Man and the Biosphere Programme: biennial activity report 2016-2017.

UNESCO’S MAN AND THE BIOSPHERE (MAB) PROGRAMME is a rare UN entity, one that includes both a strategic comprehensive vision for sustainable development and a powerful implementation tool endorsed and adhered to by Member States. Through the MAB Programme, UNESCO promotes the sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, including sustainable forest management and efforts to combat desertification and halt biodiversity loss. The MAB biosphere reserves are learning sites for sustainable development, where interdisciplinary approaches are tested to understand and man-age interactions between social and ecological systems, and solutions are promoted to reconcile the conservation of biodiversity with its sustainable use. In 2016–17, the MAB Programme underwent a number of important developments at the international, national and regional level. The key event during this period was the 4th World Congress of Biosphere Reserves, which took place in Lima, Peru, and resulted in the adoption of the Lima Declaration and a new 10-year Action Plan for UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme. These documents will guide the MAB Programme for the next 10 years. Also during this biennium, the World Network of Biosphere Reserves (WNBR) added 44 new biosphere reserves, including three trans-boundary sites. With the organization of the 1st MAB Youth Forum and its declaration, the MAB Programme sent out a clear message underlining its engagement with future generations of biosphere reserves. In addition, the BIOPALT project in the threatened region around the Lake Chad places the MAB Programme in a central position to safe-guard and sustainably manage the hydrological, biological and cultural resources of the Lake Chad Basin, thereby contributing to reducing poverty and promoting peace. The WNBR now encompasses 669 sites in 120 different countries, including 20 trans-boundary sites. These cover over 735,000 km2 of terrestrial, coastal and marine areas, representing all major ecosystem types and diverse development contexts, which are home to approximately 250 million people (ranging from rural local communities and indigenous peoples to urban dwellers). The vision of the MAB Programme is a world where people are conscious of their common future and interaction with our planet, and act collectively and responsibly to build thriving societies in harmony within the biosphere. The MAB Programme and its World Network of Biosphere Reserves serve this vision both within and beyond biosphere reserves. This publication is intended to present an overall picture of MAB activities during 2016–17 and the significant role and values of the WNBR, highlighting in particular newly desig-nated sites. It is our hope that this report will enable people to obtain a clearer idea of the actions and added value of UNESCO’s MAB and its WNBR within the global agenda for sustainable development.

This report is to be cited as: Cárdenas Tomažič, M.R., Clüsener-Godt, M., Köck, G., Van Ryssegem, V. (2018). Man and the Biosphere Programme Biannual Activity Report 2016 – 2017. Edition Lammerhuber, Baden (Austria ), 100pp. OPENASFA INPUT

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