MAN AND THE BIOSPHERE PROGRAM

Biosphere reserves are internationally recognized terrestrial and coastal or marine areas where management seeks to achieve sustainable use of natural resources while ensuring conservation of the biological diversity of the areas. The first biosphere reserves were designated in 1976 as part of the United Nation's Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization's (UNESCO) Man and the Biosphere Program (MAB). Biosphere reserves are nominated by national governments for inclusion in the world network of biosphere reserves. Each nation's sites remain under the sovereign jurisdiction of the nominating country.

Mission Statement of the United States Man and the Biosphere Program

"The mission of the United States Man and the Biosphere Program (U.S. MAB) is to foster harmonious relationships between humans and the biosphere through an international program of policy-relevant research which integrates social, physical and biological sciences to address actual problems. These activities — broadly interpreted — include catalytic conferences and meetings, education and training, and the establishment and use of biosphere reserves as research and monitoring sites."

Forty-seven biosphere reserves are recognized in the United States, with 23 involving 30 units of the national park system. For example, Channel Islands National Park was designated an International Biosphere Reserve in recognition of its genetic diversity and importance as an environmental baseline for research and monitoring. The following is a list of units of the U.S. National Park Service and associated biosphere reserves.

UNITS OF THE U.S. NATIONAL PARK SYSTEM AND ASSOCIATED BIOSPHERE RESERVES

The booklet The United States Man and the Biosphere Program provides a useful overview of the program. Below is a collection of more detailed documents pertaining the United States National Committee for Man and the Biosphere. Additional information can be obtained at:

• Biological Inventories of the World's Protected Areas
• The Biosphere Reserve Information-sharing Portal

May 1998

March 2000

 1. International Co-ordinating Council of the Programme on Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Final Report. First Session. Paris, 9-19 November 1971.

 2. Expert panel on the rôle of systems analysis and modelling approaches in the Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB). Paris, 18-20 April, 1972.

 3. Expert panel on Project 1 : Ecological effects of increasing human activities on tropical and subtropical forest ecosystems. Paris, 16-18 May, 1972.

 4. Expert panel on Project 12 : Interactions between environmental transformations and genetic and demographic changes. Paris, 27-25 May, 1972.

 5. Expert panel on Project 5 : Ecological effects of human activities on the valve and resources of lakes, marshes, rivers, deltas, estuaries and coastal zones. London, 19-22 September, 1972.

 6. Expert panel on Project 3 : Impact of human activities and land use practices on grazing lands : savanna, grassland (from temperate to arid areas), tundra. Montpellier, 2-7 October, 1972.

 7. Expert panel on educational activities under the Man and Biosphere Programme (MAB). Paris, 5-8 December, 1972.

 8. Expert panel on Project 6 : Impact of human activities on mountain ecosystems. Salzburg, 29 January-4 February, 1973.

 9. Expert panel on Project 13 : Perception of environmental quality. Paris, 26-29 March, 1973.

10. International Co-ordinating Council of the Programme on Man and the Biosphere. Second session. Paris, 10-19 April, 1973.

11. Expert panel on Project 7 : Ecology and rational use of island ecosystems. Paris, 26-28 June, 1973.

12. Expert panel on Project 8 : Conservation of natural areas and of the genetic material they contain. Morges, 25-27 September, 1973.

13. Expert panel on Project 11 : Ecological aspects of energy utilization in urban and industrial systems. Bad Nauheim, 16-19 October, 1973.

14. Working group on Project 6 : Impact of human activities on mountain and tundra ecosystems. Lillehammer, 20-23 November 1973.

15. Consultative group on Project 9 : Ecological assessment of pest management and fertilizer use on terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Part on Fertilizers. Rome, 7-9 January, 1974.

16. Working group on Project 1 : Ecological effects of increasing human activities on tropical and subtropical forest ecosystems. Rio de Janeiro, 11-15 February, 1974.

