Exploring implementation differences of UNESCO policy among 38 biosphere reserves across 14 Mediterranean countries

The UNESCO Man and the Biosphere (MAB) programme was created in 1971 with the ambition to combine rational use of natural resources with nature conservation. While concepts, approaches, strategies and terms have evolved, the central goal remains the same today: integrating biodiversity conservation with economic and human development that is socio-culturally and ecologically sustainable. The MAB programme is implemented through the World Network of Biosphere Reserves. Biosphere reserves are defined as learning places and regional units of sustainable development. They are designated by UNESCO but remain under the sovereign jurisdiction of the states where they are located. A key challenge for the UNESCO MAB programme is the local implementation of concepts developed at the international level. We examine how the evolution in policy at the international level is implemented locally. We present results from a survey of 38 biosphere reserves in 14 countries around the Mediterranean Sea. The MAB programme reached a pivotal point with its 1995 Seville Strategy, orienting toward intersectoral policy and local participation. However, 30 years later, our data show differences between biosphere reserves designated before and after this policy shift. Second generation biosphere reserves report governance structures based on municipalities and associations rather than central government authorities or national park administrations and a stronger focus on community engagement. While newly designated biosphere reserves have largely endorsed the MAB programme’s evolving policy changes, previously designated sites have had limited success in implementing policy changes.