M A B report series N o . 60 Paris 20-25 October 1986

International Co-ordinating Council of the Programme on Man and the Biosphere (MAB)

Ninth Session

Final Report

Unesco 1986

SC/MD/85 June 1987

Previous reports in this series:

1. International Co-ordinating Council of the Programme on Man and the Biosphere. First session. Paris, 9-19 November, 1971.

2. Expert panel on the role of systems analysis and modelling approaches in the Programme on Man and the Biosphere (MAB). Paris, 18-20 April, 1972.

3. Expert panel on Project 1: Ecological effects of increasing human activities on tropical and subtropical forest ecosystems. Paris, 16-18 May, 1972.

4. Expert panel on Project 12: Interactions between environmental transformations and genetic and demographic changes. Paris, 23-25 May, 1972.

5. Expert panel on Project 5: Ecological effects of human activities on the value and resources of lakes, marshes, rivers, deltas, estuaries and coastal zones. London, 19-22 September, 1972.

6. Expert panel on Project 3: Impact of human activities and land use practices on grazing lands: savanna, grassland (from temperate to arid areas), tundra. Montpellier, 2-7 October, 1972.

7. Expert panel on educational activities under the Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB). Paris, 5-8 December, 1972.

8. Expert panel on Project 6: Impact of human activities on mountain ecosystems. Salzburg, 29 January-4 February, 1973.

9. Expert panel on Project 13: Perception of environmental quality. Paris, 26-29 March, 1973.

10. International Co-ordinating Council of the Programme on Man and the Biosphere. Second session. Paris, 10-19 April, 1973.

11. Expert panel on Project 7: Ecology and rational use of island ecosystems. Paris, 26-28 June, 1973.

12. Expert panel on Project 8: Conservation of natural areas and of the genetic material they contain. Morges, 25-27 September, 1973.

13. Expert panel on Project 11: Ecological aspects of energy utilization in urban and industrial systems. Bad Nauheim, 16-19 October, 1973.

14. Working group on Project 6: Impact of human activities on mountain and tundra ecosystems. Lillehammer, 20-23 November, 1973.

15. Consultative group on Project 9: Ecological assessment of pest management and fertilizer use on terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems (Part on fertilizers). Rome, 7-9 January, 1974.

16. International working group on Project 1: Ecological effects of increasing human activities on tropical and subtropical forest ecosystems. Rio de Janeiro, 11-15 February, 1974.

17. Task force on the contribution of the social sciences to the MAB Programme. Paris, 28 February-2 March, 1974.

18. Regional meeting on integrated ecological research and training needs in the Sahelian region. Niamey, 9-15 March, 1974.

19. Expert panel on Project 2: Ecological effects of different land use and management practices on temperate and mediterranean forest landscapes. Paris, 16-19 April, 1974.

20. Task force on pollution monitoring and research in the framework of the MAB Programme. Moscow, 23-26 April, 1974.

21. International working group on Project 5: Ecological effects of human activities on the value and resources of lakes, marshes, rivers, deltas, estuaries and coastal zones. Paris, 13-17 May, 1974.

22. Task force on criteria and guidelines for the choice and establishment of biosphere reserves. Paris, 20-24 May, 1974.

23. Regional meeting on integrated ecological research and training needs in the Andean region. La Pas, 10-15 June, 1974.

24. Expert consultations on Project 9: Ecological assessment of pest management and fertilizer use on terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems (Part on pesticides).

25. International working group on Project 3: Impact of human activities and land use practices on grazing lands: savanna and grassland (from temperate to arid areas). Hurley, 2-5 July, 1974.

26. Regional meeting on integrated ecological research and training needs in the South East Asian Region. Kuala Lumpur, 19-22 August, 1974.

27. International Co-ordinating Council of the Programme on Man and the Biosphere. Third session. Washington, B.C., 17-29 September, 1974.

28. Regional meeting on integrated ecological research and training needs in Latin America, with emphasis on tropical and subtropical forest ecosystems. Mexico City, 30 September-5 October, 1974.

29. Expert panel on Project 4: Impact of human activities on the dynamics of arid and semi-arid zones ' ecosystems, with particular attention to the effects of irrigation. Paris, 18-20 March, 1975.

30. Regional meeting on the establishment of co-operative programmes of interdisciplinary ecological research, training and rangeland management for arid and semi-arid zones of Northern Africa. S fax, 3-12 April, 1975.

31. Task force on integrated ecological studies on human settlements, within the framework of Project 11. Paris, 2-6 June, 1975.

32. Task force on Project 14: Research on environmental pollution and its effects on the biosphere. Ottawa, 5-8 August, 1975.

33. Regional meeting on integrated ecological research and training needs in the humid tropics of West and Central Africa. Kinshasa, 29 August-5 September, 1975.

34. Regional meeting on integrated ecological research and training needs in the southern Asian mountain systems, particularly the Hindu Rush-Himalayas. Kathmandu, 26 September-2 October, 1975.

35. Regional meeting on integrated ecological research and training needs in tropical deciduous and semi-deciduous forest ecosystems of South Asia. Varanasi, 5-11 October, 1975.

36. Regional meeting on integrated ecological research and conservation activities in the northern Mediterranean countries. Potenza, 27-Z1 October, 1975.

37. Expert consultations on Project 10: Effects on man and his environment of major engineering works.

38. International Co-ordinating Council of the Programme on Man and the Biosphere. Fourth session. Paris, 18-26 November, 1975.

39. Regional planning meeting of the MAB National Committees of Andean countries, with particular attention to Project 6. Lima, 2-5 December, 1975.

40. Regional meeting on integrated ecological research and training needs in North East Africa and in the Near and Middle East, with emphasis on the ecological effects of irrigation derived from large river basins. Alexandria, 24-27 February, 1976:

41. Regional meeting on integrated ecological research in temperate zones of the northern hemisphere, in the framework of Project 2. Brno, 24-29 April, 1976.

42. Planning meeting for Project 11, with emphasis on industrialized settlements. Amsterdam, 8-12 June, 1976.

43. MAB Mediterranean Scientific Conference. Regional meeting for MAB National Committees of countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea. Montpellier, 26 September-2 October, 1976.

44. International workshop on tropical rainforest ecosystems. Hamburg-Reinbek, 12-17 May, 1977.

45. Workshop on biosphere reserves in the Mediterranean region: development of a conceptual basis and a plan for the establishment of a regional network. Side, 6-11 June, 1977.

46. International Co-ordinating Council of the Programme on Man and the Biosphere. Fifth session. Vienna, 24 Oatober-1 November, 1977.

47. Expert consultations on Project 7: Ecology and rational use of island ecosystems. Khabarovsk, 24 August 1979.

48. International Co-ordinating Council of the Programme on Man and the Biosphere. Sixth session. Paris, 19-28 November, 1979.

49. Seminar on integrated and ecological approaches to rural development in arid and semi-arid zones. Djerba, 4-12 December, 1979.

50. Séminaire interrégional sur les problèmes de recherche et de formation concernant les terres à pâturages dans les pays du Sahel et du Maghreb. Dakar, 23-31 octobre, 1980.

51. Meeting on the creation of a Mediterranean network of ecological information systems. Montpellier, 2-5 December, 1980.

52. Reconvened expert panel on the role of systems analysis and modelling approaches in the Programme on Man and the Biosphere (MAB). Paris, 24-27 March, 1981.

53. International Co-ordinating Council of the Programme on Man and the Biosphere. Seventh session. Paris, 30 September-2 October, 1981.

54. International workshop on ecological problems of human settlements in arid lands. Khartoum, 7-12 March, 1981.

55. Task force on methods and concepts for studying man-environment interactions. Paris, 13-16 June, 1983.

56. Réunion de concertation des Comités nationaux du MAB des pays francophones d'Afrique. Yamoussoukro, 27-30 août, 1984.

57. International experts' meeting on ecological approaches to urban planning. Suzdal, 24-30 September, 1984.

58. International Co-ordinating Council of the Programme on Man and the Biosphere. Eighth session. Paris, 3-8 December, 1984.

59. General Scientific Advisory Panel. Established in co-operation with ICSU. Banff/Calgary, 21-25 August, 1985. Paris, 21-24 April, 1986.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

1. Introduction 7

1.1 Convening of the session 7 1.2 Opening of the session 7 1.3 Election of officers 8 1.4 Adoption of agenda 8 1.5 Report of the outgoing Bureau 8 1.6 Report of the Secretariat 8

2. Action Plan for Biosphere Reserves 10

2.1 Report of the Scientific Advisory Panel on Biosphere Reserves 10 2.2 Implementation of the Action Plan for Biosphere Reserves 10 2.3 New sites for inclusion in the international biosphere reserve network.. 12 2.4 Extension to an already existing biosphere reserve 12 2.5 Refined criteria for selection of biosphere reserves and revision of

the biosphere reserve nomination form 12 2.6 Summary recommendations 12

3. Future MAB Research Programme 14

3.1 General Scientific Advisory Panel 14 3.2 Research trends : general considerations 14 3.3 New research orientations 16 3.4 Integrated pilot projects 18 3 .5 Comparative studies 19 3.6 Measures for regional co-operation 21 3.7 Continuation of the work of the Scientific Advisory Panels 22 3.8 Summary recommendations and conclusions 22

4. Training and environmental education within the framework of MAB 24

5. Communication policy and information materials 27

5.1 Information primarily for internal programme needs 27 5.2 Information primarily for a broader audience 28 5.3 Summary recommendations and conclusions 29

6. MAB Operational Guidelines 30

6.1 General considerations 30 6.2 MAB National Committees 30

7. Co-operation with governmental and non-governmental organizations and other scientific programmes of Unesco 31

ANNEX 1 List of participants,. 35

ANNEX 2 Opening address by Mr. A.R. Kaddoura, Assistant Director-General of Unesco... 42

ANNEX 3 Report of the April 1986 Meeting of the MAB Bureau 45

ANNEX 4 Report by Mr. B. von Droste, Secretary of the MAB Council 51

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TABLE OF CONTENTS (Cont'd) Page

ANNEX 5 Meetings and training courses in 1985-86 61

ANNEX 6 Report of the Scientific Advisory Panel on Biosphere Reserves 66

ANNEX 7 List of Biosphere Reserves 8 0

ANNEX 8 Report of the General Scientific Advisory Panel 84

ANNEX 9 Comparative studies: tentative listing and examples of MAB Study Outlines.. 96

ANNEX 10 Northern Science Network 106

ANNEX 11 Training within the framework of MAB 110

ANNEX 12 MAB Man and the Biosphere Book Series ¡ H 3

6

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 Convening of the session

In accordance with Resolutions 10.1 and 10.3, adopted by the General Conference of Unesco at its twenty-third session, the ninth session of the International Co-ordinating Council for the Programme on Man and the Biosphere (MAB) was held at Unesco Headquarters in Paris from 20 to 25 October 1986.

Participants included representatives of the following 28 members of the Council elected by the General Conference of Unesco at its twenty-second and twenty-third sessions: Angola, Austria, Brazil, Cameroon, Canada, China (People's Republic), Colombia, Congo, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, Ecuador, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany (Federal Republic), Gabon, India, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Malaysia, Mexico, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sudan, Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.

In addition, observers from the following Member States were present: Algeria, Argentina, Belgium, Byelorussian SSR, Central African Republic, German Democratic Republic, Iraq, Democratic Kampuchea, Netherlands, Sweden.

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations University (UNU), the Commission of European Communities (CEC), the International Council of Scientific Unions (ICSU) and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) were also represented. The full list of participants is given as Annex 1.

1.2 Opening of the Session

The session was opened by Mr. A.R. Kaddoura, Assistant Director-General for Science of Unesco. He presented the regrets of the Director-General, absent on mission in New York, that he could not take part himself in the opening of the ninth session of the MAB Council.

Mr. Kaddoura greeted delegates to the session, welcoming representatives of Member States, particularly those elected Members of the Council, and of representatives of collaborating international organizations. Mr. Kaddoura paid tribute to Mr. Gonzalo

Halffter, Chairman of the MAB Council, who, for family reasons, had been obliged at the last moment to cancel his visit to Paris.

The Assistant Director-General underlined the special importance of the ninth session of the MAB Council in helping define future research directions for the MAB Programme and in making recommendations which would be taken into account in the elaboration of proposals for the draft Programme and Budget of Unesco for 1988-89 and for the Third Medium-Term Plan which would cover the six-year period 1990-1995. Mr. Kaddoura mentioned the work of the two scientific advisory panels, established by the Council at its last session. These two advisory panels had each met on two occasions and had helped prepare the groundwork for the future development of MAB. Like any other scientific programme, MAB had to renew itself. In this vein, the advisory panels had set out guiding principles for the reorientation of MAB which sought to combine continuity with change, as well as being in line with the resources likely to be available for the servicing and implementation of the Programme.

In the light of these general remarks, the Assistant Director-General then indicated some of the principal items on the agenda before the Council: the Action Plan for Biosphere Reserves; the scientific programme of MAB; training, institutional development and environmental education •; diffusion of information about MAB and the results of MAB research; relations with international organizations; measures to increase the effectiveness of MAB.

Following this overview of some of the principal agenda items, which reflected the breadth and complexity of the tasks before the Council, Mr. Kaddoura alluded to the scientific symposium that would take place during the Council session and thanked those who had agreed to contribute substantively to the symposium.

In closing his remarks, Mr. Kaddoura mentioned that the present session of the MAB Council was being held a few weeks before celebrations to mark the fortieth anniversary of the setting up of Unesco. During these forty years Unesco had strived to promote intellectual cooperation in different spheres of education, science and culture. During the last fifteen years, the MAB Programme had contributed to the development of this

co-operation. The Assistant Director-General congratulated the MAB Programme for this contribution and invited the Council to reflect on the means for strengthening such collaboration within the spirit of the Constitution of Unesco and the framework of the MAB Programme, where man's role is such an important one. Mr. Kaddoura closed his remarks in wishing every success to the Council in its work. The text of Mr. Kaddoura's welcoming address is given as Annex 2.

1.3 Election of officers

The Council elected by acclamation the following officers to constitute its Bureau:

Chairman: Mr. Li Wenhua (China) Vice-chairmen: Mr. V. Doulou (Congo)

Mr. G. Halffter (Mexico), in absentia Mr. G. Long (France) Mr. V. Sokolov (USSR)

Rapporteur: Mr. M.A. Ayyad (Egypt)

1.4 Adoption of agenda

After agreeing that discussion on the Northern Science Network would be handled under item 7, the Council adopted its agenda as follows:

1. 2. 3.

5. 6.

Opening of the session Election of the Bureau Adoption of the Agenda and organization of work for the session Report of the Chairman of the outgoing Bureau Report of the Secretary Biosphere Reserve Action Plan

6.1 Report of the Advisory Panel

6.2 Discussion of the implementation and recommendations

7.1 MAB scientific programme

Biosphere Reserve

state of Panel

7.3

Report of the General Scientific Advisory Panel Discussion of state of implementation and Panel recommendations Procedures for recognition of

international pilot projects

and comparative studies

8. 9.

10.

11.

Training and institution-building MAB information and communication of research results Relations international organizations Enhancing the MAB Programme

with collaborating programmes and

effectiveness of the

12. 13. 14. 15.

11.1 MAB National Committees and regional co-operation

11.2 MAB international structure and resources

11.3 Draft MAB Operational Guidelines

Any other business Next session of the Council Adoption of final report Closure of the session

1.5 Report of the outgoing Bureau

Mr. Njiensi, Rapporteur of the outgoing Bureau, presented to the Council the written report of the meeting of the MAB Bureau that had been held in Paris in April 1986, in conjunction with the second meeting of the General Scientific Advisory Panel. In presenting this report, Mr. Njiensi underlined four aspects of the April 1986 Bureau meeting: general satisfaction with progress in the implementation of MAB, in spite of constraints and difficulties encountered; agreement in principle with the chief recommendations of the General Scientific Advisory Panel for MAB; endorsement of the preliminary deliberations of the Scientific Advisory Panel for Biosphere Reserves, approval of proposals to extend four existing biosphere reserves and agreement on the designation of nine sites as new additions to the International Biosphere Reserve Network; preparation of the ninth session of the MAB Council. An edited version of the report of the April 1986 meeting of the MAB Bureau is given as Annex 3.

1.6 Report of the Secretariat

Mr. B. von Droste, Secretary of the Council, presented the report of the Secretariat for the period since the eighth session of the Council in December 1984.

He prefaced his substantive report by a brief overview of the place of MAB within the canvas of international scientific programmes on the environment, highlighting some of the changes that had taken place since the launching of MAB in the early 1970s, and describing some of the challenges currently faced by the Programme. In underlining the importance of making MAB a fitter species to adapt to future priorities and situations, Mr. von Droste mentioned the needs of international co-operation, the possibilities offered by new technologies, and the recent interest in enlarging the scale at which environmental problems are considered.

Mr. von Droste briefly referred to the work of the two advisory panels that had been set up following the last session of the Council, and to progress that had been recorded in the implementation of the Action Plan for Biosphere Reserves. He then gave an overview of some of the main events and accomplishments in 1985-86 in the different problem areas of the Programme, including work in the humid and subhumid tropics, in arid and semi-arid lands, in mountain regions, on freshwater ecosystems and terrestrial/freshwater ecotones, on coastal zones and islands, in northern circumpolar areas, etc.

Mr. von Droste also discussed progress as well as difficulties in the handling of information and in the communication of research results within MAB, underlining especially advances in developing the MAB Information System. Co-operation with other international organizations was mentioned, and in particular the possible future relations of MAB to ICSU's newly launched programme on Global Change. The role and effectiveness of MAB National Committees, and the resources available to the MAB Secretariat, were two other items touched upon by Mr. von Droste,

who closed his remarks with some thoughts on the future prospects for the MAB Programme and the development of its research agenda for the 1990s.

An edited version of the written report of Mr. von Droste, which was distributed to the Council as an information paper,

is included as Annex 4 of the present report. Annex 5 comprises a list of meetings and training courses in 1985-86, a provisional listing of which was given in another information paper presented to the Council and which provided supplementary information to that given in the Secretary's narrative report.

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2. ACTION PLAN FOR BIOSPHERE RESERVES

2.1 Report of the Scientific Advisory Panel on Biosphere Reserves

At the request of Mr. Gonzalo Halffter, Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Panel for Biosphere Reserves, Mr. M. Bâtisse presented the report of this panel which had met on two occasions, at Cancun, Mexico in September 1985, and at La Paz, Bolivia, in August 1986.

Mr. Bâtisse brought the Council's attention to document MAB/ICC-9/8 (see Annex 6), which provided a synthesis of the results of the two meetings, and in particular to the second section of this document which presented the panel's main recommendations to the Council.

He highlighted that the panel had considered it necessary at its first meeting to refine further the biosphere reserve concept, which had been interpreted in different ways in different countries, and to obtain more information on the current status of individual biosphere reserves through a survey based on a questionnaire. The panel had also examined the implementation of each of the objectives of the Action Plan for Biosphere Reserves and had made specific recommendations which had been endorsed by the Bureau in April 1986.

On the basis of the initial reflections of the Cancun meeting, on exchanges of views between panel members at the occasion of other conferences, and on working papers prepared specially by panel members, the panel, at its second meeting at La Paz in August 1986, was able to come to an unanimous agreement on the refinement of the biosphere reserve concept, and also on the criteria for selecting new biosphere reserves. In short, the panel had agreed that the feature which distinguished biosphere reserves from other protected areas was the synergistic combination and harmonisation of three concerns inherent in the biosphere reserve concept since the beginning, namely (a) the conservation concern for genetic resources and ecosystems; (b) the logistic concern for an international network of areas directly related to MAB research and monitoring activities, including the accompanying training and information exchange; (c) the development concern for concretely associating environment and development in research and education of the MAB Programme.

Using this conceptual framework, the panel reviewed the existing biosphere reserves and recognized that as yet, too few fulfilled all three concerns in a balanced manner. The panel therefore felt that priority should be given to upgrading these existing sites, and, to this end paid particular attention to refining the spatial zonation of biosphere reserves, with their different functions. The panel gave clear definitions therefore of the characteristics, functions and administration of the core area(s), the buffer zone and the transition area, this latter being a generally undelimited area where efforts are made to develop cooperative activities between researchers, managers and the local population. The panel suggested that many existing biosphere reserves, which are weak in promoting the concern for rural development and the participation of local peoples, could easily, and with a minimum of administrative changes, improve their status as biosphere reserves by developing such a transition area.

