Relationships between people and their environments influence the biological diversity and the well-being of communities, while bringing to the forefront the concepts of conservation and development. While these relationships are at play, adverse effects of climate change such as higher global temperatures, increased heat waves and droughts, and changes in precipitation patterns are poised to cause significant damage to both human and ecological systems (NASA, n.d.). Given these circumstances, there was an attempt by the international community to find sustainable and equitable ways to manage resources.
Created in 1945, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO) launched the Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme
to address this tension and answer the following question:
The MAB Programme, created in 1971, had a goal to improve the relationship between people and the environment through a conglomeration of natural sciences, social sciences, education, capacity-building, and economics (UNESCO, 2017). In practice, Biosphere Reserves (BRs) encompass terrestrial, coastal, and/or marine ecosystems, each with a unique approach to conservation and sustainable development (UNESCO, 2017, p. 12).