17. Task force on the contribution of the Social Sciences to the MAB Programme. Paris, 28 February-2 March 1974.

18. Regional meeting on integrated ecological research and training needs in the Sahelian region. Niamey, 9-15 March, 1974.

19. Expert panel on Project 2 : Ecological effects of different land uses and management practices on temperate and mediterranean forest landscapes. Paris, 16-19 April, 1974.

20. Task force on pollution monitoring and research in the framework of the MAB programme. Moscow, 23-26 April, 1974.

21. Working group on Project 5 : Ecological effects of human activities on the value and resources of lakes, marshes, rivers, deltas, estuaries and coastal zones. Paris, 13-17 May, 1974.

22. Programme on Man and the Biosphere (MAB); Task Force on: Criteria and guidelines for the choice and establishment of biosphere reserves Final Report. Paris, 20-24 May 1974.

23. Regional meeting on integrated ecological research and training needs in the Andean region. La Paz, 10-15 June, 1974.

24. Expert consultations on Project 9: Ecological assessment of pest management and fertilizer use on terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems (Part on pesticides).

27. International Co-ordinating Council of the Programme on Man and the Biosphere. Third session. Washington, D.C., 17-29 September, 1974.

28. Regional meeting on integrated ecological research and training needs in Latin America, with emphasis on tropical and subtropical forest ecosystems. Mexico City, 30 September-October, 1974.

30. Regional meeting on the establishment of co-operative programmes of interdisciplinary ecological research, training and rangeland management for arid and semi-arid zones of Northern Africa. Sfax, 3-12 April, 1975.

32. Task force on Project 14: Research on environmental pollution and its effects on the biosphere. Ottawa, 5-8 August, 1975.

33. Regional meeting on integrated ecological research and training needs in the humid tropics of West and Central Africa. Kinshasa, 29 August-5 September, 1975.

34. Regional meeting on integrated ecological research and training needs in the southern Asian mountain systems, particularly the Hindu Kush-Himalayas. Kathmandu, 26 September-2 October, 1975.

35. Regional meeting on integrated ecological research and training needs in tropical deciduous and semi-deciduous forest ecosystems of South Asia. Varanasi, 5-11 October, 1975.

36. Regional meeting on integrated ecological research and conservation activities in the northern Mediterranean countries. Potenza, 27-31 October, 1975.

37. Expert consultations on Project 10: Effects on man and his environment of major engineering works.

38. International Co-ordinating Council of the Programme on Man and the Biosphere. Fourth session. Paris, 18-26 November, 1975.

39. Regional planning meeting of the MAB National Committees of Andean countries, with particular attention to Project 6. Lima, 2-5 December, 1975.

40. Regional meeting on integrated ecological research and training needs in North East Africa and in the Near and Middle East, with emphasis on the ecological effects of irrigation derived from large river basins.

41. Regional meeting on integrated ecological research in temperate zones of the northern hemisphere, in the framework of Project 2. Brnö, 24-29 April, 1976.

42. Planning meeting for Project 11, with emphasis on industrialized settlements. Amsterdam, 3-12 June, 1976.

43. MAB Mediterranean Scientific Conference. Regional meeting for MAB National Committees of countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea. Montpellier, 26 September-2 October, 1976.

44. International workshop on tropical rainforest ecosystems. Hamburg-Reinbek, 12-17 May, 1977.

45. Workshop on biosphere reserves in the Mediterranean region: development of a conceptual basis and a plan for the establishment of a regional network. Side, 6-11 June, 1977.

46. International Co-ordinating Council of the Programme on Man and the Biosphere. Fifth session. Vienna, 24 October-1 November, 1977.

47. Expert consultations on Project 7: Ecology and rational use of island ecosystems. Khabarovsk, 24 August 1979.

48. International Co-ordinating Council of the Programme on Man and the Biosphere. Sixth session. Paris, 19-28 November, 1979.

58. International Coordinating Council of the Programme on Man and the Biosphere (ICC/MAB). Eighth Session. Paris, 3-8 Dec., 1984.

