Man and the Biosphere Programme

The Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB) is a division of UNESCO that tries to improve and encourage conservation and sustainability around the world. It was created in 1971. Its main focus is a network of biosphere reserves. The programme acts as a kind of forum for exchanging ideas and experiences on sustainable development and management of these reserves. Biosphere reserves are areas that are supposed to develop creative ideas, test them and share the results. To date, there are 621 biosphere reserves in 117 countries.

Logo of MAB

Map showing the World Network of Biosphere Reserves as of 2013.

UNESCO Region	Number of Biosphere Reserves	Number of Countries
Africa	64	28
Arab states	271	11
Asia and the Pacific	124	23
Europe and North America	289	34
Latin America and the Caribbean	117	21

¹ Includes the Intercontinental Biosphere Reserve of the Mediterranean, shared between Morocco and Spain
^*Table not up to date

Other websites

• Searchable list of UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves
• Frequently Asked Questions on Biosphere Reserve
• A-Z of Areas of Biodiverity Importance: Biosphere Reserves (MAB)