As concerns new proposals for biosphere reserves, the panel agreed upon a refined set of criteria for selection, and recommended a revised biosphere reserve nomination form which would help MAB National Committees to more fully understand what was required for a candidate site. The panel also recognized the value of establishing "model" biosphere reserves following Action 35 of the Action Plan, but realized that at the moment only several "illustrative examples" could be developed demonstrating the application of the biosphere reserve concept to resolve specific problems. In this connection, the panel strongly recommended that priority be given immediately to train biosphere reserve managers who were responsible for making the biosphere reserves fulfill their different functions in a harmonious synergistic manner.

Finally, Mr. Bâtisse stressed the panel's wish that the Council give the Action Plan for Biosphere Reserves all the priority it merited, both at present and in the future.

2.2 Implementation of the Action Plan for Biosphere Reserves

The Secretariat gave a brief overview of some activities undertaken at the national, regional and international levels for the implementation of the Action Plan since its

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adoption by the Council in December 1984. In particular, it was encouraging to note that many Member States were using the Action Plan to promote the establishment of new biosphere reserves, to upgrade the management and functions of existing biosphere reserves and as a framework for regional meetings aiming' at completing regional networks of biosphere reserves and at fostering comparative research and monitoring. The Secretariat gave several examples of formal training courses and research projects which had taken place in biosphere reserves since 1984. At the international level, the Council's recommendation on the gathering and synthesis of information on biosphere reserves had resulted, amongst others, in the publication of Compilation 4 on Biosphere Reserves, prepared in close co-operation with the Conservation Monitoring Centre of IUCN, the preparation and distribution of the biosphere reserve questionnaire based on a proposal of the Scientific Advisory Panel for Biosphere Reserves, and the initiation of an attractive brochure explaining biosphere reserves to non-specialists which would be available in 1987. Also emphasized was the ongoing co-operation with the other international organizations, especially UNEP, FAO, IUCN, in undertaking joint activities to implement the Action Plan.

A general debate followed, in which Council members expressed support for and endorsement of the recommendations of the Scientific Advisory Panel for Biosphere Reserves. Many delegates mentioned the commitment of their countries to implement the Action Plan, and gave examples of planned and ongoing activities that contributed to the Action Plan. Several delegates considered that the panel should continue its work, particularly since the Action Plan was still ongoing for another few years. The Council decided that this subject should be reviewed in more depth by its Bureau, who should make recommendations as to the future composition and discussion points of such a panel or working group, for example concerning such fields as ecological monitoring, coastal/marine biosphere reserves, guidelines for linking conservation with development, etc. Other delegates stressed in particular the panel's recommendations that countries should establish national strategies for implementing the Action Plan, and that measures should be taken for a periodic review first at the national and then at the international level, of newly established biosphere reserves. The idea of a probational period for biosphere reserves was brought up by two delegates and the Council considered that this topic should be referred to the Bureau for further review.

The delegates of Cameroun, China, Cuba, Federal Republic of Germany, Gabon and Malaysia informed the Council that they intended to establish biosphere reserves. Also, at the Florae workshop for Mediterranean countries, the representatives of Algeria, Egypt and Tunisia indicated that new proposals were under consideration.

Several speakers stressed the need for flexibility in the application of the selection criteria for biosphere reserves, for example concerning the delimitation

of the core area and the buffer zones in tropical forest countries, or concerning the notion of strict protection of the core area in ecosystems where human intervention was actively needed to maintain the biological diversity and ecological integrity. Two delegates referred to the problems of creating an appropriate legal status for biosphere reserves and the difficulty for MAB National Committees, which often had only advisory as opposed to executive powers, in orienting the management of biosphere reserves to follow the objectives of the Action Plan.

The delegates of Czechoslovakia and France, Chairmen of their respective MAB National Committees, gave summaries of the recommendations of the two regional meetings on the implementation of the Action Plan, respectively at Ceske Budejovice, Czechoslovakia, for the European region in March 1986 and at Florae, Cévennes Biosphere Reserve, France, for the Mediterranean region in September 1986. The Council greatly welcomed these two initiatives which had very evidently given a great impetus to work under the Action Plan in these two respective regions. The Council noted in particular the emphasis given at the Ceske Budejovice meeting to promote integrated monitoring in biosphere reserves in collaboration with UNEP-GEMS, the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme of ICSU and related activities of IIASA. Several delegates subsequently expressed interest in monitoring activities in biosphere reserves at the global level in connection with these international programmes. The Florae workshop on the other hand emphasized the need to complete and make function a veritable Mediterranean biosphere reserve network, and to foster co-operative research in ecosystem restoration based on these sites. In this connection, the representative of Algeria to the Florae workshop had indicated that a seminar would be organized in Algeria in 1987 on the subject of biosphere reserves. The Council greatly welcomed the proposal of the chairman of MAB Spain to host a follow-up meeting to the Florae workshop at the Montseny Biosphere Reserve in 1988.

Many delegations expressed specific support for the ongoing co-operative project of the Smithsonian Institution, MAB and the Conservation Monitoring Centre of IUCN to develop a methodology for inventories of the biological resources of biosphere reserves, noting how important it was to obtain a full knowledge of the ecosystem protected within the core areas of biosphere reserves. The training of specialists in systematics, particularly for tropical countries, was deemed to be of very high priority within this project. In this respect, one delegation highlighted the panel's recommendation on the urgent need to train biosphere reserve managers who were responsible for implementing the Action Plan within their biosphere reserves. Another speaker stressed the need to use biosphere reserves to develop conservation biology, a rapidly developing science which was of direct relevance to biosphere reserves and the aims of the MAB Programme.

2.3 New sites for Inclusion in the international biosphere reserve network

During the Council session, the Bureau had considered several new proposals for biosphere reserves. On the basis of the recommendations on these proposals by the Scientific Advisory Panel for Biosphere Reserves, the Bureau decided that the following nine areas should be designated by the Director-General as biosphere reserves.

Pare national du Tassili (Algeria)

The Bureau noted that the Decree for establishing the entire area as a National Park was currently pending signature and suggested that the Algerian authorities should work towards legislation recognizing the area as a biosphere reserve. Also, the Bureau suggested that a name reflecting the biogeograhic region such as "Réserve de la biosphère du Tassili" (Tassili Biosphere Reserve) would seem preferable and requested the Secretariat to consult with MAB-Algeria on this matter.

Estación Biológica Beni (Bolivia)

The Bureau suggested that a name reflecting more the various functions of the biosphere reserve would be appropriate and requested the Secretariat to consult with MAB-Bolivia on this matter.

Forêt classée de la mare aux hippopotames (Burkina Faso)

The Bureau also wished to encourage MAB-Burkina Faso to complete and implement the management plan as outlined in a consultant's report (1986). The Bureau also suggested that a name reflecting more the biogeography of the area would be appropriate and requested the Secretariat to consult with MAB-Burkina Faso on this matter.

Fanjingshan Mountain Biosphere Reserve (China, People's Republic of)

Reserva de la Biosfera "El Cielo" (Mexico)

The Bureau noted this area had been declared a biosphere reserve under Mexican law in December 1985.

Reserva de la Biosfera de Sian Ka'an (Mexico)

The Bureau noted that this area had been declared a biosphere reserve under Mexican law in January 1986.

Waddensea Area (Netherlands)

The Bureau also asked the Secretariat to consult with MAB-Denmark and MAB-FRG to encourage the proposal of the Danish and German parts of the Waddensea as biosphere reserves, to eventually form one complete biosphere reserve for this coastal area.

Lake Torne Area (Sweden)

The Bureau suggested that the Secretariat contact MAB-Sweden to explore the possibility of using this site for work under the Northern Science Network.

Tzentralnosibirskii Biosphere Reserve (USSR)

The full list of the 261 biosphere reserves in 70 countries is given in Annex 7.

2.4 Extension to an already existing biosphere reserve

The Bureau examined one proposal of MAB-German Democratic Republic to extend the Steckby-Loedderitz Biosphere Reserve by adding the Dessau-Woerlitzer Cultural Landscape, thus increasing the total area from 2123 ha to 17,500 ha. The Bureau endorsed this proposal and suggested that a name reflecting more the biogeography of the area would be appropriate and requested the MAB Secretariat to contact MAB National Committee of the GDR on this matter.

2.5 Refined criteria for selection of biosphere reserves and revision of the biosphere reserve nomination form

During the Council session, the Bureau had examined Section 5 of the draft MAB Operational Guidelines presenting a refined set of criteria for selection of biosphere reserves as proposed by the Scientific Advisory Panel for Biosphere Reserves, and a new draft biosphere reserve nomination form, based on these criteria and on the biosphere reserve questionnaire.

The Council noted that the Bureau had made some proposals to clarify and improve specific parts of these drafts and requested the Secretariat to finalize them taking these proposals into consideration. The Council further noted that the Bureau had agreed that the procedure for designation of biosphere reserves should involve an evaluation by one or two experts and a representative of IUCN, using the revised selection criteria. The Council noted that the Bureau had still to examine whether there should be a probation period for candidate biosphere reserves or a periodic review of new biosphere reserves after their inclusion in the international network.

2.6 Summary recommendations

In concluding the debate, the Chairman thanked the Scientific Advisory Panel for Biosphere Reserves for its valuable work particularly in the conceptual refinement and in the identification of priorities for MAB National Committees in their efforts to implement the Action Plan.

In the light of the deliberations and conclusions of the Scientific Advisory Panel for Biosphere Reserves and its debate thereon, the Council then made the following main recommendations:

(a) that MAB National Committees and/or the authorities responsible for biosphere reserves complete the questionnaire for each of

12

their existing biosphere reserves and submit it as soon as possible to the Secretariat;

(b) that a refined set of criteria for selection of biosphere reserves, as approved by the Bureau, be incorporated in the MAB Operational Guidelines;

(c) that the revised biosphere reserve nomination form as approved by the Bureau be henceforth used for future biosphere reserve proposals ;

(d) that a small group of experts should consider only biosphere reserve proposals for which the nomination form had been duly completed and which were accompanied by species lists and by maps showing the location and zonation of the proposed biosphere reserve;

(e) that priority be given to training of biosphere reserve managers;

(f) that the attention of MAB National Committees be drawn to Action 9 of the Action Plan in which they are invited to review the management of existing biosphere reserves in view of the Action Plan for Biosphere Reserves;

(g) that the authorities responsible for biosphere reserves should be encouraged to develop the "co-operative function" of biosphere reserves, particularly by expanding the transition area

through co-operative agreements with landowners and users in the surrounding areas;

(h) that the authorities responsible for biosphere reserves be encouraged to enlarge existing biosphere reserves by adding on contiguous or geographically separate areas which will further enhance the quality of the biosphere reserve as a whole;

(i) that support be given to establish several "illustrative examples" of biosphere reserves which demonstrate the successful implementation of the Action Plan for Biosphere Reserves;

(j) that each MAB National Committee be urged to develop a national strategy for implementing the Action Plan for Biosphere Reserves, as appropriate through a special working group;

(k) that small working groups be convened in 1987 to advise on the following topics: integrated monitoring in biosphere reserves; development and management of coastal/marine biosphere reserves; environmental education in biosphere reserves in conjunction with the International Congress on Environmental Education and Training, Moscow, August 1987. These small working groups could meet in association with the meetings of the Bureau, in order to streamline decision-making.

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3. FUTURE MAfi RESEARCH PROGRAMME

3.1 General Scientific Advisory Panel

At its eighth session in December 1984, the MAB Council empowered its then chairman, Mr. G. Halffter, to set up a General Scientific Advisory Panel, with the task of reviewing the scientific programme of MAB and making recommendations on ways and means to disseminate and implement new criteria, concepts, techniques and methods throughout MAB activities, with the objective of maintaining a good and credible scientific programme; the strengthening of scientific and regional networks within MAB; and the provision of general scientific counsel. The panel met on two occasions - in August 1985 in Banff and Calgary (Canada), and in April 1986 at ICSU Headquarters in Paris. The written report of the General Scientific Advisory Panel was submitted to the MAB Council as a working document, and an edited version is reproduced as Annex 8. An expanded version is available as MAB Report Series No. 59.

Mr. Otto Solbrig, who had chaired the second meeting of the panel in Paris in April 1986, presented the panel's recommendations and conclusions to the Council. The principal outcome of the panel's discussion had been a proposed restructuring of the international research plan of MAB with three needs in mind: to maintain a continuity with the work that has evolved over the past 15 years under the MAB Programme; to develop new research directions that would link recent advances in science with the new generation of environmental and resource issues and opportunities for the 1990s; to produce a research plan that would be achievable within the resources likely to be available for undertaking and servicing the programme.

The proposed research plan, elaborated by the General Scientific Advisory Panel, builds on the perceived strengths of MAB, attempts to overcome major shortcomings, and presents a more concentrated focus for the international research programme, with special attention being given to the management of natural resources and to ecosystems that have been impacted by human activities. Four research orientations had been suggested, which draw upon the particular research arrangements and methods that have been part of MAB ' s history. Such arrangements are considered to be unique

to MAB and include the integrated pilot projects, comparative studies and research undertaken at biosphere reserves.

In his oral presentation, Mr. Solbrig underlined some of the key features of the four new research orientations proposed by the panel. He drew attention to the role that MAB had played in promoting a certain approach to environmental issues, including the now widely accepted concept of considering human beings not as outsiders manipulating nature, but as integral parts of the environment - both as agents of change and as recipients of the effects, both beneficial and negative, that these changes cause. In commenting on the difficulties encountered in putting an interdisciplinary approach into practice, he felt that greater attention needed to be given to the disciplinary contributions that various sciences can provide to the particular problem at hand. Mr. Solbrig also referred to the selection and review criteria proposed by the panel for integrated pilot projects and comparative studies, and to the panel's views on present and future activities in the fields of training and communication of information.

3.2 Research trends: general considerations

The Council proceeded to discuss the main recommendations of the General Scientific Advisory Panel. The Council welcomed the report of the panel, and the prospects that its recommendations provided for the future development of MAB. Such recommendations had been based on an evaluation of MAB's strengths and weaknesses and on an assessment of how the MAB programme had evolved since its inception in the early 1970s.

During the 1970s and 1980s, the state of knowledge and understanding of the characteristics and processes of the biosphere have advanced very much, in part due to MAB activities themselves, and both the scale and the nature of the human issues relating to natural resources have also changed. Perhaps equally important, the technologies and intellectual approaches to studies of both social behaviour and natural systems have undergone a revolution in the last decade and a half. The report of the panel was thus seen by the Council as a motor for updating the overall approach and methodology of MAB.

The Council felt that perhaps the most important feature of the recommendations of the panel was that they made explicit a trend in the evolving concepts of MAB that had been taking place during the last decade. This trend concerns the change in perception of and within MAB activities

one that recognized that environmental and biosphere changes caused by human activities are an integral part of a continually changing and interacting environment. Such a view contrasts with the earlier focus on the characteristics and proces'ses of the natural environment as they might be in the absence of human intervention, and then of the study of the impact of human actions in disturbing a system that would otherwise be more or less in equilibrium. In the words of one Council member, "... although the Panel has not said it explicitly, they are asking us to change our theme to one of Man in_ the Biosphere instead of Man and the Biosphere", or, as the Chairman of the panel suggested "Humans in the Biosphere".

The same delegate expressed the view that it would not be easy for all researchers and all programmes to make this change of viewpoint, for many of the most successful MAB activities of the past, and many national environmental protection programmes, have been based on the idea that human activities are somehow separate from natural processes, and that it is necessary to protect nature against mankind as an outside or un-natural agent. But a change to an understanding and management of human activities within nature is considered by many to be necessary if MAB programmes in the future are to be scientifically credible and successful.

The recommended new perspective for MAB science therefore brings a change of viewpoint to one of human beings within the ecosystem looking around us at how we relate to all parts of it, rather than being outside it and looking at our effects upon it. This new perspective may give rise to both opportunities and problems: the opportunity to operate more easily on a wide range of space and time scales, from local to global, from dealing with urgent crises to considering biospheric evolution over geological time; the greater facility for carrying out studies at a wide range of technical sophistication, from simple descriptive field observations in areas where there are very few data, to the most advanced research making full use of remote sensing, numerical modelling and laboratory experimentation; the need to study human behaviour, not as a species apart from Nature, but as a major and ubiquitous creature found in most ecosystems.

At the same time, particular care will be needed to ensure that sophisticated and theoretical studies of human actions within the biosphere do not become so separated from the problems of human development and resources that they defeat the basic objectives of MAB by becoming independent studies in their own right. Also for practical purposes, it may be necessary for MAB to resist trying to study the whole planet at once; it may become even harder than it is now to choose priorities for study and to restrict activities to those few things that MAB can afford to do well.

With these general considerations in mind, the Council endorsed the proposal that four new research orientations be developed within MAB, along the lines described in Section 3 of the report of the General Scientific Advisory Panel (see Annex 8). These would deal respectively with:

Ecosystem functioning under different intensities of human impact

Management and restoration of human-impacted resources

Human investment and resource use

Human response to environmental stress.

The Council concurred with the views of the panel and the Bureau that these orientations would move MAB research into topics of current and emerging environmental policy concern, would connect it to the most active of ongoing research and scholarship in the natural and social sciences, and would draw upon the unique research arrangements that MAB had developed and tested: research in biosphere reserves, integrated pilot projects (see Section 3.4) and comparative studies (see Section 3.5).

At the same time, Council members recalled that MAB was a worldwide programme, that had attracted considerable support from countries with different needs and priorities and at various stages of scientific development, and that it was crucial to ensure that all countries could find their place to contribute to the new research programme. In this context, a number of delegates stressed that these four new orientations should supplement the fourteen international project areas for MAB. For the time being at least, the fourteen well-established project areas would continue to play an important role in the organization of some countries' contribution to MAB. For example, in some countries sub-committees had been set up for the existing project areas, and it was important that these bodies should not be lightly cast aside. This being said, several speakers mentioned the intention of their MAB Committee to consider restructuring of MAB organs at the national level, in line with the proposed new orientations within the Programme, the development of comparative studies in certain technical fields, etc.

The Council felt that the development of these new orientations should draw upon the particular research arrangements and methods that have been part of MAB1 s history. Such arrangements are unique to MAB and include the pilot projects, comparative studies and basic and applied research undertaken at biosphere reserves. Each provides a particular and distinct advantage for furthering and integrating the studies within each new research orientation. The pilot projects provide the way to organize intensive analyses that can integrate more than one of these orientations. The comparative studies provide the way to develop collaborative efforts leading to a broad synthesis within and between key biogeographical systems. And finally, the biosphere reserves provide an extensive network of "laboratories" for research, monitoring, conservation, application of research findings, etc.

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The role of "man" in the future research programme was mentioned by several delegates. It was recognized that the term "human" figured in the titles of each of the proposed new orientations: also that the very concern of the integrated pilot projects within MAB was on the interfaces between human populations, their activities and their environment and the boundaries between socio­economic and physical and biological systems. Nonetheless speakers expressed concern that there appeared to be diminution in the attention given to "man" in some parts of proposed future research within MAB, particularly in some of the comparative studies for which information was available. More specifically several delegates considered that the whole question of future MAB studies on human settlements in general, and urban systems in particular, seemed to have been somewhat scantily addressed in the documentation at hand. In this light, the Council emphasized that the human dimension should be adequately reflected in the planning and implementation of future MAB research, in line with the intrinsic philosophy and approach of MAB. The interface of man and the biosphere - the crossing over of the Man and the Biosphere in MAB - should continue to be the primary focus of the programme. Here continues to lie MAB's distinctive contribution and niche.

In looking forward to the overall development of future MAB research, the Council recognized that the General Scientific Advisory Panel had discharged its mandate, and in this respect reiterated the warm thanks of the MAB Bureau to the panel for the successful completion of the tasks entrusted to it. On the other hand, the Council felt that there was a need to provide for ongoing scientific counsel in guiding the future development of MAB and for a continuation of the considerations started by the panel, and requested the Bureau to consider how this might best be ensured.

