers, and several proposals for inclusive governance in the ABR. This study should prompt academia, policy- and decision-makers to identify and enhance synergies that allow for a shared vision of their territory.

Keywords: argan, social-ecological systems, natural protected areas, post-normal science, Ethnography, stakeholder analysis, social learning

Understanding local residents’ perceptions of changes triggered by the creation of a biosphere reserve (BR) is important for a reserve’s successful management. This study asked 383 local residents of the Wienerwald BR, Austria, about their perceptions of changes, at individual and regional levels, nine years after the creation of the BR, and correlated these perceptions with place attachment. The vast majority of respondents perceived either no changes or positive ones in the region and for themselves. They saw the most positive impact of the BR as being the preservation of threatened landscape types and cultural landscapes. Study results revealed that local residents with stronger emotional, functional and social ties to the region perceived more positive impacts of the BR. The BR management could make use of the positive relationship between place attachment and perceptions of change, as high place attachment can be beneficial for the preservation of natural and cultural landscapes, and can contribute to greater involvement in participation processes by, and quality of life of, the local population.

Keywords: park-people relationships, place identity, place dependence, perceived changes, Austria

In the 50 years since the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB) was launched, 727 sites in 131 countries have gained the status of biosphere reserve (BR). Golija-Studenica BR belongs to the group of BRs that have been active for the past 20 years. This BR is one of the most prominent protected areas and the first of its kind in Serbia. A balance between biodiversity conservation, as the primary goal of protection, and the promotion of sustainable profitable activities involving diverse actors has yet to be achieved. This research aims to provide a contextual understanding of changes in Golija-Studenica BR and draw lessons for future BR development. It relies on the experiential and practical knowledge of diverse stakeholders, including management bodies, the NGO sector and the local population itself. The methodology is based on a qualitative approach, using semi-structured interviews with open-ended questions. Research results show that the BR model is a subtle, time-reliant driver of change, with some unintentional side-effects. It brings about changes in how protected areas are managed, affects the economic behaviour of the local population, raises awareness about environmental issues, and has an impact on demographic trends and social change.

Keywords: Biosphere Reserve, Golija-Studenica, Serbia

The UNESCO Golija-Studenica Biosphere Reserve (BR) is located in southwestern Serbia. Its captivating beauty, breath-taking landscape diversity, and preserved natural and cultural values make it one of the country’s most beautiful mountains. This paper aims to determine the differences in motivation and level of satisfaction with the tourism offer of Golija-Studenica BR based on the visitor’s gender. Motivation and satisfaction of 642 visitors to Golija-Studenica BR were analysed using factor analysis, Cronbach’s alpha coefficient and regression analysis. Research findings confirm that gender matters – there is a gender-based impact on the motivation and satisfaction of visitors. The paper makes both scientific and practical contributions. Thus far, insufficient attention has been given to researching motivation and satisfaction of visitors to biosphere reserves in Serbia. Therefore, this paper can serve as a scientific basis for future research, for the improvement of the tourism offer of Golija- Studenica BR with the aim of encouraging its diversity, and for the development of sustainable tourism in this destination.

Keywords: UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, Golija-Studenica Biosphere Reserve, visitor motivation, visitor satisfaction, Gender, Serbia

In many UNESCO Biosphere Reserves (BRs), the production and marketing of regional farm produce are an essential, if not the most important, contribution to regional development. Using the example of the Austrian BRs, this article reviews the possibilities and framework conditions for the production and marketing of farm produce, and discusses culinary potential as an important component of the sustainable development of the region in national and international contexts.

Keywords: Biosphere Reserves, Sustainable development, food products, marketing, partner networks

Within UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme, MAB Project 6 (MAB-6), entitled Impact of human activities on mountain and tundra ecosystems, was initiated in 1971. This paper begins with a history of the activities and key outcomes of MAB-6, which largely comprised national activities within a global framework. From the 1990s, a number of collaborative international projects took place, relating particularly to global change and sacred mountains. The paper ends with brief conclusions.

Keywords: Mountains, Biosphere Reserves, Man and the Biosphere Programme, UNESCO

Biosphere Reserves face huge challenges worldwide, especially those located in metropolitan areas such as La Campana-Peñuelas Biosphere Reserve in central Chile. As well as direct threats, such as urban sprawl and wildfires, such reserves face a less evident threat in the form of weak community engagement and awareness of the value, opportunities and challenges that the name biosphere reserve offers. Since 2015, environmental conflicts have intensified in this area of Chile, and counter-movements towards re-territorialization have arisen under the slogan “We are biosphere reserve”. This implies a deep understanding of the imbrications of the lives of humans and more-than-humans in a common territory which face common challenges with regard to the preservation of life and regenerative actions and pathways. In Chile, this local social / political / spiritual movement now converges with a national movement towards recovering sovereignty over common goods through a new Constitution. In this article, we describe a fruitful academia-community dialogue of knowledges created through a series of open-access courses, collaborative mapping, and artistic initiatives developed by citizens, such as textile-making and handcrafts using natural pigments. All of these initiatives come together within the framework of very local geopolitical actions for the preservation of the biocultural landscapes found within the biosphere reserve. We discuss these initiatives as forms of biocultural resistance and re-existence.