60.International Coordinating Council on the Programme Man and the Biosphere (ICC/MAB). Ninth Session. Paris, 20-25 October, 1986.

61. Report of the Scientific Advisory Panel for Biosphere Reserves. Paris, 1989.

	1. Guidelines for Identification, Evaluation and Selection of Biosphere Reserves in the United States. First Revision. 1983. 1. Guidelines for the Selection of Biosphere Reserves: An Interim Report And Key. March 30, 1979. 1. Proposed Guidelines for the Selection of Biosphere Reserves in the United States. January 1996.	2. Understanding Marine Ecosystems in the Gulf of Mexico.
	3. Training and Technology Transfer for Man and the Biosphere. Reports from a Session Sponsored by the U.S. Man and the Biosphere Program at the XIV International Grassland Congress, Lexington, Kentucky, U.S.A. June, 1981.	4. Great Smoky Mountains Biosphere Reserve: A Bibliography of Scientific Studies. March 1982.
	5. Great Smoky Mountains Biosphere Reserve: History of Scientific Study. March 1982.	6. Interim Guidelines for Identification and Selection of Coastal Biosphere Reserves. 1981.
	7. Forestry in the Caribbean. Proceedings of the First Workshop of Caribbean Foresters held in Castries, Saint Lucia, May 24-28, 1982.	8. Communication to the Public in U.S. Biosphere Reserves: Report of a Workshop, Arlington, Virginia, July 14-15, 1981. 1984.
	9. Glacier National Park Biosphere Reserve: A History of Scientific Studies. Volume I: A Narrative Description of Scientific Studies. September 1984.	9. Glacier National Park Biosphere Reserve: A History of Scientific Studies. Volume II: Bibliography, Subject Annotations, Tabular Data Summaries, and Appendices. September 1984.
	10. Big Bend National Park Biosphere Reserve: Volume I: A History of Scientific Study. 1985.	10. Big Bend National Park Biosphere Reserve. Volume II: A History of Scientific Study, Bibliography. March 1985.
	10. Big Bend National Park Biosphere Reserve. Volume II-A: A History of Scientific Study, Bibliography — Spanish Citations. March 1985.	11. Isle Royale Biosphere Reserve. Volume I: A History of Scientific Studies. March 1985.
	11. Isle Royale Biosphere Reserve. Volume II: A Bibliography of Scientific Studies. March 1985.	12. Guidelines for Environmental Specimen Banking with Special Reference to the Federal Republic of Germany: Ecological and Managerial Aspects. 1987.
	Bibliography on the International Network of Biosphere Reserves. July 1990, released August 1990.	Directory of Biosphere Reserves in the United States. June 1991.

1995 Biosphere Reserve Managers' Workshop. October 29-31, 1995. Hyatt Dulles, Washington, DC. (1995)

Access 1996: A Directory of Permanent Plots Which Monitor Flora, Fauna, Climate, Hydrology, Soil, Geology, and the Effects of Anthropogenic Changes at 132 Biosphere Reserves in 27 Countries (July 1996)

Action Plan for Biosphere Reserves (reprint from Nature and Resources, Vol. XX, No. 4 Oct.-Dec. 1984)

Addition of Sites to Existing Biosphere Reserves (Draft, July 1991)

A Practical Guide to MAB (June 1987)

Assessment of Scientific Information and Activities at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument Biosphere Reserve (Peter S. Bennett, R. Roy Johnson, and Michael M. McCarthy, July 1990)

Biosphere Reserves and the Conservation of Traditional Land Use Systems (William P. Gregg, Jr.,, Mar. 29-Apr. 2, 1988)

Biosphere Reserves and Sovereignty: A Story for the United States Man and Biosphere (MAB) Community (Vernon (Tom) Gilbert, January 2016)

Biosphere Reserves: Expanding the Functional Area for Conservation Through Cooperation (William P. Gregg, Jr., 1992)

Biosphere Reserves in Action: Case Studies of the American Experience (June 1995)