3.3 New research orientations

In examining proposals for new research orientations put forward by the General Scientific Advisory Panel, the Council first of all recalled that the overall MAB research programme included a continuation of the original 14 project areas for MAB, which in the period 1975-80 had been concentrated into basically 4 areas, viz. tropical forests, "marginal" areas (marginal, fragile and vulnerable ecosystems under all latitudes), urban systems and biosphere reserves. The research undertaken for these research areas would continue in different countries. However the new research orientations would gradually emerge, emphasizing more the study of processes in secondary systems as opposed to pristine ecological systems. The Council made a number of suggestions on the approach and substance of these new orientations, as well as on possible directions and mechanisms for their further development.

Ecosystem function under different intensities of human impact

In welcoming the thrust of this research orientation, the Council members were

conscious of the progress that has been made since the studies on ecosystem structure and functioning within the framework of the International Biological Programme. While twenty years ago, ecosystems were seen principally as quasi-independent units, in equilibrium or close to it, today they are seen as parts of a greater whole, and the notion of stable equilibria has been abandoned. While twenty years ago, a main thrust of the research effort was on determining rates of energy and material fluxes through ecosystem compartments - with the object of building computer models that would mimic reality and could be used to evaluate the effects of different human impacts - today it is generally felt that this is not possible, because many of the interactions are not linear, and consequently the response of systems to unusual events may be unpredictable. That MAB inherited the perspectives of IBP on ecosystem function is to some extent reflected in the formulation of the fourteen original international themes of MAB. In part, because that view is now generally recognized as inadequate, the Council agreed on the importance of this new orientation - one that would allow MAB to make full use of new scientific developments, in both understanding and in methodologies of research, and allow MAB to play an appropriate role in co-operation with emerging programmes such as the International Geosphere Biosphere Programme of ICSU.

Individual speakers emphasized particular aspects of this research orientation. One delegate felt that studies on ecosystem structure and its changes were as equally important as those of ecosystem function, and should be recognized as such in the development of future work. Other speakers expressed the hope that a better understanding of ecological processes would lead to a firmer scientific basis for extrapolation and prediction, and hence to more reliable methods for guiding resource management. Priority needs in this respect were expressed by several delegates, in respect to such trends in land use as deforestation and land degradation.

Another delegate expressed the hope that the tentative title of this research orientation would be interpretated somewhat liberally, without losing scientific rigour. He felt that it must not only be different "intensities", but also in some cases different natures or types of human influences, that should be studied for their effect on ecosystem function. "Intensities" is perhaps too quantitative a term to cover the range of concerns that MAB may want to study. In a similar way, he hoped that the term "impact" would not mean only the effect of sudden or short-lived human influence, for it could well be important to study the gradual or incremental change caused by human action that at any one time appears insignificant or benign.

Management and restoration of human-impacted resources

Council members were agreed on the clear and pressing need to learn how to manage human-impacted ecosystems. Most, if not all, of the surface of the globe has been impacted by humans. MAB should therefore

concentrate a great deal of effort and resources at understanding the functioning of these ecosystems. In this respect the Council noted that a number of ongoing pilot projects within MAB were focussed on ways and means of improving the management of degraded areas. An example was the use of woody species for the rehabilitation of degraded arid land systems in northern Egypt. Moreover, several of the proposed comparative studies also dealt with aspects of this topic, such as: forest regeneration and ecosystem rehabilitation in the humid tropics; the role of ecotones in landscape management; multiple-stress effects on temperate zone ecosystems; resilience to and recovery from disturbance in northern latitude ecosystems, etc. (see Section 3.5 of this report).

In considering the further development of research on this topic, one delegate expressed the hope that attention would be given to the problems of social learning and adaptive management techniques to make optimum sustained use of altered or changing ecosystems. The emphasis should not be only on the response of the "natural" ecosystem itself. Recognizing as a delusion that nature is a static state, we should not now assume that human responses ought to be the same before and after ecosystem changes.

In more general terms, the Council noted that a number of international workshops were planned during the next twelve months which were focussed on various aspects of the management and restoration of human-impacted resources. Such workshops included principally one on "Ecosystem redevelopment: ecological, economic and policy aspects", to be organized by the national academies of Canada, Hungary and Sweden in co-operation with IIASA and Unesco-MAB, to be held in Budapest in April 1987. In addition there were other workshops and symposia, organized directly within the framework of MAB or with support from the Programme, that dealt with specific aspects of this emerging topic, including workshops on rainforest regeneration and management (Gurí, Venezuela, November 1986), on forest dieback in the Atlantic and Pacific regions (to be held during the International Botanical Congress in July-August 1987) and on the restoration of ecosystems to be held in Kashmir in October 1987. The Council expressed the hope that special working sessions might be organized on the occasion of these workshops, at which specialists might consider the further development of MAB activities on the Management and restoration of human-impacted resources.

Human investment and resource use

This topic was considered by several speakers to be the most innovative and potentially the most far-reaching of the four new research orientations. It provided a focus within MAB for studies at the interface between ecological and economic systems and for more explicit consideration within MAB of decision-making processes. One delegate, commenting that the topic would be of special interest to specialists presently outside of MAB, suggested that the title be

reformulated to highlight the relations between investment choice, decision-making processes and resource management. It was felt that precise formulation of this new research orientation was a matter that could be taken up by the Bureau.

Another speaker remarked that this was the most integrative and policy-laden of the new MAB orientations, but one that his delegation felt to be very necessary. If research in this area can be carried out well, it could be that in another decade, this topic may turn out to have been the most influential area of MAB activity. He counselled that studies in this subject would have to be entered into very carefully, with attention to ensure that the research in the natural, human and socio-economic sciences, is of good quality, that the findings are useful to the countries concerned without raising national sensitivities, and that they are not unduly influenced by policy positions or short-term reactions. This caution was reflected in the remarks of several other delegates, who commented on the difficulties that had been encountered in their countries in developing bridges between the natural and social sciences in MAB research in the past. Whence the reservations expressed by certain delegates at MAB entering into this new thematic area, which broadened still further the sorts of issues and processes considered within MAB research.

Several speakers indicated that the very term "investment" was one that had caused some difficulty in the examination of this theme within their MAB National Committees, and that one aspect of the difficulty might lie in the translation of the word "investment" in other languages. It was recognized, however, that the term does not refer just to "investment" in the narrow financial sense. Rather, it should be thought of as the expenditure of human efforts and resources on any activity that will have a direct or indirect environmental impact. Time, knowledge, resources, are thus all part of human "investments".

Individual speakers gave illustrations of the sorts of environmental effects that might be studied under this topic. One example mentioned was the long-range effect that foreign aid and investment programmes have on the environment of both recipient and donor. Other examples include the effects on distant areas of changes in pollution control measures, in commodity regulations and in pricing decisions. Studies on such aspects would require collaboration between several countries, and new linkages between national committees might be needed.

In line with the interest but also differences in view generated by this theme, the Council welcomed a suggestion that a study be commissioned which would explore in greater detail the possible approaches and content of this theme. Such a study might be presented to the next meeting of the MAB Bureau.

Human response to environmental stress

Several delegates commented on the importance of this subject, which sought to study how human beings respond to both purely physical as well as human-mediated environmental changes

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and associated stresses. The topic thus complemented the previous one on the effects of human activities on resource use.

One delegate expressed the hope that this research orientation would be developed in tandem with the other new themes, and not some way behind them. One very good reason for this subject being an integral and not supplementary part of MAB was that the response of humans to changes in ecosystems and in environmental conditions not only reflect, but also in complex ways determine, the social and economic well-being whose enhancement is the main reason for undertaking MAB studies in the first place. Hence, the hope that studies of social learning, human population dynamics, physiological and health responses to environmental chemical changes, and social behaviour to extreme or subtle environmental events, could all find a proper place within the MAB Programme. This speaker recognized, however, that it would require great care and planning to select those aspects of human response that could be adequately studied with the resources available, and a similar caution was expressed by other delegates. Several speakers counselled, in effect, that elaboration of new research on this topic called for close collaboration with other international organizations such as WHO, IAEA and UNEP. The desirability of developing links with International Programme on Chemical Safety (IPCS) was mentioned by one speaker.

Attention was drawn to the important impact that pollutants could have on human populations, including their long-term genetic consequences. Nuclear effects were mentioned by several speakers and one Council member - the Soviet delegate - indicated that USSR Academy of Sciences had just a few days previously called for a moratorium on nuclear tests. Recalling discussions at the eighth session of the MAB Council, the Soviet Representative recognized that Council delegates were not able in their official capacities to endorse a statement along these lines, whatever their personal views might be. Nonetheless, he expressed the view that the scientific community could not remain aloof on such issues as the ecological aspects of the arms race question. This was especially so in the light of the Chernobyl tragedy, which had brought home the devastation that could result from even a single nuclear explosion. Scientists in his country were according considerable attention to this critically important problem, which had resulted in two recent books on the topic. The Mexican Representative expressed support for the views expounded by the Soviet delegate. Speaking in similar vein, the delegate of the Ukrainian SSR indicated that scientists in this republic would be devoting considerable attention to studying the effects of the Chernobyl explosion on the quality of groundwaters, biota, soils, etc. He felt that it would not be a bad thing if such studies were included in the overall MAB research plan. This was especially important in the European region, where there was such a relatively high concentration of nuclear power stations. Another speaker, in drawing attention to the conclusions

of the last session of the Council on the general nuclear war issue, suggested that information be sought and collated on the precautions being taken by the United Nations and other bodies (e.g. the Economic Commission for Europe) in respect to the ecological risks induced by high technology industries.

3.4 Integrated pilot projects

The Council considered that integrated pilot projects should continue to play a crucial role as testing grounds for putting the "MAB" approach into practice and for demonstrating at the ground level the fruits of applying such an approach to development needs. Council members from both developing countries and industrialized countries concurred that integrated pilot projects of the sort pioneered within MAB constitute one major research approach to tackling complex environmental problems. Council members from Africa (including North Africa), Asia and Latin America highlighted in particular the important role of pilot projects in providing the scientific basis for solving problems of land deterioration such as desertification, which are major obstacles to natural resource development in these regions. Council members also referred to the specific role of pilot projects to study in a holistic way the complex problems of interrelations between socio­economic, physical and biological systems.

The Council considered that pilot projects could be conducted either as national MAB projects or as international ones (see also Annex 8 of this report). National pilot projects follow the "MAB approach" but are designed to meet primarily national objectives and recognition is given at the national level only, by the respective MAB National Committee.

For pilot projects to be recognized internationally the Council reviewed the specific set of criteria recommended by the General Scientific Advisory Panel. In line with lessons gained from early pilot projects, the Council decided that the following criteria should be used in the process of screening, planning and implementing future international pilot projects:

focus on a land use or resource management problem of priority at the local and national level, but at the same time having a wider regional and international significance (i.e., the results of the project are likely to be of interest to other countries);

concern with the interfaces between human populations, their activities and their environment and the boundaries between socio-economic and physical and biological systems;

availability, or likely availability, of sufficient financial and technical resources required to carry out a pilot project;

development of mechanisms for the communication of results to those concerned with planning and management ;

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advantage to be taken of the opportunities offered by the pilot project for institutional development in the country or region concerned.

The Council expressed the wish that integrated pilot projects continue to be implemented in different ecological regions covered by MAB. Several delegates welcomed in particular the proposal by the General Scientific Advisory Panel that a primary focus be provided by pilot projects in the arid and semi-arid regions, due to the increasing magnitude and intensity of desertification and the large number of people affected.

Three other considerations were felt by Council members to warrant this primary focus of pilot projects on arid zones. First, a fair amount of scientific information is already available on the ecology of these systems, which could be applied in land use planning and resource management. Second, the relative structural simplicity of arid lands (cf. tropical forests, urban systems) facilitates the development of the multifunctional aspects of pilot projects. Third, integrated pilot projects are relatively costly to mount and carry out; in general, the necessary support for such projects is more readily obtainable for a number of the arid and semi-arid zone countries (many of which figure among the least developed countries), than for countries in other ecological zones.

Council members stressed that the research focus of pilot projects in arid and semi-arid zones should continue to take account of the participating countries' needs and acute land use issues of great concern, such as desertification and mitigation of drought effects. It is envisaged that in future, greater attention will be paid to the study of the functioning and the rationality of the present land production systems and to traditional knowledge of ecologically sound land use techniques. Moreover there is a need to address the question of how to introduce ecologically sound and economically viable change into traditional production systems, by using inputs closely linked to these traditional methods. This question has become more pressing than ever due to the continued widespread failure of development programmes in arid and semi-arid lands in applying available scientific and technological knowhow to different and often "difficult" social contexts. MAB's niche is primarily with regard to research on pastoral systems which use the available plant resources and on the interaction between pastoral and agricultural systems.

Notwithstanding these considerations on arid and semi-arid zones, international pilot projects should also be carried out in other ecological regions, and Council members were informed about recent progress in some of these projects (e.g. the Mayombe project in the Congo). The Council hoped that at least 15-20 international pilot projects might be carried out during the next five year period, at least eight of which might be situated in the arid and semi-arid zones. Several Council members referred to the important function of pilot

projects for training and demonstration at the regional level and to the need to strengthen further network linkages. The importance of promoting the preparation and diffusion of substantive syntheses of information on existing pilot projects was also underlined.

3.5 Comparative studies

In the light of discussions and recommendations at its eighth session, the Council noted with satisfaction the progress that had been made in the elaboration of comparative studies in relatively finely focussed scientific fields. In addition to the specific objectives for work in each thematic area, such comparative studies could do much to contribute to a better theoretical and operational basis for understanding the repeatability and comparability of ecological information and thus advance the subject towards a more predictive science.

The Council endorsed the four criteria proposed by the General Scientific Advisory Panel for the selection of comparative studies within MAB: enunciation of general and specific hypotheses combining both theoretical and applied objectives; application of appropriate methods and techniques standardized so as to ensure repeatability and comparability; appropriate choice of sites in relation to the stated hypotheses; designing the programme such that theories, methods or management insights will be developed and tested leading to a final regional synthesis. The Council also recognized some other desirable features of these comparative studies such as: predetermined timeframe; mechanisms for review and synthesis; activities undertaken as joint operations between MAB and non­governmental partners.

The Council reviewed a tentative listing of comparative studies that had already received general endorsement by the MAB Council at its eighth session and/or that had arisen through scientific meetings and technical discussions sponsored within the framework of MAB during the last year or so. More detailed information on four of the comparative studies was presented to the Council in the form of a standard, two-page "MAB study outline". This preliminary listing of comparative studies and examples of MAB study outlines is appended as Annex 9 of this report.

Council members recognized that the four MAB Study Outlines presented to the Council were presented for illustrative purposes only. Nonetheless the Council expressed the hope that the role of man be given greater prominence in the formulation of the comparative studies, while recognizing that the profile given to the human dimension in any particular study would vary according to the problem being tackled.

Bearing in mind that the various comparative studies were at different stages of elaboration, Council members remarked on several specific aspects of the various comparative studies.

The Council welcomed the progress that had been made in the two comparative studies being undertaken as joint ventures by Unesco-MAB and the Decade of the Tropics of IUBS, namely the programme on Tropical Soil Biology

and Fertility (TSBF) and Responses of Savannas to Stress and Disturbance (RSSD). In noting the symbiotic relations that had been developed between MAB and IUBS in these two study areas, the Council welcomed the considerable interest that these comparative studies had elicited among MAB Committees and scientific institutions, especially in tropical zones, and welcomed the solid scientific and logistic bases that had been developed for the proposed networks of field projects contributing to the comparative studies; some of these field projects were due to start in late 1986. The need for co-operation with a variety of international bodies, in these and other comparative studies, was mentioned by several speakers. One specific example mentioned by the delegate of Egypt was that concerning the regional research programme on "Environmental site characterization by soil fauna in Egypt and Africa", an activity of the Institute of African Research and Studies of Cairo University. The testing of the use of expert systems for guiding resource management within the programme on savannas was also noted by the Council.

Delegates from several countries of the humid and sub-humid tropics expressed keen interest in the evolving work on Forest regeneration and ecosystem rehabilitation in the humid tropics. Several examples were provided on ongoing and planned studies at MAB sites that it was hoped would contribute to this work. Examples included work in Malaysia and other South East Asian countries, in southern China, in several countries of West and Central Africa (e.g. Cameroon, Congo, Gabon, Nigeria), in Latin American countries such as Cuba and Mexico. The interest of several countries of the temperate zone in collaborating with tropical countries in studies on forest regeneration and ecosystem rehabilitation was mentioned, such as links between the Federal Republic of Germany and China in studies in subtropical zones of southern China and between institutes in Malaysia and the USA for studies on the demographic analysis of a 50 hectare plot in Pasoh, Malaysia. Plans for two state-of-the-art review workshops - on the topics of Rainforest regeneration and management and the Reproductive ecology of tropical forest plants - were noted by the Council, which expressed the hope that these workshops might also assist in the charting of future MAB research directions in the humid tropics.

Proposals for work on the Role of ecotones in landscape management were welcomed by the Council. Council members were informed that these proposals had resulted from recommendations made by an international workshop on MAB Project 5 held in Toulouse in April 1986. In noting that the primary focus of the existing proposals was on the interface between land and freshwater systems, several speakers drew attention to possible links with proposed work on major river basins as well as on coastal zones. Note was also taken of the plans for the further development of comparative studies on ecotones, including informal discussions with SCOPE, the convening of a small research planning meeting in May 1987 and of a larger workshop in Austria in May-June 1988.

Multiple stress effects on temperate zone ecosystems was recognized by several

speakers as being a topic of considerable interest to a number of countries. Future work in this field should take advantage of conclusions and recommendations of previous MAB meetings such as that on the effects of air pollution on the stability of coniferous forest ecosystems held in 1984 in Czechoslovakia. This topic could be among those discussed at proposed future meetings of European countries within the framework of MAB (see Section 3.6).

Resilience to and recovery from disturbance in northern high latitude zones was a topic that had already received attention within the Northern Science Network and one that was deemed by several speakers to be appropriate for further development within the framework of this network. Ongoing studies included those on sub-arctic birch forests.

Several speakers expressed strong support for proposed studies on Reconciling land use conflicts in coastal and estuarine systems. Such a programme could build on a number of regional initiatives within MAB. One example was the series of regional seminars on man's impact on coastal and estuarine systems that was being organized in South East Asia through the co-operative effort of the MAB Committees of Japan and the countries of the region. The Council welcomed the support of Japan to these seminars through funds-in-trust arrangements with Unesco as well as through possible bilateral support for specific field projects in the region. The Mediterranean and Fenno-Scandinavian areas were two others mentioned by Council members where there was interest in taking part in future MAB work on coastal systems. Mention was also made of proposed training workshops on the recovery of degraded coastal areas in China and of a joint IUCN-MAB project on the biogeographical differentiation of coastal areas.

The proposed work on the Ecological sustainability of small island economies was welcomed by several delegates. Such studies would take advantage of the existing networks of MAB experimental stations and studies on small Mediterranean islands, as well as other island situations mentioned by Council delegates such as islands off the Brittany coast of France, the Galapagos, etc. A boost to this work would be provided by the forthcoming Interoceanic meeting on islands scheduled to take place in Puerto Rico in November 1986, under the auspices of the US and Canadian MAB Committees and with the support of Unesco, UNCTAD and UNEP.

A number of delegates expressed regret that work on urban systems appeared to figure less prominently than hitherto in the MAB research agenda, at least in the indicative materials on future research directions presented to the ninth session of the MAB Council. The Council expressed the wish that efforts for planning future collaborative work on human settlements in general, and urban systems in particular, be pursued with vigour. Such plans should take advantage of the experience gained both in early starting MAB studies on urban systems as well as more recent projects such as those focussed on the cities of Sao Paulo, Buenos Aires, Barcelona, etc. Collaborative efforts with the UNU in respect to certain of these more recent urban studies were welcomed by several speakers. The Council noted that two possible

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foci for collaborative work on urban systems had been identified in working documents before the Council, namely Urban risk assessment and Human settlement planning in high mountain valleys. While recognizing the intrinsic interest and value of these topical areas, Council members expressed the hope that future collaborative work on urban systems would not necessarily be confined to these two areas of investigation.

