Biosphere reserve Golija-Studenica

The area of the mountains Golija and Radočelo was designated by the Decree of the Republic of Serbia Government (2001) as the Nature Park “Golija“ (75.183 ha) and SE “Srbijašume“, as the trustee, performs the management. Nature Park “Golija“, with its natural and man-made values, satisfies completely the criteria for the Biosphere Reserve nomination by the MAB (Man and Biosphere) Programme. The base of the MAB Programme, which was established in 1971 within the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), is the harmony of man and nature. As proposed by the Institute for Nature Conservation of Serbia, and in harmony with the objectives of the Spatial Plan of the Republic of Serbia (1996), supported by MAB National Committee, a part of the Nature Park “Golija“ under the name “Golija-Studenica“ (53.804 ha) was nominated as biosphere reserve. By the decision of the MAB International Coordinating Council (ICC) for UNESCO MAB Programme, in September 2001, Biosphere Reserve “Golija-Studenica“ was designated as the first biosphere reserve in Serbia and it became a part of UNESCO’s World Network of Biosphere Reserves (to date, 598 biosphere reserves in 117 countries have been included in the World Network of Biosphere Reserves - WNBR). The designation of the reserve was based on the well-preserved nature with a great number of plant and animal species, among which there are many endemic and relic species. The area includes the Monastery Studenica which has been on the World Heritage List since 1986. Biosphere reserves are sites of terrestrial and coastal/marine ecosystems which are internationally recognized by the UNESCO MAB Programme and they should solve one of the most important issues faced by the world today: how to reconcile the biodiversity conservation with the need for economic and social development and for the maintenance of pertinent cultural values. An effective biosphere reserve denotes mutual actions by professionals for natural and social sciences, groups for protected area conservation and development, institutions responsible for reserve management and local communities. The effectiveness of the reserve organization was analysed in the First Report on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the Biosphere Reserve “Golija-Studenica“ (2001-2011).