Biosphere Reserves of The World: Principles & Practices (Philip J. Nyhus and Michael S. Adams, 1995)

Biosphere Reserve Managers' Survey (1995)

Biosphere Reserves / Réserves de la biosphére (Canadian Man and the Biosphere Committee, 1982)

Buck Island Fish and Shellfish Populations Biosphere Reserve Research Report No. 26 (William Tobias, Eric Telemaque and Michael Davis, 1988)

Building Resource Inventories on a Global Scale (William P. Gregg, Jr., Erica Serabian and Michael A. Ruggiero, George Wright Forum, Vol. 10 No. 1, 1993)

Building Science Programs to Support the Multiple Roles of Biosphere Reserves (William P. Gregg, Jr., Sep. 26-Oct. 2, 1983)

Classification of Coastal and Marine Environments for Identification of Biosphere Reserves (Final Report, December 1986)

Constable Commission (Final Report, March 1995)

Designation of U.S. MAB Areas and Recognition of Entities Contributing to the U.S. Biosphere Reserve Program (February 1996)

Development of the Biosphere Reserve Network Under the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Program (Vernon C. Gilbert and William P. Gregg, Jr., August 1981)

For life, for the future. Biosphere reserves and climate change: A collection of good practice case studies (Lutz Möller, ed., German Commission for UNESCO, 2011)

Future Development of the MAB Programme (2000)

Great Smoky Mountains National Park as a Biosphere Reserve: A Research/Monitoring Perspective (Raymon Hermann and Susan Bratton, National Park Service, 1977)

Guidance for Regional MAB Organizational Efforts (1990)

Guidelines for the Selection and Coordination of Biosphere Reserves in the United States (Draft, March 1989)

Initial Inventory of Three Permanent Forest Plots in the Virgin Islands National Park Biosphere Reserve Research Report No. 27 (John E. Earhart, Anne E. Reilly an Matt Davis, 1988)

Interview Notes: Feasibility Study for an Ozark Man and the Biosphere Cooperative

Long-Term Ecological Monitoring in Biosphere Reserves (August 1979)

Long-Term Ecological Research Sites: Value and Experience in the Man and the Biosphere Program (William P. Gregg, Jr., 1988)

Man and the Biosphere Program Hearing before the Subcommittee on Natural Resources, Agriculture Research and Environment of the Committee on Science and Technology, U.S. House of Representatives, Ninety-Eight Congress, First Session, April 5, 1983

Man and the Bisphere Programme (©UNESCO, 1980)

Management of Natural Resource Information for the Virgin Islands National Park and Biosphere Reserve Special Biosphere Reserve Report (Island Resources Foundation, 1988)

Managers' responses to questionnaire on biosphere reserves (1992)

Managing Coastal Biome Interfaces: A Discussion Paper (Robert Dolan, Bruce Hayden and Jeffrey Heywood, 1975)

Marine and Terrestrial Ecosystems of the Virgin Islands National Park and Biosphere Reserve Biosphere Reserve Report No. 29 (Caroline S. Rogers and Robert Teytaud, September 1988)

Members of the U.S. National Committee for the Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Program and Program Directorates

Minutes of Biosphere Reserve Coordinating Committee (Second Meeting, October 10-12, 1990)

National Committee Meeting, Provisional Annotated Agenda, 21 September 1998 (1998)

On Environmental Policy, Sustainable Societies, and Biosphere Reserves (William P. Gregg, Jr., 1999)

People and the Temperate Region: A Summary of Research from the United States Man and the Biosphere Program, 1991 (Peter F. Ffolliott and Wayne T. Swank, eds., June 1991)

Potential Impacts of Climate Change and Adaptive Strategies for Natural Areas (William P. Gregg, Jr., 1991)

Proceedings: Conference on the Management of Biosphere Reserves Great Smoky Mountains National Park Biosphere Reserve, Gatlinburg, Tennessee, November 27-29, 1984 (John Peine, ed., 1985)