A final substantive issue mentioned in respect to proposed comparative studies was the' desirability of developing collaborative work in certain aspects of the ecology and development of arid and semi-arid lands. The Council welcomed a proposal made by the French delegate to explore the possibilities of developing collaborative studies between arid lands (both within and outside the mediterranean climate zone) in Africa and Latin America.

In conclusion, the Council took note of the information on comparative studies included in the draft MAB Operational Guidelines (presented as a working document to the Council). The Council felt that the format of the MAB Study Outlines (Annex 9 of this report) was a useful one for presenting a summary of the main features of each comparative study, which could be readily updated as each comparative study takes firmer shape. Each Study Outline would be based on more detailed research proposals describing such aspects of the comparative study as objectives; rationale; experimental principles; examples of hypotheses to be tested; methods to be used; measures for co-ordination and synthesis; measures for review and evaluation; relations with other programmes and organizations, etc.

3.6 Measures for regional co-operation

The Council reviewed a number of suggestions for promoting co-operation among countries of particular geographical and ecological regions for the development of future research activities within MAB.

European co-operation was a topic taken up by many speakers from this region. There was general consensus that the time was ripe for building on the co-operative links that already existed within the region within the framework of MAB. Such co-operation would take advantage of the groundwork prepared through several regional meetings held recently within the framework of MAB, such as those on biosphere reserves held in Czechoslovakia in April 1986 for the European region and in France in September 1986 for the Mediterranean region. The Council welcomed indications by the delegates of the Federal Republic of Germany and Czechoslovakia that their countries would be prepared to host regional meetings for the European countries within the framework of MAB and in particular accepted with thanks the offer of the Federal Republic of Germany to host such a meeting in late 1987.

In respect to the northern circumpolar countries, the Council recalled discussions of the MAB Bureau at its meeting in Paris in April 1986, particularly in requesting the Canadian MAB Committee to review the present situation within the Northern Science Network and to make suggestions to the MAB

Council on the possible further development of activities within the network. The delegate of Canada reported the results of this review to the Council. He presented an overview of the past activities within the network in such fields as subarctic birch forest studies, circumpolar biosphere reserves, science policy in northern areas, subarctic land use and grazing animals. An assessment of the achievements as well as shortcomings of the network had been undertaken as a basis for identifying a series of proposed future actions, within the Northern Science Network itself as well as by-the MAB National Committee of the countries concerned. The Council endorsed the broad conclusions of the review and called on those addressed by its recommendations to act concertedly so that the Network could continue to fulfill its role as a useful, practical, cost-effective and scientifically productive part of the MAB family of activities. The report of the Canadian MAB Committee on the Northern Science Network is reproduced as Annex 10 of the present report.

Following the presentation to the Council of the report by the Canadian National Committee on the Northern Science Network, a working group was assembled during the Council session, which consisted of representatives from the delegations and MAB Committees of Canada, Finland, Sweden, USA, USSR, and the Secretariat. It was agreed that the informal approach taken to this point would be strengthened and the network would be revitalized. In particular a statement of interest by the National Committee of each interested state would be sent to the Secretariat. The Northern Science Network participants will actively reassess their research interests and priorities, and communicate these with each of the interested states. The newsletter will be continued, and in the future a full report of the potential activities of this network will be submitted to the MAB Bureau.

Collaborative activities in other regions mentioned by Council delegates included various initiatives among the African countries, including those presented by the convening in 1987 of major conferences for scientific co-operation on natural resource issues (to be held in the Congo and in Tanzania), as well as by the recent approval by UNDP of a new, second-phase of activities within the framework of the ICSU-Unesco African Biosciences Network.

River basins as a focus for inter-country co-operation within MAB was a topic mentioned by several delegates. The promotion within MAB of a programme of integrated inter-country studies on river basins could profit from and be somewhat analogous to the Regional Seas Programme of UNEP, which had acted in a number of ways as a prototype for successful co-operative action among countries on shared environmental resources. A number of specific basins and physiographic units were mentioned which might be considered for inclusion in such a programme, such as the Black Sea, the Carpathians, the Danube, the Nile. Council members welcomed the initiative of the MAB Committee of Egypt in organizing a symposium on the Nile basin in March 1987: likewise, the plans for a meeting on the environmental impact of lakes and reservoirs in the Danube

basin, to be organized by the Austrian MAB Committee in 1987. The Council expressed the hope that these two workshops might give rise to substantive and logistic recommendations for future work within MAB on large drainage basins - work that might be undertaken in co-operation with other interested programmes such as UNEP and the International Hydrological Programme.

The Council felt that co-operative efforts in other regions might usefully take advantage of particular thematic interests of the countries concerned, as expressed during this session of the Council and elsewhere. Examples of such thematic poles include coastal zones in the South East Asian region, small island situations in the Mediterranean, ecological studies of large urban conurbations in Latin America.

3.7 Continuation of the work Scientific Advisory Panels

of the

During the Council session, the Bureau met on several occasions to discuss - as requested by the Council - possible mechanisms for continuing the scientific counsel of the General Scientific Advisory Panel and to plan the input of the small working group on biosphere reserves to the work of the Bureau.

The Bureau agreed that it was not desirable to set up a permanent mechanism or group of experts since it was now the time to put the Panel's recommendations into action. The Bureau therefore recommended that it should call upon a small number of experts to advise the Bureau on specific topics as and when it deemed necessary. In order not to multiply the meetings of the Bureau and of such experts, the Bureau recommended that for biosphere reserves, a preliminary evaluation of biosphere reserve proposals be prepared by an independent expert and by a specialist from IUCN and circulated to the members of the Bureau before each of its meetings. These two experts could furthermore continue to review the effectiveness of the international network, advise on the implementation of the Action Plan for Biosphere Reserves, and in particular make proposals to the Bureau regarding the procedure for designating biosphere reserves.

In considering the type of expertise and the topics to be discussed for the MAB programme in general, the Bureau recognized the need to take account of the internal Unesco work in preparing the Draft Programme and Budget for 1988-89 (the so-called 24 C/5 document) and in making proposals for the Unesco Third Medium Term Plan for 1990-95. For the latter, the preparation was expected to begin as soon as January 1987. The Bureau therefore felt that it would have to meet early in 1987, in order to discuss the form and the substance of the presentation of the MAB Programme. In order to help the Bureau with this task, it recommended that two outside experts having a sound scientific reputation and also a good knowledge of the Unesco planning procedures should prepare a number of scenarios for the MAB programme for the period 1990-1995, based on the MAB Research programme adopted by the Council and on the Council's decisions at its ninth session.

The Council thanked the members of the Bureau for taking this important planning procedure into consideration in its future work. The Council adopted the Bureau's recommendations on the means to continue the scientific counsel on the programme and on the topics to be addressed in the next Bureau meeting.

3.8 Summary recommendations and conclusions

In conclusion, the Council:

(a) endorsed in general terms the recommendations of the General Scientific Advisory Panel but requested the Bureau to review and refine certain sections at its future meetings;

(b) encouraged MAB National Committees to review the new research orientations in the light of the original fourteen MAB projects which in 1975-80 had been concentrated into four areas, viz: tropical forests; "marginal" lands (marginal, fragile and vulnerable ecosystems under all latitudes); urban systems; biosphere reserves. MAB National Committees could continue national activities according to these former project areas but should endeavour to direct them towards the new orientations;

(c) approved the new orientations for future research in MAB, which emphasized: Ecosystem functioning under different intensities of human impact; Management and restoration of human-impacted resources; Human investment and resource use (analysis of"investment choice, decision-making process and resource management); Human response to environmental stress;

(d) concurred that the future research directions should be shaped by the triple needs of maintaining continuity, of adapting to new issues and opportunities, and of being in line with the resources likely to be made available for the servicing and implementation of the programme;

(e) recommended that MAB research should be based on national projects, international pilot projects, comparative studies, and basic and applied research undertaken at biosphere reserves;

(f) reaffirmed the continuing primary focus of MAB on man-environment interactions;

(g) approved criteria and guidelines to be used in the screening, planning and implementation of pilot projects and of comparative studies ;

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(h) invited MAB Committees, funding agencies and international organizations to intensify concerted efforts for developing new pilot projects, reinforcing existing pilot projects, using pilot projects for training and demonstration at the regional level, and strengthening the network linkages between pilot projects ;

(i) invited MAB National Committees and international non-governmental organizations to enjoin their

efforts in the planning and implementation of a suite of comparative studies of appeal to scientists and sponsoring institutes in the countries of the different geo-ecological regions taking part in MAB;

(j) welcomed proposals for reinforcing regional co-operation in the pursuit of the future research agenda within the framework of the MAB Programme.

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4. TRAINING AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF MAB

The Council considered a document describing the conceptual framework and objectives, and a review of the main types of training activities carried out under the aegis of MAB. These sections of this document are reproduced in Annex 11 to this report. The Council also noted some conclusions and recommendations based on the lessons learned from past experience and the work of the two scientific advisory panels, respectively for MAB in general and for biosphere reserves.

A debate ensued in which several speakers expressed their general support for the proposed recommendations. The Delegate of Spain however felt that the proposals were too conservative and lacked imagination. In particular he pointed out that a recommendation needed to be added on the training of the trainers since scientists themselves did not automatically acquire the appropriate skills and knowledge to teach. The need to produce methodological manuals and teaching materials was an issue addressed by several speakers. Two other delegates particularly referred to the specific need to train biosphere reserve managers, following the recommendations of the Scientific Advisory Panel for Biosphere Reserves. For this the Council welcomed the proposal from the delegates of the USSR to develop a UNEP/Unesco project, in co­operation with IUCN, to hold a special training course for biosphere reserve managers in a biosphere reserve in the USSR in the near future.

Several delegations gave examples of national, regional and international training activities taking place in their countries, several of which were carried out within biosphere reserves or MAB pilot projectsj or which were based on MAB research results. Particular emphasis was given to the need to foster truly interdisciplinary training, and again this depended on the quality of the teaching personnel. The assistance of the Unesco Regional Offices in organizing regional specialist training courses was also mentioned. In particular, the Council welcomed the offer of the delegate of the USSR to host two training seminars/study tours in 1987 and 1988 on rangeland improvement and agricultural development of arid and semi-arid lands within the framework of ESCAP. The Council was also glad to learn from the observer of the German Democratic Republic that further

efforts would be made to develop international training courses, for example on low waste technologies, especially in urban systems. The observer of the German Democratic Republic also expressed the wish that the post-graduate training courses held in Dresden be extended in 1987-88 to certain developing countries, and perhaps be linked together to form an international network.

The delegate of Brazil specifically mentioned the continuation of the programme on training of specialists on human settlements at the University of Sao Paulo and stressed that this activity should be viewed in an overall context of research, communication of results and associated training. The Council noted that this integration of research and training was in accordance with the recommendation of the General Scientific Advisory Panel for MAB and should be developed where possible.

A number of delegates mentioned specific topics which needed to be addressed in MAB training activities in the future. These included the use of computers and informatics in the environmental sciences, systems analysis, remote sensing, environmental monitoring and taxonomy. For the latter, the Council greatly welcomed the offer of the delegates from Finland and the Ukranian SSR to study the possibility of organizing international training courses on taxonomy and systematics for specialists from developing countries based on their national institutions. Furthermore, the Council was glad to learn that the ongoing project on biological inventories of biosphere reserves undertaken by MAB and the Smithsonian Institution in co-operation with the US Nature Conservancy and IUCN had recently been expanded to include a strong training component for taxonomists in developing countries, with the support of extra-budgetary funding.

Other delegates underscored the importance of giving more support to regional training centres and specific types of training activity, for example: the regional colleges of Garoua (Cameroun) and Mweka (Tanzania) for specialists in wildlife management; exchanges of specialists such as had taken place between China and the Federal Republic of Germany; special arrangements for the training of technicians; the provision of scholarships for young scientists working on MAB pilot projects or comparative studies or within biosphere reserves, and the

development of methodologies for implementing specific research themes of the MAB programme. The Delegate of China indicated how eager Chinese scientists were to learn more from their colleagues throughout the world and hoped that MAB would continue to support training workshops and symposia within China, to which foreign scientists would be invited.

Special mention was made of environmental education and the need to strengthen the links between MAB and the environmental education activities of the Education Sector of Unesco, particularly in connection with the International Congress on Environmental Education and Training marking 10 years after the Tbilisi Conference, planned for August 1987 in Moscow, USSR. The delegate of the USSR, referring to the planning and organization of this Congress, suggested that a proposal be submitted to the organisers of this Congress on the inclusion of a symposium on environmental education in biosphere reserves and the role of biosphere reserves for specialist training. Mention was made by delegates from Mexico and Saudi Arabia on the importance of general environmental education for young people, particularly in developing countries where there was a general need to instill environmental awareness in the decision­makers of tomorrow.

In the light of the above discussions, the Council decided to adopt the following recommendations :

(a) All necessary attention should be devoted to training activities, which are an essential means of promoting an integrated and ecological approach to land-use planning and management of renewable natural resources, and of helping the developing countries to satisfy their most pressing needs for specialists and technicians able to implement such an approach.

(b) The various types of activity already under way in this- domain should be continued, with particular emphasis on those which are based on and are carried out on the sites of MAB pilot projects, in biosphere reserves and in connection with comparative field studies, so as to ensure the most effective links between research, training and demonstration activities. Subject matters which need particular attention in the future include the use of computers and informatics in the environmental sciences, systems analysis, remote sensing, environmental monitoring and taxonomy. The Secretariat should endeavour to make a synthesis of such activities, for wide diffusion to MAB National Committees.

(c) MAB National Committees should be invited to develop new, imaginative training initiatives which correspond to the needs of a given country or region.

(d) Particular attention should be paid to develop appropriate courses to train the trainers responsible for

MAB training activities, raise their pedagogic effectiveness.

in order to standard and

(e) MAB National Committees should make all efforts to ensure appropriate training of the managers of biosphere reserves, for example at the specialist course planned to take place under the UNEP-Unesco project.

(f) Provisions should be made in the framework of the international MAB pilot projects, . biosphere reserves and comparative field studies for the logistic arrangements and funds which would permit the establishment of improved facilities for national researchers or researchers from countries with common interests in the scientific and technical domains, so that those researchers can benefit from the accumulated experience and the achievements on these different sites. These sites could be used in the future for both holding seminars and organizing individual training courses of different types, as well as for extension work and demonstration activities.

(g) Every effort should be made to use existing systems of fellowships or study grants and to develop new ones as appropriate to enable young researchers to participate actively in MAB field projects and to make it possible for some of them to undertake thesis research work on subjects concerning their respective countries and to take training courses abroad which would help them to make progress in this type of work. Such a system of fellowships should also facilitate exchanges of information and pooling of experience at regional and subregional levels.

(h) Three or four fellowships or study grants should be earmarked each year for high-level scientists with a view to associating them with the scientific work of MAB within the MAB Secretariat, either in Unesco Headquarters in Paris or in the Regional Offices.

(i) Universities and institutions of higher education in the developing countries should be encouraged to organize undergraduate and postgraduate courses on the "Development/Environment" approach conducive to greater prominence being given to environmental matters in development programmes. For example, the necessary steps should be taken to ensure the continuation of the training project on the integrated development of grazing lands in the Sahel and to launch similar projects in other regions of Africa, especially in central Africa.

(j) Efforts should be made to promote the establishment of regional and subregional networks such as the Asian network for training in the field of desertification control, which was

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set up in co-operation with UNEP and which comprises the Desert Research Institute in Ashkhabad (USSR), the Central Arid Zone Research Institute (CAZRI) in Jodhpur (India) and the Desert Research Institute in Lanzhou (China), and of centres of excellence which can help to strengthen regional and international co-operation in the principal scientific fields covered by the MAB programme.

Continued support should be given to national training centres such as the Schools of Fauna in Garoua (Cameroon) and Mweka (Tanzania), which have succeeded in acquiring regional or subregional status in fields where the number of specialists required does not warrant the establishment of new similar centres in other countries in the same region or subregion.

Co-operation with the environmental education unit attached to the Education Sector of Unesco should be continued and reinforced, so that the findings of MAB research and the audiovisual material that it produces including the MAB exhibit "Ecology in Action" as well as the sites of pilot projects and biosphere reserves, can play their role to the full in the task of public information and environmental education. The MAB Secretariat is thus required to lend its support to the work of preparation for the next Intergovernmental Congress on Environmental Education and Training which will take place in Moscow (USSR) in August 1987 under the aegis of UNEP and Unesco. That conference will provide an opportunity to take stock of the activities carried out in the ten years that have elapsed since the holding in Tbilisi of the first Intergovernmental Conference on Environmental Education, and to promote exchanges of information and pooling of experience in this domain. A special symposium should be included

in the programme on the promotion of environmental education in biosphere reserves and the role of biosphere reserves in specialist training.

(m) Since the funds available are not adequate to cover all the applications for fellowships or study grants linked to the MAB programme, priority should be given to individual or group training activities which can be organized at the sites of pilot projects or comparative field studies and in biosphere reserves. Primary consideration should obviously be given to requests supported by the MAB National Committees and aimed, among other things, at strengthening MAB field projects and promoting scientific exchanges at regional and subregional levels. The list of meetings and training courses included in Annex 5 of the present report provides several examples of training courses at MAB project sites and biosphere reserves in 1985-86.

(n) In addition to the financial resources which may be allocated from Unesco1s regular programme and extra-budgetary funds, MAB National Committees are requested, in the framework of bilateral and multilateral aid programmes, to help muster additional resources for the expansion of training activities linked to the MAB Programme.

(o) Advantage should be taken in planning future training programmes of recent and enlarging opportunities for collaborative activities with other international programmes and organizations. One example would be with the ICSU-Unesco African Biosciences Network, which has recently entered into a new five-year phase of work with support from UNDP. Other possibilities in the developing regions would be training activities undertaken at such centres as BIOTROP (Bangor), CIET (Caracas), ICIMOD (Kathmandu), University of Sao Paulo (Brazil), etc.

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5. COMMUNICATIONS POLICY AND INFORMATION MATERIALS

The Council recalled that the communication activities of the MAB Programme had two principal components - the one mainly responding to internal programme needs within the participating MAB community, the other mainly responding to the broader public audience.

On reviewing progress since the last sesssion, the Council endorsed in general terms the conclusions and recommendations of the General Scientific Advisory Panel and MAB Bureau at their meetings in April 1986 on the need to revamp the communication policy of the MAB Programme, in order to bring it into line with the changing needs and circumstances of the Programme and the possibilities offered by new communications technologies and arrangements with second party co-operators. This would entail termination of some of the past forms of communication, the introduction of others that are more visible and more amenable to second party support, and the deployment of personnel with specialist skills in communications.

5.1 Information primarily for internal programme needs

The Council welcomed the various written materials that had been published since the last session of the MAB Council, primarily for use by those participating in the programme. These materials include: revised versions of the List of MAB National Committees and the Inventory of Biosphere Reserves; four issues of InfoMAB; an updated version of the MAB Publications Catalogue; several issues in the series of MAB "green" reports and Technical Notes; publication of the MAB Urban and Human Ecology Digest.

Of special importance was the significant progress that had been achieved in the computerization of the MAB Information System, particularly for the storage, handling and distribution of bibliographic information on reports and publications produced as a result of MAB research activities. The Council expressed its sincere gratitude to the French MAB National Committee and the Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle for their generous support and co-operation in the development of this computerized bibliographic system for MAB. In this respect, Council members were glad to have at hand the first bibliographic listing

of some 600 titles that had been published just prior to the Council session.

The broader possibilities offered by modern communications technologies for improving information flow within MAB was mentioned by several speakers. One particular aspect that was evoked was that of developing links between MAB and the informatics and UNISIST programmes of Unesco as well as the Infoterra system of UNEP. One speaker in particular dwelt on the need to transform the MAB Information System from one based on written, paper materials to one that would take advantage of modern technologies for the rapid, low-cost, long-distance exchange of information. He felt that there was a pressing need to examine within MAB the feasibility of setting-up a system for the exchange of information among MAB National Committees, the Unesco-MAB Secretariat, etc., using such mechanisms as microfiches, electronic mail and floppy disks. This speaker mentioned that the contribution annually by each MAB Committee of key research titles and abstracts to a central bibliographic unit would be one among many other uses of such a system.