Keywords: dialogue of knowledges, creative geographies, GeoHumanities, biocultural landscapes

Landscape-scale conservation at the regional level is an important challenge for Biosphere Reserves (BRs), especially those located in areas suffering from depopulation and rural shrinkage. This is the case of the BRs of the southernmost part of Chile, in the Magallanes region. An analysis of the implications of deterritorialization (the radical reduction or disappearance of inhabitants, their traditional ecological practices, and their material and affective links with the territory) is lacking in the literature, particularly in relation to the migration of young people towards other human settlements. This is a critical situation for BRs because there is a tight link between depopulation and the sustainability of socio-ecological systems. Here we discuss, on the one hand, the limitations and negative impacts of repopulation attempts by extractive industries and, on the other, the possibilities of involving rural youth in initiatives that encourage the re-territorialization of ecological practices and knowledge that have been developed by generations of local inhabitants, as a way of promoting bioculturally sustainable modes of re-inhabiting these territories.

Keywords: landscape-scale conservation, re-territorialization, Patagonia, volunteering, MAB Programme, rural depopulation, Biosphere Reserves

In this policy article, we identify challenges for maintaining the Black Forest Biosphere Reserve’s diverse cultural landscape and present the efforts undertaken to address these. Set in a land-use context that is rich in tradition, featuring common pastures and an indigenous cattle breed, landscape preservation today is threatened by fundamental changes in the agricultural community as well as of land-use systems. As part of the MAB network, the UNESCO Black Forest Biosphere Reserve provides collaborative arenas to address these issues and propose action in concertation with local actors and communities. To illustrate this, we describe the ALLMENDE 2.0 applied research project, the creation of a commercialization hub for the local Hinterwälder cattle, and support for the modelling of more extensive ecologically-orientated agriculture.

Keywords: maintaining the landscape, Allmendweiden, Hinterwälder cattle, Marketing hub, enhancing biodiversity, wild fields, sustainable land-use of mountain pastures

The 50th anniversary of UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme coincides with the 20th anniversary of the Entlebuch UNESCO Biosphere Reserve (EBR) in Switzerland. While the MAB research framework has remained fairly constant since the EBR was established, the role of research in our institution and the ways it has been managed and implemented have changed significantly. After 20 years of research in the EBR, this is an opportune moment to highlight outputs, outcomes and impacts, and to draw conclusions regarding future challenges and developments for parks and their managements.

Keywords: UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, Entlebuch, research, impact, practice

The UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Reserve Collemeluccio-Montedimezzo-Alto Molise was established in 1977 in Molise Region (Central Italy) to safeguard local natural and managed ecosystems in two separate areas administered by two different municipalities. An association of seven small municipalities with various local bodies, the ASSOMAB Alto Molise Consortium, was established in 2006 to expand and zone the Reserve in order to promote innovative and environmentally sustainable approaches to economic and social development, by setting in place a new model of sustainable and integrated management in the area. In the renewal step of 2014, UNESCO agreed the expansion of the old protected areas into a single, larger reserve, to be managed by the Consortium. Today it covers nine Natura 2000 sites, seven of which are included in the European Habitats Directive, and two in the Birds Directive. Local administrators and stakeholders see the Reserve as an opportunity to develop sustainable actions while protecting and enhancing the extraordinary environmental richness, including the remarkable biodiversity. In this paper, the authors discuss the current situation and the socio-economic opportunities in this rural landscape, which is affected by population ageing, outmigration and a diminishing economy, all of which are significant drivers of land-use changes, particularly land abandonment and forest expansion.

Keywords: Collemeluccio-Montedimezzo-Alto Molise, UNESCO, MAB Programme, management

The year 2023 will mark the 20th anniversary of the proclamation of the Julian Alps Biosphere Reserve (JABR). When awarded the prestigious title, the Triglav National Park (TNP) Authority was already the managing body of TNP, which constitutes the core and buffer zones of the then-newly designated area. Over the course of time, it has become clear that buffer zone management is instrumental in securing the objectives of the TNP and JABR. This paper discusses aspects of management relating mostly to visitation, education and training, cross-border cooperation, and enhancing the local economy through the collaboration of providers. A bottom-up approach and multi-stakeholder networking as essential components of modern policy-making are the key to success, particularly since sustainable development in sensitive areas is reliant upon fostering a strong and broad community identity and local support for protected areas.

Keywords: UNESCO MAB, Triglav National Park, Julian Alps Biosphere Reserve, identity, management, networking, education, Sustainable development, depopulation, wellbeing

In Eastern Europe, several UNESCO Biosphere Reserves (BRs) have been important promoters of transnational and transboundary nature conservation and sustainable development. Nevertheless, political and institutional barriers and scarcity of resources have hindered successful cross-border cooperation. The prospects for BRs in Eastern Europe are mixed, especially in relation to the challenges of ecosystem degradation and climate change, as well as socioeconomic and (geo)political crises. Based on our own experience of one and a half decades of growing cooperation between partners in Ukraine and Germany, we conclude that transnational cooperation between BRs and science is particularly rewarding and mutually beneficial.

Keywords: Biosphere Reserves, Eastern Europe, Ukraine, transboundary cooperation