Guide to become a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve

A biosphere reserve is first and foremost a model area for sustainable development – a tool for advancing well-being for both human beings and nature. It should benefit both people and the environment, promoting a clear understanding of its purpose and how it contributes to everyday life. Local communities should actively participate in the process, with their vision for the biosphere reserve. Biosphere reserves can also be considered as 'learning sites for sustainable development’. 

This guide is built on three consecutive steps:

Based on experiences from the coordinators at the existing Nordic biosphere reserves, here are some good advice and recommendations

Local communities and key actors should promote why they want to create a biosphere reserve, how they expect to use it in their daily lives, and the benefits it brings. Stakeholder participation in drafting, approving, and supporting the vision for the biosphere reserve is crucial. The initiative should come from the local community, ensuring a bottom-up approach. Take a look at https://biosfar.fi/partners-ambassadors/partnerskap/?lang=en for inspiration.

What are the sustainable challenges here? Would you like to be part of the solution? How can we work on these challenges together and how would you like to contribute? Collaboration and involvement with the municipalities must start immediately. If possible, do the process within one election period to avoid a stop or, in the worst case, a whole new involvement process.

Clarify the MAB Programme's focus on sustainable use of nature to avoid misunderstandings. Involve and gain support from local landowners, farmers, and forestry organizations. Often, the MAB Programme can be misunderstood as a programme for protecting nature instead of the sustainable use of nature. There have been examples of forestry organizations stopping the process due to this misinformation. Make sure to have landowners, farmers, forestry NGO’s and so forth on board from the beginning.

This has in many cases turned out to be a strong support for the process and to point out the very core of the MAB Programme: Involvement of the community in bottom-up process. Find inspiration in the ambassador programme at Møn, DK and from the partner-ambassadors in Finland.   

To have backing from local companies gives many advantages. If they find the MAB Programme useful, this will influence many other stakeholder-groups positively and also encourage participation in new solutions, e.g. making their areas more wild with a higher biodiversity.

Be inspired to be a “Stolt medspelar” (BR Nordhordland):

It is a great advantage to involve researchers early and invite them to contribute to the application – as they can provide the knowledge that is needed. Biosphere reserves can support universities with applications for a UNESCO Chair linked to the MAB Programme, as the example from Norway:  UNESCO Chair: Sustainable heritage and environmental management | University of Bergen (uib.no)

The administration of the application process must be done by persons who are trusted by the society. Past examples have shown that it may not be easy to convince stakeholders if the administration can be accused of having hidden agendas.

Collaborate with other biosphere reserves, both within the Nordic countries and internationally, to exchange best practices and experiences.

The World Network of Biosphere Reserves of the MAB Programme consists of a dynamic and interactive network of sites of excellence. It fosters the harmonious integration of people and nature for sustainable development through participatory dialogue; knowledge sharing; poverty reduction and human well-being improvements; respect for cultural values and society’s ability to cope with change.