The Council noted and welcomed the not inconsiderable number of overviews, progress reports and technical publications prepared by MAB National Committees on the results of work undertaken under their auspices, including the proceedings of national and regional workshops. In order for such reports to be clearly recognizable as being a contribution to MAB, the Council recommended to National Committees that the MAB logo be reproduced on the cover of all such reports. In line with the decentralized nature and philosophy of the entire MAB operation, the Council recommended that each MAB National Committee should, to the extent possible, disseminate such reports to other National Committees as well as to the Unesco-MAB Secretariat and others likely to be interested in the information provided.

Individual speakers mentioned other aspects of the challenge to improve information flow within the MAB family. The importance of preparing low-cost newsletters geared to the languages and situations of different regions was alluded to by several speakers. The role of the Regional Offices of Unesco in this respect was mentioned, such as the production of the newsletter "Ecoboletin" for the countries of Latin America by the

Unesco Regional Office in Montevideo. The insertion of a regular news section on MAB activities in the Unesco environmental bulletin Nature and Resources, published in five languages, was welcomed by the Council, as was the support provided by Unesco to other newsletters produced by professional societies which again included news on and about the MAB Programme; examples here included Wallaceana and the newsletter of the International Association of Ecology (INTECOL).

The Council endorsed the recommendation of the MAB Bureau that a prospectus on MAB be produced in an attractive format. This prospectus would be based on the MAB Operational Guidelines, would include graphics and photographs and would be widely distributed to MAB National Committees, •scientific institutions and scientists. It would include clear descriptions of how MAB operates, the MAB research agenda, the review procedures for research projects, etc. The Council expressed the hope that this prospectus would be available during the first half of 1987.

5.2 Information primarily for a broader audience

Man and Biosphere Book Series

The Council expressed warm and unanimous support for the proposed launching of a new MAB Man and the Biosphere Book Series, which was intended to reach a wider scientific audience than the existing Unesco series of MAB Technical Notes and state-of-knowledge reports. In noting that the series would be undertaken as a joint venture with a commercial publisher, the Council was informed that negotiations were in train between Unesco and two interested publishers.

The Council welcomed the intimation that Mr. John Jeffers - who has been associated with MAB since its inception - had agreed to be editor-in-chief of the series, supported by an editorial advisory board. The Council noted that a publishing rhythm of 3 to 4 books per year was envisaged, with the first number in the series expected in 1987. Among the expected first few titles in the series is a practical manual on eutrophication control, developed within the framework of MAB Project Area 5.

Bureau members expressed the hope that the books in this series would be produced in other languages in addition to English, for example through seeking out arrangements with French and Spanish language publishers. The possibility of books in the series being published in Chinese was also mentioned by the Chinese delegation.

Further information on the proposed Book Series, based on a working document considered by the Council, is given in Annex 12.

Ecology in Action posters

The Council recalled the recommendation of the Bureau, at its April 1986 meeting, that the Ecology in Action poster series and related products should be one of the information activities within MAB that should be curtailed. The Council recognized that

such proposed curtailment was occasioned in large part by budgetary restrictions within Unesco's Regular Programme and the abolition of the Information Officer post within the MAB Secretariat. The MAB Council was not unsympathetic to the debilitating effects on MAB's information programme of current financial stringencies, the decimation of Secretariat resources and the absence within the MAB Secretariat of someone with expertise in the communications field and with primary responsibility for information activities. The general feeling, however, was that in spite of present difficulties MAB should continue to strive to contribute to efforts for diversifying and diffusing ecological information.

Several speakers in effect indicated that the poster materials continued to be put to good use in their countries, particularly in promoting environmental awareness and in informing the wider general public and school children of the results and activities of the MAB Programme, as well as of recent developments in the ecological sciences. One delegate felt that the lifespan of these posters should be prolonged to the extent that they continued to be of value at the national level. The translation of posters into additional language versions (e.g. into German, by the MAB Committee of the German Democratic Republic) and the transformation of the posters into other formats (e.g. slide programme, students' resource kit) were specific activities welcomed by Council members, who nonetheless regretted the delays and hiccups that had occurred in the preparation of these adaptations.

In short, the Council felt that the information encapsulated in the Ecology in Action posters continued to serve a useful role in MAB's broader information activities, and urged that special arrangements with second party co-operators be sought in order to capitalize further on the investment represented by the Ecology in Action exhibit.

Biennial report

The Council recalled the recommendations of the Bureau at its April 1986 session, that a biennial report on MAB be produced in an attractive illustrated format. Such a report would be designed as a semi-popular account of the MAB Programme - its present status, recent activities, examples of substantive accomplishments, future directions, etc. It would comprise about 120-150 printed pages, at A4 size (29.7 cm x 21 cm). Its primary audience would be those taking part in MAB and others involved in environmental research and management interested in learning something about the programme's recent work. The aims and targets of the report would thus be - somewhat similar to those of the special issue on MAB published by Ambio in 1981. The substantive preparation of the report is being undertaken primarily by a two person team comprising a science writer familiar with the MAB Programme and a member of the MAB Secretariat.

The Council was informed of the present state of preparation of this report, and reviewed a sample draft chapter of the report, specifically a 12-page text on urban systems, as well as four examples of a double page

"... at a glance" summary of the main features and chronology of MAB activities in various problem areas.

The Council welcomed the opportunity of being able to peruse these sample materials in draft form, and expressed approval with their overall pitch and content. The Council noted that the manuscript of the report would be completed in the first quarter of 1987, that the publication of the English version was envisaged for the second quarter of 1987 and of a French version in the third quarter of 1987, and that the possibility of publication in other languages would be explored.

The Council suggested that National Committees might wish to prepare somewhat analogous biennial reports on their activities within the framework of the MAB Programme. Among other uses, such reports would enable the MAB Council to learn of national MAB activities and take these into account in its deliberations. Such reports were already being produced - on an annual or biennial basis - by a number of MAB Committees.

Other information materials

Films and television programmes provide an important outlet for reaching the broader public, and the Spanish delegate mentioned the initiative of the MAB Committee in his country in promoting a series of 50 television programmes featuring the yearly cycle in mediterranean ecosystems. The Council welcomed such initiatives by MAB National Committees, which would complement those initiated by Unesco. An example of the latter was the series "Only One Earth" presently being prepared as a co-production of the BBC and Unesco and a number of other co-operators. Video presentations were another medium that could be developed within the MAB Programme, subject to the availability of financial and human resources. A final point, mentioned by one speaker, concerned the desirability of preparing an updated brochure on MAB for the general public, as well as the need for Unesco to produce a booklet on public awareness and the environment.

5.3 Summary recommendations and conclusions

In conclusion, the Council:

(a) welcomed the new orientations in a revamped MAB communications policy, including the initiation of a Man and Biosphere Book Series, an illustrated prospectus based on the MAB Operational Guidelines and a biennial report, as well as the further development of the computerized system for the storage, handling and diffusion of bibliographic information on the results of MAB research;

(b) recommended that the following eight established MAB communications be continued, partly through increased use of co-operators and various National Committe'es : MAB Report Series (the Green Reports); Technical Notes (for selected projects and languages); the MAB newsletter - InfoMAB; the MAB publications catalogue; MAB1 s basic project inventories, National Committee listings and Biosphere Reserve Inventory; video productions (with co-operators); occasional feature stories in international journals (e.g. Ambio special issues);

(c) endorsed the Bureau's proposal for discontinuing the Natural Resources Research Series (now infrequently used, and amenable to transfer to other outlet forms) and the MAB slide/tape shows, which would be replaced by video presentations ;

(d) expressed the wish that measures for the further use of the Ecology in Action posters and related products be explored with interested MAB National Committees and second party co-operators, given the singular success and continuing usefulness of these materials;

(e) considered it highly important to provide for the early deployment within the MAB Secretariat of a specialist in communications and information matters;

(f) commended the need for an in-depth study on the possible further use of modern communications technologies in improving information flow within the MAB Programme;

(g) reiterated the recommendations of previous Council sessions that MAB National Committees take the responsibility of ensuring information flow between participating researchers and institutions, both nationally and in their regions, and to the extent possible internationally;

(h) suggested to the MAB Committees that they explore the possibility of producing biennial reports on their contribution to the MAB Programme.

6. MAB OPERATIONAL GUIDELINES

6.1 General considerations

The Council reviewed a document presenting a draft version of guidelines designed to provide information on the objectives, organization and activities of MAB, with emphasis on practical procedures on how MAB National Committees and individual scientists can participate in the programme. The Council welcomed this initiative and was in general agreement with the proposed text, which had been based on the discussions and recommendations of the General Scientific Advisory Panel. The Council therefore decided to adopt the principle of the preparation of these guidelines, but requested the Bureau to review the different sections of the draft and to refine these as appropriate at its future meetings in order that they could be finalized and published in different languages as soon as possible, for wide distribution amongst MAB National Committees and the Scientific Community. In order to help the Bureau in this work, it was suggested that all MAB National Committees be invited, to provide written comments on the draft operational guidelines, to be submitted to the Secretariat as soon as possible after the Council session.

6.2 MAB National Committees

The Council made a particular note of the section of the draft operational guidelines

referring to MAB National Committees and recalled that at its eighth session, it had requested that consideration be given to the role and the effectiveness of MAB National Committees and to the need for sustaining the structure of MAB in general. Indeed, the Council noted that even if the number of MAB National Committees had increased from 105 to 113 since its last session, there was still a need to fill gaps in developing regions. There were also considerable differences in the qualitative and quantitative characteristics of each MAB National Committee but, as a general rule it was necessary to strengthen all committees and render them more effective. In recalling the guiding principle for MAB National Committees formulated at its first session, the Council emphasized the need for each MAB National Committee to secure its own legal basis, to be endowed with clearly defined prerogatives and attributes, to ensure a continuous secretariat, and perhaps most important of all, to have dynamic leadership. The delegate of France suggested that each country should examine the means to mobilize its MAB National Committee along these lines, eventually with the assistance of the Unesco Secretariat. The delegate of the Federal Republic of Germany also suggested that MAB National Committees should be stimulated to review their activities in line with the new orientations for future MAB research adopted by the Council.

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7. CO-OPERATION WITH GOVERNMENTAL AND NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS AND OTHER SCIENTIFIC PROGRAMMES OF UNESCO

At several points in the Council's agenda, representatives of collaborating international organizations and programmes enriched the Council debate. Edited summaries of these various interventions follows:

DNEP

The representative of UNEP reaffirmed the continuing interest of his organization in working with Unesco and with MAB in particular, and gave some examples of past and ongoing joint activities. The implementation of the Action Plan for Biosphere Reserves, the pilot projects on tropical forests, the Microbiological Resources Centre (MIRCENS) and the International Environmental Education Programme (IEEP) to which UNEP has made substantial contributions were referred to as important programmes which should be continued in the future.

Reference was also made to relations within the MAB activities with the implementation of the World Conservation Strategy, the Charter for Nature, in the development of National Conservation Strategies, and other actions co-ordinated under the Ecosystem Conservation Group (UNEP-Unesco-FAO-IUCN). The UNEP representative expressed his feeling that this group provides an effective base for co-operation and action in management and conservation of ecosystems and natural resources.

He further mentioned joint activities in the area of arid and semi-arid zones, mountain ecosystems, tropical forests, as well as the development of present UNEP activities in the implementation of the environmental management of inland waters (EMINWA). Reference was also made to the benefits that the MAB Programme could derive from improved collaboration with the UNEP on activities concerning as INFOTERRA, GEMS, the recently established Global Resources Information Database (GRID) or the Regional Seas Programme.

Taking into consideration the financial restrictions being faced by the UN system, the UNEP representative expressed his full confidence that co-operation will be further strengthened both materially and intellectually.

FAQ

The representative of FAO thanked the Council for this opportunity to discuss FAO's interest and co-operation with the Man and the Biosphere Programme. FAO has been keenly interested in MAB since its inception for the important role it can play in answering inter-disciplinary questions related to sustainable economic development. He expressed the great interest with which he had listened to the discussions of the Council.

He recalled that FAO designs and executes development projects in the fields of agriculture, forestry and fisheries in all types of ecosystems which are intended to improve the economic and social well-being of people in developing countries. FAO projects range from the management of protected areas to the restoration of degraded systems to the intensive manipulation of these systems in order to increase production. Unfortunately, there were all too many occasions when these development activities must move ahead without the full benefit of scientific information regarding basic ecological processes, or how ecosystems respond to stress. This type of development was somewhat similar to a person trying to move through a dark room - progress is slow and unsure, there are occasional collisions with unanticipated obstacles and sometimes the person ends up not much further from where he began. He expressed the belief that MAB can play an essential role in shedding light on many development problems through inter­disciplinary, ecosystem based studies, such studies could respond to the greater emphasis being placed by many bilateral and multilateral development assistance organizations on issues broadly defined as "environment/development" or "sustainable development". However, relatively few organizations are addressing issues related to the scientific basis for achieving this sustainability.

Other points mentioned by the FAO representative included: the need to consider "who benefits?" in developing new research activities, and the special importance in this respect of people in rural areas who produce much of the food, fibre, and in many cases the fuel upon which urban areas depend; the key role of MAB lay in to moving between

31

the fields of science and management; the keen interest of FAO in such fields as integrated tropical farming systems including soil biology and fertility, responses of savannas to stress and disturbance, pastoral activities, forest regeneration and ecosystem rehabilitation in the humid tropics, and land use in coastal and estuarine systems.

He also referred to a number of areas of existing and potential co-operation between FAO and MAB, such as the establishment of an international Prosopis association, soil erosion and soil fertility, the Scientific Advisory Panel on Biosphere Reserves, the Tropical Forest Action Plan, the FAO/UNEP five-year project on the Inventory and Monitoring of Sahelian Pastoral Ecosystems. The FAO representative expressed the hope that the Council would agree that the opportunities for collaboration with MAB were large.

IÜCH

The representative of IUCN recalled that his organization and MAB already enjoy close collaboration in several areas of common and quoted several examples:

IUCN actively participated in the meetings of Cancun (September 1985) and La Paz (August 1986), to advise Unesco on the implementation of the Action Plan for Biosphere Reserves ;

IUCN, through its Conservation Monitoring Centre, maintains and updates the data base for existing Biosphere Reserves;

IUCN and MAB both participate in the Ecosystem Conservation Group;

ICSÜ

The representative of ICSU provided information on the "International Global Change Programme: a Study of Global Change", launched by ICSU in September 1986. The overall objective of the IGBP is "to describe and understand the interactive physical, chemical, and biological processes that regulate the total Earth system, the unique environment that it provides for life, the changes that are occurring in this system, and the manner in which they are influenced by human actions." The aim of IGBP is to develop a tightly defined programme of research directed at providing fundamental knowledge that will serve as a basis for assessing likely future changes on the Earth in the next 100 years. The emphasis on processes of change on time scales of decades to centuries defines an important focus, directing the effort at an array of emerging issues that are most likely to affect the course of life in the ensuing century, and that seem most amenable to prediction. The emphasis will be on interactive processes with five main subjects: process studies; observations and data collecting, including monitoring and space-based activities; development of global and interactive models; recovery of past environmental data; global data handling and dissemination. The intention is that the programme will achieve full status and operation in the early 1990s, and last at least a decade.

An idea of the thematic content of the Programme is provided by the subjects taken up in the IGBP1s planning phase: changes in the solid earth, and their use in palaeo-climatology and for studying future changes; changes in terrestrial ecosystems and associated changes in the chemistry of the atomosphere; modifications of marine ecosystems and associated problems of marine chemistry; solar-terrestrial relationships and changes in the upper atmosphere and near-earth space. The ICSU representative took note of the role MAB may have in the future in co-operating with ICSU in the development of the IGBP, a role that the Council members were urged to consider in depth and activate as soon as feasible.

IUCN recently completed a survey of protected areas in Africa, Oceania and in the Indo-Himalaya Realms, to identify gaps in the coverage of natural reserves and protected areas.

The IUCN representative also indicated some areas for future collaboration in the following fields :

- Training: discussions are underway, involving MAB, UNEP and IUCN, to jointly organize in situ seminars aimed at training specialists in the management and monitoring of Biosphere Reserves;

Research: considering the areas of concentration proposed in MAB1 s research plan, IUCN is looking forward to increased scientific collaboration, particularly in: arid and semi-arid lands; mountainous regions; coastal zones; islands; and tropical humid forests;

Data Monitoring: there was a need for better integration of conservation data between IUCN1s Conservation Monitoring Centre, UNEP's GRID system and the work of MAB. This would require the active participation of all three parties.

In each of these areas, IUCN is launching a major programme of study involving its international network of experts. These studies will provide guidelines to both users and decision-makers for the maintenance of bio-genetic diversity and the sustainable use of natural resources, in accordance with the objectives of the World Conservation Strategy.

Clearly there exists a convergence of interests between MAB and IUCN. It offers a great opportunity for a fruitful collaboration, drawing on the respective strengths, potentials, and complementarities of the two organizations.

32

COMAR

Since the early seventies, coastal marine research has blossomed as new methods and knowledge have allowed definitive experiments and new concepts to be applied to this extremely complex environment. This led in 1979 to the formal establishment in Unesco of the Major Inter-regional Project on Research and Training leading to the Integrated Management of Coastal Systems (COMAR-COastal MARine). The project is carried out through the Division of Marine Sciences and deals with coastal systems and pertinent aspects thereof, such as coral reefs, mangroves, seagrass, lagoons, coastal erosion, offshore productivity, traditional knowledge and management practices. COMAR consists of regional components and a global component. The ultimate goal is to provide a more reliable scientific basis for the management of the coastal marine environment and its resources.

The execution of joint MAB-COMAR activities reflects the linkage with the terrestrial environment especially where it concerns human impact and management. Recent examples concern the joint MAB-COMAR sponsorship of:

(i) consultant service to the Maldives,

(ii) the series of regional seminars in Southeast Asia on "man's impact on coastal systems" carried out with Japanese support, and

(iii) the in-service training programme in coastal development planning and management in Thailand.

Attention to coastal/marine biosphere reserves through a working group has been recommended by MAB's Scientific Advisory Panel on Biosphere Reserves and this appears an area for MAB-COMAR co-operation in the future.

* *

*

The Council welcomed the various indications of co-operation provided by the representatives of the various international organizations and programmes, and in particular expressed its gratitude for support provided to collaborative activities in various areas of mutual interest.

The Council expressed its gratitude to UNEP for continued co-operation with MAB in such fields as tropical forest ecosystems, and training in environmental management. It was noted that in the past, activities had been carried out jointly in many other fields including tropical mountain systems and ecological studies of urban areas and the Council hoped that a new generation of studies and projects in these and other areas might take shape over the coming months and years. It was considered especially desirable to maintain and if possible to increase the participation of UNEP in the implementation of the Action Plan for Biosphere Reserves.

The Council noted the continued co­operation with FAO, in such fields as plant genetic resources, social forestry, the use of woody shrubs in semi-arid zones, etc., and welcomed the offer for increased co­operation in the future.

In reference to the work of WHO, the Council noted that at the WHO meeting on Human Ecology and Health held in Delphi (Greece) in September 1986, several recommendations had been made which were pertinent to the fourth new orientation of MAB on human response to environmental stress. Efforts should be made to co-ordinate efforts in this field.

The Council took particular interest in the report and discussion* on ICSU's "International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP) - A Study of Global Change", that was presented in detail at various times during its session. The Council recognized that this will be a large integrated and inter-disciplinary programme, and felt that MAB had a very important part to play in this scientific endeavour. In concert with other governmental organizations and programmes, MAB would be in an excellent position to aid ICSU develop this important theme. Items of great importance for MAB would be in the domains of biological interactions, particularly in Biosphere Reserves, and in those comparative studies programmes contributing information about biological feedback to ecosystem and global processes. Global data assemblages and communication networks would be most useful.

It was noted that ecosystem process studies - especially how ecosystems respond, modify, and interact with changes in the environment - will be vital. The Council noted this is precisely what the pilot programmes of MAB were intended to do. Of particular interest to the MAB Council were desertification, changes in forest cover or type, stressed ecosystems of all types, and ecotones and boundary effects.

