The UNESCO Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme is an intergovernmental scientific programme launched by UNESCO in 1971. Its core purpose is to establish a scientific basis for improving the relationship between people and their environments. The programme's conceptual origin traces back to the Intergovernmental Conference of Experts in Paris in September 1968, which sought to address the problem of integrating the rational use of natural resources with nature conservation.
The MAB Programme is implemented through the World Network of Biosphere Reserves (WNBR), which are sites nominated by national governments but remain under their sovereign jurisdiction. Each Biosphere Reserve must fulfill three complementary functions: Conservation (protecting ecosystems), Development (fostering socio-culturally and ecologically sustainable economic activities), and Logistic Support (providing sites for research, monitoring, and education). This is achieved through a zonation system comprising a strictly protected Core Area, a surrounding Buffer Zone for research, and an outermost Transition Area where sustainable human activity is encouraged.
A significant policy shift occurred with the 1995 Seville Strategy and the subsequent Statutory Framework, which re-oriented the programme towards intersectoral policy and local participation, defining the reserves as regional units of sustainable development. The MAB Programme connects directly to global frameworks like the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Paris Agreement, and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. The governing body is the International Coordinating Council (ICC), composed of 34 UNESCO Member States.