Worldwide there are 669 biosphere reserves in 120 countries in the World Network of Biosphere Reserves.

The Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB) was launched in 1971 as an Intergovernmental Scientific Programme. An International Coordinating Council (ICC) was formed as a result that called for the establishment of reserves, to meet scientific, educational, cultural and recreational needs. Out of this emerged the Biosphere Beserve (BR) concept for context-specific conservation in 1974 and two years later in 1976 the World Network of Biosphere Reserves (WNBR) was born. Since, several regional, sub-regional and ecosystem specific networks have also been established such as EuroMAB (North America and Europe Regional MAB) and the Social Enterprise and Biosphere Reserve (SEBR) network, for example.

Overall, MAB has been set up to be a tool for international collaboration on issues such as nature conservation as well as related interdisciplinary research and education. It is meant to provide a basis for a more sustainable long-term approach to improve the relationship between the environment and people.

The previous Action Plan for Biosphere Reserves, the Madrid Action Plan (2008-2013) recognised that the biosphere model needs to be global but also locally adaptable.  In 2016, the UNESCO MAB programme published a new Action Plan, the Lima Action Plan 2016-2025 in Peru at the 4th World Conference of Biosphere Reserves. During the event, Assist Social Capital hosted the workshop on 'Economics in and around Biosphere Reserves'. Running up to this conference, Assist Social Capital also hosted an event on Social Enterprise in Biosphere Reserves (Nov 2015).

What are Biosphere Reserves?

Biosphere Reserves are designated by the UNESCO. They are also voluntary, cooperative conservation sites protecting not only biological but also cultural diversity by promoting the reconciliation between human activities and the natural environment.

The three main functions of a Biosphere Reserve are:

• Conservation - focussing on the preservation of ecosystems, landscapes, species and genetic resources
• Learning and Research - through supporting projects, research and monitoring as well as environmental education
• Sustainable Development - which includes fostering of sustainable economic and social/human development