Data and inventories of all types of environmental characteristics and of ecosystems and their changes were also of particular interest to the Council. It was felt that MAB can be well suited to important developments in this subject area, particularly in collaboration with world resource data centres.

The Council was very interested in the role that Biosphere Reserves may play in the Global Change Programme, and took special note of the special needs for a network of sites. The feeling was expressed that many of the Biosphere Reserves, as currently structured, would be most valuable for the network.

The Council noted that, while social sciences are not an integral part of the proposed IGBP of ICSU, there will likely be high levels of complementarity from this ongoing work around the world. Focal areas will be created, and certainly by taking note of specific issues of human concern, international co-operation will be greatly enhanced.

33

A final point concerned articulation between Unesco's expanding interest on the use of remote sensing (including aérospatial) techniques in environmental research - such as the proposed conference in the USSR in 1988 - and the use of spacecraft within IGBP in detecting significant parameters of global change.

The Council thanked IUCN for its valuable contribution in implementing those parts of the Action Plan for Biosphere Reserves which came under its responsibility and for its constructive participation in the work of the Scientific Advisory Panel for Biosphere Reserves. The Council therefore looked forward to further MAB-IUCN co-operation in relation to work on arid and semi-arid lands, on

mountains, on coastal zones, on islands and on tropical humid forests. The Council counselled, however, that caution should be taken by both organizations to avoid duplication, for example as regards work on the restoration of degraded arid lands.

The Council further welcomed the co­operation existing between MAB and the UNU, COMAR and IHP. In this connection, however, the Council expressed the need to further improve co-ordination with some of the activities of COMAR and IHP, for example on IHP's work on the use of surface runoff water in arid zones. Such co-ordination would avoid overlap and mutually strengthen the individual programmes.

34

ANNEX 1

List of Participants/Liste des participants/ Lista de participantes/

ClDfCOK yMaCTHHKOB

M e m b e r States/ Etats m e m b r e s / Estados M i e m bros/rocyaapcTBa-H jieHbi

Angola/ AHrojia

Ms Maria BOAVIDA Cultural Attaché Permanent Delegation of Angola to Unesco

Austria/Autriche/ABCTPHH

Prof. Dr. F. EHRENDORFER Institut fur Botanik der Universitât Wien Rennweg, 14 A - 1030 WIEN

Brazil/Brésil/Brasil/Epa3HJiHfl

S. Exe. M.J. DE SOUZA MONTELLO Ambassador, Permanent Delegate Permanent Delegation of Brazil to Unesco

Mr. L.F. SEIXAS CORREA Deputy Permanent Delegate Permanent Delegation of Brazil to Unesco

Mr. F.A. MUGGIATI Secretary of the Embassy Sqs. 216, Bloco E. Apto.606 BRASILIA

Dr. Lucio GRINOVER Director Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism University of Sao Paulo Caixa Postal 3225 SAO PAULO

United Republic of Cameroon République-Unie du Cameroun República Unida del Camerún OëbeaHHeHHan PecnyôJiMKa KaiviepyH

Mr. Michel NJIENSI OUAKAM Professeur Ecole Nationale Supérieure Agronomique B.P. 4742 YAOUNDE

Canada/Canada/ KaHa.ua

Dr. Henri DORION Chairman Canadian Commission for Unesco MAB Committee Canada 99 Metcalfe St. OTTAWA KIP 5V8

Dr. Ernest ROOTS Science Advisor Department of Environment OTTAWA, Ontario K1A 0H3

Dr. George FRANCIS Dept. of Man-Environment Studies University of Waterloo WATERLOO, Ontario N2L 3G1

Ms Monique LACROIX Administative Officer MAB National Committee Canada Canadian Commission for Unesco 99 Metcalfe St. OTTAWA KIP 5V8

Mr. Richard BILL International Programs Officer Inland Waters Directorate Environment Canada Place Vincent Massey OTTAWA, Ontario, K1A OE7

China/Chine/lCHTaH

Mr. QIN LISHENG Chairman MAB National Committee of the People's Republic of China 52 Sanlije BEIJING

Prof. YANG HANXI Vice-Chairman MAB National Committee of the People's Republic of China 52 Sanlije Commission for Integrated Survey of Natural Resources

Chinese Academy of Sciences

Prof. LI WENHUA Secretary-General MAB National Committee of the People's Republic of China Commission for Integrated Survey of Natural Resources Chinese Academy of Sciences P.O. Box 767 BEIJING

Asso. Prof. ZHAO XIANYING Director for Secretariat MAB National Committee of the People's Republic of China 52 Sanlije BEIJING

35

Mr. CAO PIFU Director Office of Foreign Affairs of National Marine Bureau 1 Fuxingmenwai Avenue BEIJING

Mr. WANG MENGHO Director Nature Conservation Division Ministry of Forestry Hepingli BEIJING

Ms SHI SHUYUN National Commission of the People's Republic of China for Unesco 37 Damucanghutong Xidan BEIJING

Colombia/Colombie/ Ko.riyM6nH

Dr. A. CAICEDO AYERBE Ambassador Permanent Delegation of Colombia to Unesco

Ms Blanca DELGADO First Secretary Permanent Delegation of Colombia to Unesco

Congo/KoHro

Dr. Victor DOULOU Directeur, Activités Scientifiques et Technologiques

Ministère de la Recherche Scientifique B.P. 2499 BRAZZAVILLE

Cuba/Kyôa

Dra. Maria HERRERA ALVAREZ President MAB National Committee Cuba Avenue 212 y 19 Atabey LA HABANA

Czechoslovakia/Tchécoslovaquie Checoslovaquia/ HexocJiOBaKim

Prof. Vladimir LANDA Chairman MAB National Committee Academician Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences 31 Branisovska 37005 CESKE BUDEJOVICE

Ecuador/Equateur/ 3KBa^op

Mr. Miguel CARBO BENITES First Secretary, Permanent Delegation of Ecuador to Unesco

Dr. Wilson TORRES ESPINOSA President MAB National Committee Las Casas 18-58 y 11 Trnsv. QUITO

Egypt/Egypte/Egipto/ Ernner

Prof. M.A. AYYAD Botany Department Faculty of Science University of Alexandria P.O. Box 589 ALEXANDRIA

Mr. Kamal HEFNY Director Research Institute for Ground Water 15 Giza Street Giza CAIRO

F¡nland/Finlande/F¡nlandia/0HHJiHHann

Prof. Henrik WALLGREN Chairman MAB National Committee University of Helsinki Department of Zoology Arkadiank 7 SF-00100 HELSINKI 10

Dr. Matti HELMINEN MAB National Committee National Board of Forestry Office for National Parks Box 233 SF-00121 HELSINKI

France/Francia/ OpaHiinn

Dr. Gilbert LONG President MAB National Committee Directeur de l'Ecothèque Méditerranéenne Centre Louis Emberger/CNRS Route de Mende B.P. 5051 34033 MONTPELLIER Cedex

M. M.G. MARTIN Mlle. M. JARDIN Secrétariat du Comité MAB France Ministère de l'Environnement Mission Environnement-Développement 14 Boulevard du Général Leclerc 92524 Neuilly-sur-Seine

M. Michel BATISSE Conseiller en sciences de l'Environnement 9 Av. L. Bucquet 92380 GARCHES

M. M. BIED-CHARRETON Ministère de la Coopération Sous-Directeur de la Recherche 20 rue Monsieur 75700 PARIS

M. Georges AUBERT Responsable Forêt Tropicale 205 rue de Lourmel 75015 PARIS

M. Jacques LECOMTE Vice-President MAB National Committee Responsable Conservation Montée des Chèvres 91190 Gif-sur-Yvette

36

M. Claude LEROY Responsable Ecosystèmes urbains Institut Marcel Rivière 78320 LE MESNIL ST. DENIS

M. Maurice LE DEMEZET Responsable Ecosystèmes côtiers et insulaires I rue Le Greco 29200 BREST

Ms DELAYGUE Unesco National Commission for France 42 Avenue Raymond Poincaré 75016 PARIS

G a b o n / G a b ó n / TaôoH

Dr. Paul POSSO Director Research Institute for Tropical Ecology P.O. Box 13354 LIBREVILLE

Dr. Juste BOUSSIENGUET Secrétaire général Comité national MAB Conseiller Technique Ministère de l'Environnement et de la Protection de la Nature

B.P. 3634 LIBREVILLE

Germany, Federal Republic of Allemagne, République fédérale d' Alemania, República Federal de TepiviaHiifl, <t>e,aepaTHBHaa PecnyÔJiMKa

Mr. W. GOERKE Vorsitzender des MAB-Nationalkomitees Bundesministerium fur Umwelt Naturschutz und Reaktorsicherheit Graurheindorfer Str. 198 D-5300 BONN 1

Dr. E. BRUENIG Professor für Weltforstwirtschaft Universitat Hamburg Institute of World Forestry, FRCF Leuschner-Strasse 91 D-2050 HAMBURG 80

Ms J. HEINZ Secretary MAB National Committee Institut für Wirtchaftsgeographie der Universitat Franziskaner Strasse 2 D-5300 BONN 1

India/Inde/ H H ^ H H

Mr. Harsh Vardhan SHRINGLA Third Secretary Permanent Delegation of India to Unesco

II aly /1 tal ie/ Italia/ Ura-inn

Frof. Bruno BATTAGLIA Chairman MAB National Committee for Italy Dipto. di Blologia University Padova 10 via Loredan 35100 PADOVA

Professor Anna LORENZETTO Ordinario di educazione degli adulti Dipartimento di scienze dell'educazione Université "La Sapienza" Piazza della República 10 00185 ROMA

Ms Giuseppina ILLIANO DE PA0LI Scientific Secretary MAB National Committee Piazza Firenze 27 ROME

Japan/ Japon/ Japón/ flnoHun

Dr. Yasuo TAKAI MAB National Committee Nodai Research Institute Tokyo University of Agriculture 1-1-1 Sakuragaoko TOKYO 156

Mr. Takayoshi KASAI Deputy Director International Science' Division Science and International Affairs Bureau Ministry of Education, Science & Culture 3-2-2 Kasumigaseki Chiyoda-ku TOKYO

Mr. Masayuki INOUE First Secretary Japanese Permanent Delegation to Unesco

Kenya/ Kemin

Mr. J.K. MBALULI Deputy Permanent Delegate Kenya Permanent Delegation to Unesco

Mr. George KINGORI Kenya Permanent Delegation to Unesco

Ms T. KIPINGOR Kenya Permanent Delegation to Unesco

Malaysia/Malaisie/Malasia/MaJiaü3Hti

Mr. Idris TAIN Ambassador Malaysia Permanent Delegation to Unesco

Mr. Shaharuddin MOHD SOM Deputy Permanent Delegate Malaysia Permanent Delegation to Unesco

Mr. Abdulrahim NIK MAB National Committee FRIM P.S. 201 Kepong, Selangor 52109 KUALA LUMPUR

Mexico/Mexique/México/ Meiccnica

Dr. Luis VILLORO Ambassador Permanent Delegation of Mexico to Unesco

Dra. Maria Norma SUAREZ PANIAGUA Permanent Delegation of Mexico to Unesco

37

Nigeria/Nigeria/ Hwrepiin

Prof. N.M. GADZAMA MAB National Conraiittee Faculty of Science University of Maiduguri P.O. Box 1069 MAIDUGURI

Mr. S.A.B. OLAYODE Counsellor Nigeria Permanent Delegation to Unesco

Saudi Arabia/ Arabie Saoudite Arabia Saudita/ CayjjOBCKan ApasHu

Dr. Abdulbar ALGAIN Vice-President Meteorological and Environmental Protection Administration

P.O. Box 1358 JEDDAH

Spain/Espagne/Kspana/ Hcnatuiti

Prof. Emilio FERNANDEZ-GALIANO President MAB National Committee Catedrático de Botánica Facultad de Biología Universidad Complutense Ciudad Universitaria MADRID 28040

Dr. Enrique BALCELLS Rocamora Vice-President MAB National Committee Profesor de Investigación Vice-director del Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología del C.S.I.C.

Apartado 64 JACA (Huesca)

Dr. Ramón FOLCH i Guillen c) Casanova, 142 - ático 2a BARCELONA 08036

Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic République socialiste soviétique d'Ukraine República Socialista Soviética de Ucrania yicpanHCKan CoBeTCKan CounajincTHHecKaíi PecnySjiHKa

Academician Konstantin M. SITNIK Chairman MAB National Committee Vice-Presient of the Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR

54 Vladimirskaya St. 252 601 KIEV 30

Mr. Anatoli M. ZLENKO Permanent Delegate Permanent Delegation of the Ukrainian SSR to Unesco

Mr. Sergei N. BOROVIK First Secretary Unesco National Commission ul. K. Liebknehta 15/1 252024 KIEV

Union of Soviet Socialist Republics Union des républiques socialistes soviétiques Unión de Repúblicas Socialistas Soviéticas C O K > 3 CoBeTCKMx CouMajiHCTMiecKiix PecnyôjiMK

Mr. Vladimir S0K0L0V President MAB National Committee 33 Leninsky Prospect MOSCOW

Mr. Valéry NERONOV Executive Secretary MAB National Committee 13 Fersman Street 117312 MOSCOW

Ms Svetlana S0K0L0VA MAB National Committee 33 Leninsky Prospect MOSCOW

Sudan/Soudan/Sudán/CyaaH

Mr. Asim Ibrahim EL MOGHRABY MAB National Committee University of Khartoum KHARTOUM

Observers/Observateurs/Observadores/ HaOJiioaaTejiii

Algeria/ Algérie/ Argelia/ A J I J K H P

Mr. N. GAOUAOU Second Secretary Permanent Delegation of Algeria to Unesco

Argentina/Argentine/ApreHTHHa

Mr. Adrián G . MIRSON Counsellor Permanent Delegation of Argentina to Unesco

Belgium/Belgique/Bélgica/EeJibrHii

Dr. Greta VERVLIET Science Counsellor Unit for Scientific Research Ministry of Flanders' Community Palmerstonlaan 6 B-1040 BRUSSELS

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Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic République socialiste soviétique de Biélorussie República Socialista Soviética de Bielorrusia EeJiopyccKan CoBeTcicaa CounaJincTnnecKaH PecnyôJiMKa

Mr. Victor PARFENOV Vice-President MAB BSSR Director of the Institute of Experimental Botany

Academy of Sciences of the BSSR Akademicheskaya St.27 220072 MINSK

Mr. Victor KOLBASSINE Permanent Delegate Permanent Delegation of the Byelorussian SSR to Unesco

Mr. Oleg LAPTENOK Second Secretary Permanent Delegation of the Byelorussian SSR to Unesco

Central African Republic République centrafricaine República Centroafrícana UeHTpajibHoachpHKaHCKaH Pecnyôjiiiica

Mr. Joachim GUELEMBI First Counsellor Permanent Delegation of Central African Republic to Unesco

German Democratic Republic/ République démocratique allemande/ República Democrática Alemana/ TepiviaHCKan /leMOKpaTMMecKan PecnyôJiMKa

Prof. Dr. E. SEIDEL Chairman MAB National Committee Centre for Protection and Improvement of Environment Schnellerstrasse 140 DDR 119 BERLIN

lraq/Irak/MpaK

Mr. Mahmood CLOR Secretary MAB National Committee Scientific Research Council BAGHDAD

Democratic Kampuchea / Kampuchea démocratique Kampuchea Democrática AeMOKpaTMiecKasi Kaivinymisi

Mr. M . NG0 PIN-Ambassador, Deputy Permanent Delegate Permanent Delegation of Democratic

Kampuchea to Unesco

Netherlands/Pays-bas/Países Bajos/ Hmiepjiaaabi

Mr. Hans van EMDEN Secretary MAB National Committee P.O. Box 19121 1000 G.C. AMSTERDAM

Sweden/Suède/Suecia/ UlaeuMfl

Dr. Uno SVEDIN Naturresurskommittén FRN Box 6710 113 85 STOCKHOLM

Dr. AnnMari JANSSON MAB National Committee Askô Laboratory University of Stockholm 10691 STOCKHOLM

Organizations of the United Nations System/ Organisations du système des Nations Unies/

Organizaciones del sistema de las Naciones Unidas/ O p r a H m a u H H cwcTeivibi OpraiunaiiHH 06-beziHHeHHbix Haiwft

Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) World Health Organization (WHO)

Mr. J. TSCHIRLEY Environment Programme Officer Research and Technological Development Division FAO Via délie Terme di Caracalla 00100 ROME Italy

United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

Mr. Bernardo ZENTILLI Senior Programme Officer UNEP P.O. Box 30552 NAIROBI Kenya

Mr. Gordon STOTT WHO 1211 GENEVA 27 Switzerland

United Nations University (UNO)

Dr. Ignacy SACHS Director The Food-Energy Nexus Programme 54 Boulevard Raspail 75006 PARIS France

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Other Intergovernmental Organizations Autres Organisations Intergouvernementales Otras Organizaciones Intergubernamentales

Commission of the European Communities (CEC)

Mr. Adolfo COMBA 61 rue des Belles Feuilles 75782 PARIS CEDEX 16 France

International Non-governmental Organizations/ Organisations internationales non gouvernementales/ Organizaciones internacionales no gubernamentales/

MewayHapoflHbie HenpaBHTejibCTBeHHbie opramuaurai International Council of Scientific Unions (ICSU)

Prof. F. BOURLIERE 15, Avenue de Tourville 75007 PARIS France

Dr. Otto SOLBRIG President International Union of Biological Sciences (IUBS)

Harvard University 22 Divinity Avenue CAMBRIDGE, Mass. 02138 USA

Dr. F. di Castri Directeur CNRS/CEPE Ministère de l'Industrie et de la Recherche B.P. 5051 34033 MONTPELLIER France

Ms Gema MAURY-LECHON IUBS 51 Boulevard de Montmorency 75016 PARIS France

Mr. P. THACHER c/o World Resources Institute 1735 New York Avenue, NW WASHINGTON, D.C. 20006 USA

International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN)

Mr. Frederic BRIAND Executive Officer Commission on Ecology IUCN Avenue du Mont-Blanc 1196 GLAND Switzerland

Ms Julia MARTON LEFEVRE Deputy Executive Secretary ICSU 51 Boulevard de Montmorency 75016 PARIS France

Mr. Carlton RAY Department of Environmental Science University of Virginia CHARLOTTSVILLE, Va. 22903 USA

Dr. Talal YOUNES Executive Secretary International Union of Biological Sciences (IUBS)

51 Boulevard de Montmorency 75016 PARIS France

40

Secretariat/Secrétariat/Secretaría/CeKperapHaT

Mr. A.R. KADDOÜRA Assistant Director-General for Science

Mr. S. DUMITRESCU Deputy Assistant Director-General for Science Division of Water Sciences

Mr. B. von DROSTE Secretary International Co-ordinating Council of the Programme on Man and the Biosphere (MAB)

Director Division of Ecological Sciences

Mr. V. KOLYBINE Environment Education Section Division of Science Technology and Vocation Education

Mr. D. KRAUSE Director Division of Marine Sciences

Mr. P. AYALA Ms M. BAGANZICAHA Mr. J. CELECIA Mr. G. GLASER Mr. M. HADLEY Mr. M. KABALA Mr. L. PALADE Ms J. ROBERTSON Mr. M. SKOURI Programme Specialists Division of Ecological Sciences

Mr. M. DYER Mr. F. FOURNIER Ms M. HOLLAND Mr. N. ISHWARAN Consultants Division of Ecological Sciences

Mr. Kuswata KARTAWINATA Unesco Regional Office for Science and Technology for South-East Asia

ROSTSEA

Mr. M. STEYAERT Mr. D. TROOST Division of Marine Sciences

Ms E. WANGARI Unesco Regional Office for Science and Technology for Africa

Mr. R. GRIFFITHS Intergovernmental Océanographie Commission

Mr. J. GLADWELL Division of Water Sciences

Mr. W. TOCHTERMANN Division of Human Settlements and Socio-Cultural Environment

Dr. W. LUISIGI Coordinator Unesco Kenya Arid Lands Research Station Project

Marsabit Kenya

41

ANNEX 2

OPENING ADDRESS BY MR. A.R. KADDOURA ASSISTANT DIRECTOR-GENERAL OF UNESCO

Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen,

My first duty is to convey to you the apologies of Mr. Amadou-Mahtar M'Bow, the Director-General of Unesco, who is currently on an official visit to New York, for being unable to be with us this morning. Accordingly, it is I who have the honour and pleasure of welcoming you to the opening of the ninth session of the International Co-ordinating Council of the Programme on Man and the Biosphere (MAB) . I should like to greet all the representatives of Member States and, in particular, those whose countries were elected members of this Council at the twenty-third session of the General Conference of Unesco. Greetings also to the representatives of governmental and non-governmental organizations and of those, in particular, that are closely associated with the implementation of the MAB Programme.