Proceedings of the Symposium on Biosphere Reserves Fourth World Wilderness Congress Worldwide Conservation, YMCA of the Rockies, Estes Park, Colorado, September 14-17, 1987 (William P. Gregg, Jr., Stanley L. Krugman and James D. Wood, Jr., eds. 1989)

Proceedings of the Workshop on Biosphere Reserves and Other Protected Areas for Sustainable Development of Small Caribbean Islands Caneel Bay, St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands, May 10-12, 1983 (Jim Wood, ed., 1984)

Proposed UNESCO survey on the implementation of the Seville Strategy MAB Circular Letter No.1/2000 (10 July 2000)

Putting the biosphere reserve concept into practice:the United States experience (William P. Gregg, Jr. and Monica M. Goigel, in Ecology in Practice, Part I: Ecosystem Management, Tycooly Publishing & UNESCO, 1984)

Recreational Uses of Marine Resources in the Virgin Islands National Park and Biosphere Reserve: Trends and Consequences Biosphere Reserve Research Report No. 24 (Caroline S. Rogers, Larry McLain and Evonne S. Zullo, 1988)

Remarks of William Gregg to Biosphere Reserve Managers' Workshop (William P. Gregg, Jr., Dec. 6-10, 1993)

Report of U.S. Participants in the EuroMAB 2013 Conference Brockville, Ontario, Canada, 15-17 October 2013 (William P. Gregg, Vernon C. Gilbert and Jack Ranney, 2013)

Solving the Puzzle: The Ecosystem Approach and Biosphere Reserves (©UNESCO, April 2000)

Statement on Biosphere Reserves for the Ad Hoc Commission on the United States Man and the Biosphere Program (Hubert H. Hinote and William P. Gregg, January 6, 1995)

Status of Regional Biosphere Reserve Programs (January 1991)

Strategic Plan for the U.S. Biosphere Reserve Program (December 1994)

Survey of National Park Biosphere Reserves (Alison Mack, August 1980)

Terrestrial Plant Ecology in Great Smoky Mountains National Park Biosphere Reserve: A Fifteen-Year Review and a Program for Future Research National Park Service Research/Resources Management Report Ser-84 (Peter S. White, April 1987)

Survey of USBRs (1997)

The "20 in 2000 Campaign": A Proposal for the Functional Development of U.S. Biosphere Reserves (February 1996)

The Biosphere Reserve and its Relationships to other Protected Areas (©IUCN, 1979)

The Mojave and Colorado Desert Biosphere Reserve Educational Bulletin #90-4 (Bill Truesdell, undated)

The Ozark Highlands Man and the Biosphere Reserve: A Study of a Failed Nomination Effort (Theresa L. Goedeke and J. Sanford Rikoon, September 1998)

The role of U.S. National Parks in global change research (Peter L. Comanor and William P. Gregg, Jr., The George Wright Forum, 9(3/4): 67-74)

The Status of Biosphere Reserves: A Preliminary Assessment (William Gregg and John Wargo, 1988)

The Unique Role of Biosphere Reserves in Conserving Biological Diversity (William P. Gregg, Jr., May 28, 1987)

The United States Program: Man and the Biosphere (November 1981)

Toward a Crown of the Continent Biosphere Reserve (William P. Gregg, Jr., Aug. 6, 1990)

Toward a U.S. Modality of Biosphere Reserves: The Southern Appalachian Biosphere Reserve (William P. Gregg, Jr. and Hubert H. Hinote, Mar. 20-25, 1995)

U.S. Biosphere Reserve Action Plan (Draft) (Robert Woodmansee, Laurie Wayburn, William Greg and Caroline Bledsow, October 1991)

U.S. Biosphere Reserve Survey Results: 2003 and 1995 (February 2004)

U.S. Biosphere Reserves

Wilderness and Biosphere Reserves: Complementary Systems of Landscape Conservation (William P. Gregg, Jr., Mar. 29-30, 1985)