Man and the Biosphere Programme

UNESCO conservation programme Logo Walkway in Zuvintas Biosphere Reserve The Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB) is an intergovernmental scientific program, launched in 1971 by UNESCO, that aims to establish a scientific basis for the 'improvement of relationships' between people and their environments. Even though the MAB programme was officially launched in 1971, the Intergovernmental Conference of Experts on the Scientific Basis for Rational Use and Conservation of the Resources of the Biosphere hosted by UNESCO in Paris in September 1968 is often cited as the conceptual birth of MAB. MAB engages with the international development agenda, especially the Sustainable Development Goals and the Post 2015 Development Agenda. The MAB programme provides a platform for cooperation in research and development. As of June 2026[update], 797 sites across 145 countries, including 22 transboundary sites, have been included in the World Network of Biosphere Reserves. The reserves cover more than 5% of the world’s surface and are home to over 260 million people. Biosphere reserves Biosphere reserves are areas comprising terrestrial, marine and coastal ecosystems. Its biosphere reserves are