The presence of many observers from States that are not members of the Council and of various governmental and non-governmental organizations testifies to the abiding interest taken by Member States and by the international community in general in the MAB Programme.

As you know, Mr. Gonzalo Halffter, the Chairman of your Council, has been obliged at the last moment, for family reasons, to cancel his trip to Paris. I should like to offer him our sympathy and to extend to him my sincere thanks for his dedicated and skilful endeavours during his two years as Chairman of your Council and its Bureau. I should also like to thank the other members of the Bureau for all their efforts to guarantee the effective co-ordination and supervision of the MAB activities over the past two years.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The current session of the International Co-ordinating Council of the MAB Programme is of particular importance, since it coincides with the start of the preparation of the Programme and Budget for the 1988-1989 biennium and the elaboration of the third Medium-Term Plan covering the period 1990-1995. Like the other intergovernmental councils of the Organization's major scientific programmes, your Council is accordingly invited to define, for the MAB

Programme and unity

and of

I would single

Programme, the main lines of approach to be adopted in drafting the documents to be submitted to the General Conference at its next two sessions, during which the Programme and Budget for 1988-1989 and the third Medium-Term Plan respectively will be examined.

As you are aware, the General Conference at its twenty-third session held in Sofia in October-November 1985 approved the Action Plan for Biosphere Reserves adopted at the eighth session of your Council, together with various proposals made on that occasion with a view to securing the harmonious development of the MAB guaranteeing its coherence management.

Among these proposals, out those relating to the establishment of two scientific advisory panels, one to consider the general orientation of the MAB Programme and the other to monitor the implementation of the Action Plan for Biosphere Reserves.

Specialists of worldwide repute have been chosen as members of these two panels by Mr. Gonzalo Halffter, Chairman of your Council, with the help of officials from the International Council of Scientific Unions (ICSU) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN). Each of these panels has held two meetings - the first panel in Banff (Canada) in August 1985 and at ICSU Headquarters in Paris in April 1986, and the second in Cancun (Mexico) in September 1985 and in La Paz (Bolivia) in August 1986.

I would take this opportunity to thank all the specialists who took part in the work of these panels as well as all the countries (in particular, Bolivia, Canada and Mexico) and the International Council of Scientific Unions, whose efficient help facilitated the organization of these meetings and ensured that they were a success.

I am convinced that the work of these two panels, which you will be considering at this session, will be such as to give new impetus to the MAB Programme and to strengthen its scientific foundations.

It is obvious that a scientific programme such as the MAB Programme must constantly renew itself in order to keep abreast of advances in scientific knowledge (to which it contributes) and changing patterns in the problems that underlie it, and to take account of the experience gained in the implementation of the programme itself.

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With such considerations in mind, the scientific advisory panel responsible for studying the general orientation of the MAB Programme concluded its work by laying down the following three guiding principles: maintain a continuity with the work carried out over the past 15 years; develop new lines of research in the light of recent scientific advances which are likely to contribute to a better understanding of the problems of natural resources management and human/environment relationships over the . next decade; produce a research plan compatible with the funds likely to be available for the continuation of activities in progress and for the initiation of the new activities proposed.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

After these few general remarks on the work of the two scientific advisory panels, I should like to make some more specific comments on a few of the key items on the provisional agenda before you.

Item 6 is concerned with the Action Plan for Biosphere Reserves. As you will be aware, the launching of the Action Plan for Biosphere Reserves has been the major event in the MAB Programme in the last two years. This Action Plan represents an operational framework for the strengthening of the international biosphere reserves network. That network currently comprises 252 reserves situated in over 66 different countries. The advisory panel responsible for monitoring the implementation of this Plan has addressed itself not only to the evaluation of existing reserves but also to the identification of resources with which to strengthen the established network. It has also explored in greater depth the concept of biosphere reserves and the criteria for their selection.

MAB National Committees in a number of countries such as Czechoslovakia, India, China and France have taken the initiative of organizing many meetings at the national or regional level on the implementation of the Action Plan for Biosphere Reserves. The success of these meetings clearly illustrates the interest generated by this important part of the MAB Programme. It is for your Council to assess the results of such initiatives and to take the necessary steps to continue this work in accordance with the provisions of the Action Plan and in the light of the proposals and recommendations of the Advisory Panel.

With regard to item 7 of the agenda relating to the MAB scientific programme, I should like to begin by renewing my congratulations to the General Scientific Advisory Panel for its relevant and constructive proposals.

The stress placed on methodological questions and the importance given to the study of human factors should be underlined. Indeed, the originality of the MAB Programme compared with other scientific programmes concerned with environmental problems lies, surely, precisely in the fact that the human factor in these problems is given in due weight. Provision is also made for comparative studies to facilitate exchanges of information and experience and promote

global surveys. All this will help to expand the facilities for research in the fields associated with MAB and to maximize the benefits of existing scientific and technological achievements in these fields.

Strengthening the scientific foundations of MAB should by no means diminish its practical side. Consultations of Member States over the past year clearly emphasize the need to harness research more closely to socio-economic development in order to meet the challenges facing our societies in the spheres of environmental protection, land-use planning and the management of natural resources.

The Research Plan that you will be considering at this session provides an appropriate framework for the development of international co-operation in these fields. Each country must adapt this Plan to its own needs and specific circumstances and determine what contribution it can make to strengthening regional and international co-operation under the auspices of MAB.

Item 8 on training and institution-building is, in my view, of particular importance. I need hardly remind you that the essential role of Unesco is to promote the advancement of humanity and the development of human intellectual and spiritual faculties, and likewise to strengthen the capabilities of scientific and technical institutions in its Member States. The activities carried under the MAB Programme in these fields are highly appreciated. They should be continued and expanded so as to provide the least developed countries with the human resources and scientific structures that will enable them to make better use of available scientific and technological knowledge and to contribute more effectively to the development of that knowledge.

On matters specifically related to environmental education, I should like to draw your attention to the international congress to be organized jointly by Unesco and UNEP next year in Moscow (USSR). That conference will afford an excellent opportunity to take stock of what has been done and of the progress made over the past ten years. In particular, it will provide an opportunity for scientists and educationists to compare ideas and research findings in the environmental sciences. I invite your Council to consider what contribution MAB can make to such a conference, the importance and value of which will not escape you.

With regard to item 9 of the provisional agenda concerning "MAB information and communication of research results", I should like to stress the special effort being made in this area under the MAB Programme. That effort has been rewarded by the great success of the "Ecology in Action" exhibit and the various MAB audio-visual documents, and is apparent in the many scientific and technical publications generated by this programme. I would encourage you to continue this effort, making use of the opportunities afforded by new audio-visual techniques such as television and video cassettes in order to secure the widest possible circulation of the results of MAB-sponsored research and the many messages that flow from it relating both to the protection of the environment and to the improvement of people's living conditions.

The MAB Programme's relations with organizations and other international programmes of a similar nature, the subject of item 10 of your provisional agenda, will certainly engage your attention. I shall not dwell on this item, since the MAB Programme has from the start associated a number of governmental and non-governmental organizations, such as UNEP, FAO, WMO, WHO, ICSU and IUCN, in both its planning and its implementation.

The last item on the provisional agenda on which I should like to comment is item 11, "Enhancing the effectiveness of the MAB Programme". This item will undoubtedly be central to your deliberations, since it concerns the various practical and logistical questions on which the success of the Programme as a whole depends. Given the highly decentralized nature of the Programme and the fact that it is executed under the auspices of National Committees, it is essential that such committees are well-structured and properly funded. Member States should accordingly create - with the help of the International Secretariat if necessary - favourable conditions for the proper functioning of these committees. Your Council has due authority to put forward proposals in this connection.

As regards the international secretariat, which is provided by the Division of Ecological Sciences, the resources at its disposal remain, ultimately, somewhat restricted in relation to the scope of the programme. However, its own momentum and the interest shown in it by Member States have given the MAB Programme "multiplier" effects that have made it possible to mobilize substantial extra-budgetary funds which have facilitated the development of major operational projects in the field. It is important, therefore, to persevere in this direction so as to strengthen the programme's operational character.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

This rapid review of the main items on the provisional agenda for this session emphasizes

the scale and complexity of the task awaiting you. I am, however, convinced that you will see this task through to completion, given that many of you are thoroughly conversant with the programme and in view of the quality of the preparatory work carried out by the two scientific advisory panels, the results of which are submitted to this session.

I am pleased to note that the discussion of scientific topics will continue at the lectures to be delivered by three eminent specialists in the course of the meeting tomorrow afternoon. Those lectures will outline the general procedures and methodological approaches usual under the MAB Programme, together with the results of a number of projects and activities illustrative of those procedures and approaches. Lectures of this kind, open to the general public, should heighten the impact of the MAB Programme. I should like to offer my thanks and congratulations in advance to the three lecturers, and especially to our former colleague Francesco di Castri, as well as to the various distinguished persons who responded to our invitation.

I should also like to remind you that your session is being held a few weeks away from the celebration of the fortieth anniversary of Unesco, whose Constitution came into effect on 4 November 1946 and whose first General Conference opened on 20 November here in Paris.

For 40 years, Unesco has worked ceaselessly for greater intellectual co­operation in the sphere of education, science and culture.

The MAB Programme has done much, over the last 15 years, to help develop such co­operation. I congratulate you on this and invite you to give thought to ways of continuing that co-operative effort in ways that are consonant with the spirit of Unesco's Constitution and in the framework of this programme, in which humanity has a central place.

Thank you in advance, and I wish you every success in your work.

ANNEX 3

REPORT OF THE APRIL 1986 MEETING OF THE MAB BUREAD

INTRODUCTION

The Bureau of the International Coordinating Council for the Man and Biosphere Programme (MAB) met at Unesco Headquarters, Paris, on 24-25 April 1986. The meeting was chaired by Mr. G. Halffter, Chairman of the Council. Bureau members Mr. Yang Hanxi and Mr. M. Njiensi were present. Three members of the Bureau - Mr. G. Page, Mr. M. Sedrati and Mr. V. Sokolov - were unable to attend, and were represented respectively by Mr. F. Roots, Mr. M. Hammouni and Mr. M. Naciri, and Mr. V. Neronov. The Director-General of Unesco was represented by Mr. A. R. Kaddoura, Assistant Director-General for Science. Mr. B. von Droste, Director of the Division of Ecological Sciences and Secretary of the MAB Council, acted as Secretary of the meeting. Other members of the Unesco Secretariat also took part. On Thursday, 24 April, a joint sesssion was held with members of the General Scientific Advisory Panel (which had met for its second meeting at ICSU Headquarters in Paris from 21-24 April).

In welcoming members of the Bureau on behalf of the Director-General of Unesco, Mr. Kaddoura outlined the principal items on the Bureau's provisional agenda. He mentioned the repercussions to MAB of the decisions of the last session of the General Conference of Unesco held in Sofia in October-November 1985. Notwithstanding the general support accorded by the General Conference to MAB, the Programme - as well as the other Intergovernmental Scientific Programmes of Unesco - was having to operate in 1986-87 with considerably less resources, from the Regular Programme of Unesco, than hitherto. At a time when the organization and its programmes were going through a difficult period, Unesco counted greatly on the solidarity and support of all those who continue to strive to put the concepts of programmes such as MAB into practice. Looking to the future, Mr. Kaddoura referred to the special importance of this particular meeting of the Bureau in preparing the groundwork for the ninth session of the MAB Council, which in turn was critical for making recommendations on what the shape of MAB might be in the first half of the 1990s.

The Chairman of the Council, Mr. Halffter, in welcoming Bureau members to the meeting, underlined some of the distinctive characteristics of MAB and the contribution that the Programme had made and was making to ecological science and to harnessing of research to socio-economic development. He felt that the present time was one of opportunity, and underlined the particular importance of developing the potential provided by the biosphere reserve concept and comparative studies.

The Secretary of the Council, Mr. von Droste, reported on events since the last session of the MAB Council, in the principal thematic areas covered by the programme. For each area (e.g., arid lands, humid tropical ecosystems, urban systems), Mr. von Droste indicated some of the major advances in the development of the networks of pilot projects and the use of field projects for training and demonstration purposes. He informed the Bureau of progress in the planning of new comparative studies in some relatively finely focussed technical areas and in the implementation of the Action Plan for Biosphere Reserves. Bureau members complemented this information with accounts of recent and planned activities in their own countries and regions.

REPORT OF THE GENERAL SCIENTIFIC PANEL

At its eighth session in December 1984, the MAB Council empowered its chairman, Mr. G. Halffter, to set up a General Scientific Advisory Panel, with the task of reviewing the scientific programme of MAB and making recommendations on ways and means to disseminate and implement new criteria, concepts, techniques and methods throughout MAB activities with the objective of maintaining a good and credible scientific programme; the strengthening of scientific and regional networks within MAB; and the provision of general scientific counsel . The Panel met on two occasions (in August 1985 in Banff, Canada, and in April 1986 at ICSU Headquarters in Paris) and the Chairman of the second meeting of the Panel, Mr. 0. Solbrig, presented the panel's report to the Bureau.

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The principal outcome of the panel discussions was a proposed restructuring of the international research plan of MAB with three needs in mind:

(1) to maintain a continuity with the work that has evolved over the past 15 years under the MAB Programme;

(2) to develop new research directions that link recent advances in science with the new generation of environmental and resource issues and opportunities for the 1990s;

(3) to produce a research plan that is achievable within the resources likely to be available for undertaking and servicing the programme.

The recommended medium-term research plan for MAB supplements the original 14 project areas for national efforts in MAB. The proposed plan builds on the perceived strengths of MAB; attempts to overcome major shortcomings, and presents a more concentrated focus for the international research programme. The overall focus of the research would emphasize the actions of mankind as a part of biospheric processes and give special attention to ecosystems and functions that have been degraded or enhanced by human activities. Four research orientations are identified, with three of these proposed for development in a first stage: Ecosystem functioning under different intensities of human impact; Management and restoration of human-impacted resources; Human investment and resource use; Human response to environmental stress.

These orientations draw upon the particular research arrangements and methods that have been part of MAB's history. Such arrangements are unique to MAB and include the pilot projects, comparative studies and basic research undertaken at biosphere reserves. Each provides a particular and distinct advantage for furthering and integrating the studies within each topic. The pilot studies provide the way to organize intensive analyses that can integrate more than one of these orientations. The comparative studies provide the way to develop collaborative efforts leading to a broad synthesis within and between key biogeographical systems. And finally, the biosphere reserves provide an extensive network of "laboratories" for research, monitoring, conservation of research findings and application. A diversity of research techniques and paradigms - so essential to research creativity - would need to be used in studies contributing to these three research instruments. A strengthening of the peer review process, and mechanisms for screening and evaluation of research projects contributing to the international core of MAB are envisaged.

The panel had also considered MAB training programmes and communications policy. Training programmes in MAB should be upgraded to capitalize fully on the recent strengthening of MAB's research; new initiati­

ves in training should be focussed around MAB ' s most successful projects, with formal training increasingly at the centres of academic excellence in the ecological regions where the activities are taking place. Review of MAB's various communication materials indicates a need for streamlining and reducing costs; recommendations include the elimination of two publication categories, the conversion of others for cooperative release through commercial arrangements, and the introduction of a MAB Book Series through commercial publishers. A prospectus for MAB should also be prepared, in attractive format. It would be based on an existing draft Operational Guidelines and would include graphics and photographs, and clear descriptions of how MAB operates, the research agenda, and nomination and review procedures for research projects.

The Bureau warmly welcomed the report of the panel, and the prospects that its recommendations provided for the future development of MAB. Present knowledge of environmental processes, including the results of MAB programmes themselves, makes it clear that the biosphere is not so much . a quasi-stable condition subject to external impact by human actions as a system in continuous dynamic interaction, in which stresses caused by human activities of all kinds become an integral part. The Bureau concurred with the panel's view that programmes designed under such a concept would move MAB research into topics of current and emerging environmental policy concern, would connect it to the most active of ongoing research and scholarship in the natural and social sciences, and would draw upon the unique research arrangements that MAB had developed and tested. At the same time, Council members recalled that MAB was a worldwide programme, that had attracted considerable support from countries with different needs and priorities and at various stages of scientific development, and that it was crucial to ensure that all countries could find their place to contribute to the new research programme. The Bureau also emphasized that the notions of continuous change on a variety of time and space scales, areas of varying stability and vulnerability and unexpected events should be recurrent and explicit in the drawing up of the research agenda under the various themes.

In conclusion, the Bureau

thanked the General Scientific Advisory Panel on the satisfactory completion of the tasks entrusted to it;

endorsed in general terms the recommendations of the panel;

requested that the report of the panel annexed to the Bureau's own report be distributed in May 1986 to all MAB National Committees under cover of a MAB Circular Letter;

recommended that an expanded report of the panel's deliberations be published in the MAB Report Series;

charged the Secretariat to use the panel's report and recommendations as the basis for preparing working documents for consideration by the HAB Council at its ninth session in October 1986.

BIOSPHERE RESERVES AND ACTION FLAN FOR BIOSPHERE RESERVES

Report and Recommendations of the Scientific Advisory Panel for Biosphere Reserves

At its eighth session in December 1984, the MAB Council requested its Chairman, Dr. Gonzalo Halffter, to establish, in addition to a Scientific Advisory Panel for the MAB Programme in general, a Scientific Advisory Panel for Biosphere Reserves. The task of this latter Panel was to refine criteria for the selection and management of biosphere reserves, to evaluate proposals for new biosphere reserves, to review the effectiveness of the network and to recommend means and ways for reviewing and future planning of the implementation of the Action Plan for Biosphere Reserves, itself adopted by the MAB Council in December 1984. The Scientific Advisory Panel for Biosphere Reserves convened its first meeting on 2-6 September 1985, in Cancun (Mexico) at the invitation of MAB-Mexico and the Mexican authorities. Its report was submitted to the Bureau of the MAB Council.

The members of the Bureau generally agreed that the Scientific Advisory Panel for Biosphere Reserves had undertaken some very useful work to strengthen the biosphere reserve concept and its application and in recommending certain measures for implementing the Action Plan for Biosphere Reserves. It noted in particular that the concept is not an easy one to understand and put into practice in the field, thereby moving from the traditional notion of a protected area to that of a dynamic, multi­functional biosphere reserve with man and the man-nature interaction as its rationale. In this connection, the Bureau emphasized that the Action Plan for Biosphere Reserves was giving a new opportunity to MAB National Committees to improve the overall quality of the international network.

The Bureau discussed the report of the Cancun meeting at some length and highlighted the following points:

- Traditional cultures and biosphere reserves. The Bureau emphasized that biosphere reserves can serve to help to conserve traditional cultures in a dynamic, positive manner which takes account of the needs and aspirations of the people concerned. Biosphere reserves provide particularly a means to maintain specific desirable features of such cultures, for example the use of ancient, hardy breeds of domestic livestock or crops, which would otherwise be "lost".

- Criterion of représentativité. The Bureau suggested that there may be a useful link­up with the work of the International

Hydrological Programme (IHP), which had reviewed questions of representativity and comparability arising from its programme, now terminated, on identifying "representative hydrological basins".

- Computerized inventories. The Bureau stressed that such efforts should help to provide better exchanges of information between biosphere reserves, following a standardized format.

- Questionnaire. The Bureau underscored the need to communicate the benefits accrued in each biosphere - reserve and suggested that the questionnaire should contain a section concerning what biosphere reserve managers viewed as being the "desired end result" for their individual reserves.

- Regional planning. The Bureau noted that MAB-USSR is actively looking into this function of biosphere reserves and is planning a workshop in 1989 to which specialists from other parts of Europe will be invited.

