Biosphere Reserve
A biosphere reserve is an area of land recognized and preserved for its ecological significance. Ideally biosphere reserves contain undisturbed, natural environments that represent some of the world's important ecological systems and communities. Biosphere reserves are established in the interest of preserving the genetic diversity of these ecological zones, supporting research and education, and aiding local, sustainable development. Official declaration and international recognition of biosphere reserve status is intended to protect ecologically significant areas from development and destruction. Since 1976 an international network of biosphere reserves has developed, with the sanction of the United Nations. Each biosphere reserve is proposed, reviewed, and established by a national biosphere reserve commission in the home country under United Nations guidelines. Communication among members of the international biosphere network helps reserve managers share data and compare management strategies and problems.
The idea of biosphere reserves first gained international recognition in 1973, when the United Nations Educational and Scientific Organization (UNESCO)'s Man and the Biosphere Program (MAB) proposed that a worldwide effort be made to preserve islands of the world's living resources from logging, mining, urbanization, and other environmentally destructive human activities. The term derives from the ecological word "biosphere," which refers to the zone of air, land, and water at the surface of the earth that is occupied by living organisms.
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