- Training. The Bureau recognized that a great effort had to be done to train biosphere reserve managers and middle-level technicians, particularly to provide appropriate interdisciplinary training to avoid a continuation of a sectoral, protectionist approach in the management of existing biosphere reserves. In this connection, the Bureau welcomed MAB-USSR's proposal to host a training workshop for the Asiatic biosphere reserves.

- The implementation of the Action Flan for Biosphere Reserves by MAB National Committees. The Bureau noted with satisfaction that several meetings were planned or had taken place to promote regional or national initiatives to implement the Action Plan, for example: the European MAB Conference on Biosphere Reserves and Ecological Monitoring: implementation of the Action Plan for Biosphere Reserves, organized by MAB-Czechoslovakia on 24-28 March 1986 at Ceske Budejovice; the workshop on the implementation of the Action Plan for Biosphere Reserves in the Mediterranean region, organized by MAB-France, on 8-12 September 1986 at Florae in the Cévennes Biosphere Reserve; and the National Indian Symposium on Biosphere Reserves, organized by MAB-India on 22-26 September 1986 at Ootacammud. The Bureau stressed the importance of such meetings, and suggested that every opportunity be taken to promote the Action Plan at MAB meetings in biosphere reserves, for example at the International Conference on Temperate Forest Ecosystem Management and Environment Protection organized by MAB-China on 5-11 July 1986 at the Changbaishan Biosphere Reserve in China.

The Bureau recommended that the Scientific Advisory Panel for Biosphere Reserves, at its next meeting, should give further consideration to the following points:

- measurement of success of individual biosphere reserves, including the means to explain what are the costs and the benefits of biosphere reserves to regional planners, decision-makers, local peoples and the biosphere reserve managers themselves. Indeed, although each reserve is different, from the points of view of scientific advancement and model sites for development policy-makers, there is value in explicitly publicising how successful biosphere reserves are attaining their objectives.

- means of integration of the different functions of biosphere reserves, in order to make, for example, the national parks which are designated as biosphere reserves (and hence established by public authorities, not scientists) evolve in the direction of adopting the other biosphere reserve functions, as described in the Action Plan.

- MAB research in biosphere reserves.

- use of biosphere reserves for monitoring, particularly taking up the recommendations of the Ceske Budejovice Conference for a standardized methodology , set of parameters, and equipment. Appropriate links should be promoted with UNEP/GEMS/GRID, WMO, IIASA and ICSU/CODATA. Reference should also be made to the proposed Conference on the application of space-borne remote sensing techniques to ecological research in 1988.

- environmental education and the proposed meeting on "10 years after Tbilissi".

The Bureau considered the recommendations and suggestions of the Scientific Advisory Panel for Biosphere Reserves as follows:

a) The Bureau endorsed the Panel's recommendations to:

* invite each MAB National Committee to set up a working group on biosphere reserves to strengthen national capabilities ;

* prepare a questionnaire to be sent out by the MAB Secretariat to MAB National Committees and biosphere reserve managers to evaluate the present status of each biosphere reserve;

* request MAB National Committees to foster the development of regional training workshops for managers of biosphere reserves ;

* give priority to the development of plant and animal inventories in biosphere reserves and promote training in this field;

* prepare a list of candidate "model biosphere reserves";

* request the MAB Secretariat to bring Action 25 of the Action Plan to the attention of the World Bank and other international and regional development-financing organisations;

* request Unesco-MAB to provide financial support to young scientists preparing graduate or post-graduate theses using biosphere reserves as study sites.

b) The Bureau noted the Panel's discussions and suggestions concerning:

* the evolution of the biosphere reserve concept and its application;

* the selection criteria for biosphere reserves ;

* a study to identify cultural traditions existing within biosphere reserves;

* the preparation of a regionally arranged list of biosphere reserves where pilot projects demonstrating the successful involvement of local people exist;

* the preparation of a public information brochure on biosphere reserves and the circulation of brochures prepared by MAB National Committees or individual biosphere reserves.

The Bureau noted with satisfaction that the Scientific Advisory Panel for Biosphere Reserves would hold its second meeting in Bolivia on 18-24 August 1986, at the kind invitation of the Bolivian Academy of Sciences and with the generous support of The Nature Conservancy.

Proposals to extend already existing biosphere reserves

The Bureau supported all four proposals for extending already-existing biosphere reserves and stated that such extensions were most welcome and should be encouraged in the future. These extensions are as follows:

a) Channel Islands Biosphere Reserve (USA)

The Bureau supported the proposal to expand the boundary of the existing Channel Islands National Monument Biosphere Reserve to include the entire area of the Channel Islands National Park and the adjoining marine area in the Channel Islands national Marine Sanctuary. The Bureau further supported the proposal to redesignate the biosphere reserve as the Channel Islands Biosphere Reserve.

b) Mojave and Colorado Deserts Biosphere Reserve (USA)

The Bureau supported the proposal to extend the sub-unit made up of the Philip L. Boyd Deep Canyon Desert Research Station to cover a contiguous area of 4560 ha of national forest lands.

c) Oka River Valley Biosphere Reserve (USSR)

The Bureau sup-ported the proposal to create a biosphere reserve cluster consisting of the already existing Prioksko-Terrasny Biosphere Reserve and the Oksky reserve which lie some 200 km apart along the banks of the Oka River within the same biogêographical unit.

d) Chutkal Mountains Biosphere Reserve (USSR)

The Bureau supported the proposal to create a biosphere reserve cluster consisting of the already existing Sary-Chelek Biosphere Reserve and the Chutkal reserve which lie some 100 km apart in the same biogêographical unit. Both sites are of special interest due to their wild populations of fruit and walnut trees.

New biosphere reserve proposals

The Bureau agreed that the Director-General should designate the following nine sites in the international biosphere reserve network, following the recommendation of the Scientific Advisory Panel for Biosphere Reserves :

Reserva Ecológica de Nacunan (Argentina) Réserve de la biosphère de la Pendjari (Benin) Riding Mountain Biosphere Reserve (Canada) Long Point Biosphere Reserve (Canada) Palava Biosphere Reserve (Czechoslovakia) Reserva de la Biosfera "Sierra Nevada" (Spain) Carolinian-South Atlantic Biosphere Reserve (USA) Glacier Bay and Admiralty Island Biosphere Reserve (USA) Lake Baikal region Biosphere Reserve (USSR)

This means that the international biosphere reserve network now consists of 252 sites located in 66 countries.

The Bureau noted that the Scientific Advisory Panel for Biosphere Reserves had requested further information regarding the proposed "Réserve de la biosphère du Mont Teza". MAB-Burundi had provided more information which indicated however that the site proposed had considerably different characteristics from the proposal examined by the Panel. Accordingly, the Bureau decided to defer this revised proposal for further examination by the Scientific Advisory Panel for Biosphere Reserves at its next meeting.

Marine biosphere reserves

The Bureau noted that a growing number of the biosphere reserves had an essential marine component, and that these, together with some pilot projects and comparative studies already underway that included consideration of océanographie conditions, made it appropriate for MAB to give attention to the distinctive problems of the marine realm. It noted with satisfaction that efforts were underway to promote the identification and establishment of coastal marine biosphere reserves, notably through the MAB-IUCN work to develop an appropriate classification system following Action 1 of the Action Plan for Biosphere

Reserves. However, the inescapable integration and interaction of océanographie, atmospheric and terrestrial environmental processes makes consideration of the marine biosphere an area of international concern in its own right, although the problems of protection and management are entirely different from those of land and coastal areas. There may be a need to protect marine resources in the open seas which were beyond territorial limits and for which there were obvious problems regarding legislation, effective protection and management. The Bureau recommended that MAB- should be kept informed of this issue and that it should consider the establishment of an expert group to advise MAB on appropriate and timely action in this domaine.

PREPARATION OF THE NINTH SESSION OF THE MAB COUNCIL (October 1986)

The Bureau recalled that the ninth session of the International Coordinating Council for the MAB Programme would take place during the present biennium (1986-87) with the following thirty Member States as members:

Angola Australia Brazil Cameroon Canada China

(People's Republic) Colombia Congo Cuba Czechoslovakia Ecuador Egypt Finland France Germany

(Federal Republic) Gabon India Italy Japan Kenya Malaysia Mexico Nepal Nigeria Saudi Arabia Spain Sudan Ukrainian Soviet

Socialist Republic Union of Soviet

Socialist Republics Zambia

The Bureau endorsed a proposal that this ninth session takes place in Paris from 20-25 October 1986. The timing of this session during the final quarter of 1986, is primarily determined by the need to review progress within MAB in the 22 months that will have elapsed since the last session of the Council, and most importantly to discuss plans for future activities for input, among other things, into the Unesco programming cycle (including proposals for the Third Medium Term Plan, which covers the period 1990-95).

In discussing the detailed planning of the Council session, the Bureau recalled the recommendations of the Council at its eighth session in December 1984 concerning topics and issues that might valuably be addressed at the ninth session (e.g., the role and effectiveness of MAB National Committees). The Bureau then examined some of the tasks to be undertaken and the key issues to be addressed by the Council and in this light endorsed, with revisions, a provisional draft agenda and tentative timetable for the session.

The Bureau emphasized the crucial importance of detailed preparation of the working documents for the Council which would include draft operational guidelines for MAB as well as proposals on the future research plan, on the future training programme, and the future communications policy within the programme. The Bureau particularly underlined the need for very careful preparation of the scientific aspects of the working documents, as well as for the earliest possible distribution of working papers to all MAB National Committees.

The Bureau also considered that the proposed scientific session should be an open one, and should aim at highlighting some of the distinctive features of a selection of ongoing and proposed research within MAB (e.g., lessons to be drawn from one pilot project, plans for a comparative study and/or a "model" biosphere reserve, etc.).

The Bureau noted a proposal that there would be four working languages for the ninth session of the Council (English, French, Russian and Spanish) rather than six as for the previous sessions of the Council. Bureau members expressed some reservations about this proposal, while recognizing that it has been occasioned by the present financial difficulties faced by the Organization. They felt that a recommendation on such an important issue was not within the compass of the MAB Bureau. Rather the whole question of the working languages of the various councils for the Intergovernmental Scientific Programmes of Unesco needed to be considered by the General Directorate of Unesco in consultation, where appropriate, with the decision-making organs of the organization.

In conclusion, the Bureau recommended that the provisional draft agenda and tentative timetable, revised in the light of the Bureau's discussions, be sent to MAB National Committees in May 1986, together with a covering Circular Letter extending an invitation to all Member States to send representatives to the Council session, as for previous sessions of the Council.

OTHER MATTERS

Finally, the Bureau briefly discussed three questions relating to the implementation of MAB.

First, the Bureau was informed about a suggestion concerning a possible Intergovernmental Conference of Experts for MAB Assessment and Research Planning, which might be convened in 1988 (possibly in association with the tenth session of the MAB Council). Objectives of such a conference might be twofold: first, to undertake a substantive review of what had been achieved within MAB to date (taking a selective approach rather than attempting a comprehensive balance sheet); second, to examine plans for the future development of MAB during the period 1990-95, and to solicit pledged contributions to the Future Research Plan. In taking note of a 3-page description on the possibilities of convening such a conference, the Bureau felt that this was an issue that the MAB Council might wish to consider during its ninth session in October 1986.

Second, two members of the Bureau provided information on forthcoming meetings of the World Commission on Environment and Development (the so-called Brundland Commission), to be held in Canada (May 1986) and the USSR (December 1986). The Bureau welcomed the interest of the World Commission in MAB work and asked the MAB Secretariat to provide information materials and to attend future meetings, if so requested.

Third, the Bureau was informed by one of its members about activities within the Northern Science Network. The Bureau noted that progress in such fields as subarctic birch forests and biosphere reserves in the northern circumpolar zone, had been achieved largely through the informal initiatives of individual scientists, with very limited involvement to date of the MAB National Committees of the countries concerned. In this light, the Bureau recommended that the Canadian MAB Committee might be asked to review the present situation in consultation with the other MAB Committees concerned, and to make suggestions to the MAB Council on the possible further development of activities within the network. One possible focus for collaborative work in the network might be provided by the theme of "Resilience to and recovery from disturbance in Arctic ecosystems". The planning of such a comparative study would appear to fit in well with proposals on "Management and restoration of human-impacted resources" as an emerging general theme within MAB, and might also take advantage of the convening in Iceland in September 1986 of an international conference on ecosystem restoration.

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ANNEX 4

REPORT BY MR. B. VON DROSTE SECRETARY OF THE MAB COUNCIL

INTRODUCTION

I am pleased to welcome all of you to this ninth session of the International Coordinating Council of the Man and the Biosphere Programme. In particular I welcome delegations from the Member States forming the MAB International Coordinating Council, as well as representatives from other MAB National Committees and countries, and observers from several international organizations collaborating in MAB.

I would like to preface my remarks by thanking the Chairman of the outgoing Council, Mr. Gonzalo Halffter, for all his efforts since the eighth session of the Council in setting-up the two advisory panels recommended by the Council in December 1984 and in providing sound counsel relating to many aspects of the implementation of the Programme, as well as for his many other contributions to MAB, both during and prior to his Chairmanship of the Council. Due to pressing family reasons, Mr. Halffter has, at the last moment, had to cancel his participation in the ninth session of the Council. We shall greatly miss his presence with us, but nonetheless look forward to future cooperation with him and other colleagues from his country, Mexico, in the future development of MAB.

ADAPTING MAB TO FUTURE CHALLENGES

The past fifteen years have seen much attention given to environmental issues leading to changes in perception and priorities. Whereas MAB appeared to be the only advocate of an integrated applied ecological approach several years ago, we find today wide acceptance of the MAB philosophy. An original niche of MAB now has almost become common place.

However today, MAB, together with other scientific programmes, faces new, more demanding situations. The technical, social and economic contexts are now quite different. Primarily, the kind and scale of resource and environmental problems are different, as well as the research possibilities offered by new technologies.

Let me give a few examples: Starting fifteen years ago, there was an increase in the use of mainframe computers, of aerial photography and particularly of satellite imagery directed toward environmental

problems. As a result, there have been dramatic changes in these fields through smaller, more powerful and portable computers, the development of interactive computer programs and of expert software systems. Satellite imagery such as Spot Thematic mapper (TM), and Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR), offers new exciting possibilities for ecological research.

Another important item one must take note of is the scale at which environmental problems need to be examined. In the 1970s, emphases on experimental approach were based on small scale phenomena with a rapid rate of response. However, in 1986, large scale, regional and global phenomena have become a major target of environmental research. Today, we are increasingly aware of the importance of slow global changes in the biosphere which may produce unexpected changes and discontinuities at the local level, and are now also aware of the need to integrate information collected locally into this larger perspective.

These trends sketch out the context for international co-operative research from now into the 1990s that suggests a shift in objectives, a different combination of knowledge and a new modus operandi. The objective now is how to identify, manage and respond to change in ways that balance social welfare and economic productivity with ecological sustainability and societal innovation.

No single international scientific programme can fulfill knowledge requirements for the 1990s. It is important for MAB, therefore, that it first re-examines its own scientific niche, in which it can explore its existing advantages, and secondly, that it seeks appropriate scientific partners with which it can best cooperate.

There seems to be agreement that one of MAB's cooperative strengths is its capacity for implementing projects at the local level, which is the "frontline" where global environmental problems of primary importance to the local people concerned become manifest. It is this attribute that MAB will continue to pursue.

THE ADVISORY PANELS

In the past two years, two very important advisory panels met to give guidance to the MAB Programme.

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General Scientific Advisory Panel

The MAB Council at its eighth session empowered its Chairman, Dr. G. Halffter, to create a General Scientific Advisory Panel, jointly with ICSU, giving it the task of reviewing the scientific programme of MAB, and making recommendations on ways and means to disseminate and implement new criteria, concepts, techniques and methods throughout MAB. The objective was to maintain a high-quality and credible scientific programme.

The Panel met in August 1985 at Banff and Calgary, Canada, and in April 1986 at ICSU Headquarters in Paris. The final report of the Panel has been distributed to the Council. The principal outcome of the Panel discussion has been a new international research plan for MAB with emphasis on the study of degraded ecosystems. Details will be presented under item 7.1 of the agenda by Dr. Solbrig, who chaired the second meeting.

The main working documents of this Council which set out proposals for MAB future policies in the field of research, training and communication have been prepared in accordance with the recommendations of the Panel and of the MAB Bureau. Draft operational guidelines for MAB, embodying new proposed procedures for independent evaluation of MAB pilot projects and biosphere reserves, are also available.

Scientific Advisory Panel for Biosphere Reserves

In addition, as decided by the MAB Council, a Scientific Advisory Panel for Biosphere Reserves was set up by the Chairman of the Council in consultation with IUCN. This Panel, chaired by Dr. Halffter, met in Cancun, Mexico, in September 1985 and in La Paz, Bolivia, in August 1986. The draft report of the Panel has been distributed and the final report will be published in the MAB Report Series in English, French and Spanish.

The last MAB-ICC adopted the Action Plan for Biosphere Reserves, which sets out the main subject areas for developing the international biosphere reserve network for the period 1985 to 1990. Since then there has been much activity on local, national, regional and international levels.

Appropriate support has been obtained by the main international organizations involved in its implementation, that is, Unesco, UNEP, FAO and IUCN. The Unesco Executive Board at its 121st session adopted decision 5.3.2 recommending that Member States take all necessary steps to ensure its immediate implementation. This decision was endorsed by the Unesco General Conference at its 23rd session. The Governing Council of UNEP, at its 13th session in May 1985, endorsed decision 13/28 urging States to take all required steps to set up and improve biosphere reserves. The General Assembly of IUCN adopted Resolution No. 16/32 for IUCN's contribution to the implementation of the Action Plan.

The Action Plan itself has been widely circulated in English, French and Spanish as an offprint of "Nature and Resources", and is also available in Arabic, Chinese and Russian.

One of the major features of Unesco's work to implement the Action Plan has been the establishment of the Scientific Advisory Panel for Biosphere Reserves. The Panel has made a significant intellectual and practical contribution to the development of biosphere reserves within MAB, particularly through the refinement of the selection criteria for biosphere reserves, the design of a revised nomination form, the launching of a survey of the status of all existing biosphere reserves through a questionnaire, and the evaluation of new biosphere reserve proposals. The Panel has also made a number of specific recommendations to MAB National Committees on the implementation of the Action Plan, notably training of biosphere reserve managers.

The report of the first meeting at Cancun was submitted to the Bureau of the MAB Council in April 1986, and all the Panel's recommendations were adopted or endorsed. In particular, the Bureau agreed to the Panel's recommendations to include nine new biosphere reserves in the international network, bringing the total number to 252 in 66 countries. In addition, the Secretariat prepared a summary of the Cancun meeting which was sent to all MAB National Committees and biosphere reserve managers in the first part of 1986.

The report of the second meeting at La Paz has just been finished. The Secretariat has consolidated the main topics of interest from both the Cancun and La Paz reports in a document which is submitted to the Council for approval under item 6 of the provisional agenda on the Advisory Panels. It is envisaged that this document could eventually be prepared as a MAB publication for wider dissemination.

There has been a significant increase in the exchanges of scientists working in biosphere reserves, for example between Mapimi in Mexico and the Boucle de Baoule in Mali, and in the number of young scientists preparing theses on biosphere reserves, for example in the Queen Elizabeth Biosphere Reserve in Uganda.

Other initiatives have been taken on the national level, one of the most important recent ones being the National Symposium on Biosphere Reserves in India held near the national Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve in the Western Ghats in September 1986. The rationale of this meeting was to broaden the basis of support for the implementation of the Action Plan in India. Significantly, the Indian authorities invited specialists from France, Mexico, USA and the USSR to present case studies on their own national experiences.

Another important meeting was held in the Changbaishan Biosphere Reserve in China in July 1986, on management and conservation of temperate forest ecosystems. This symposium was attended by about 80 Chinese scientists and 38 foreign scientists from 10 countries. Many scientific exchanges took place at this symposium, demonstrating the usefulness of concentrating MAB research and MAB activities in biosphere reserves.

There have been two important regional meetings on the implementation of the Action Plan, particularly with a view to inter­regional cooperation in monitoring and research. One was the European Conference on Biosphere Reserves organised by MAB

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Czechoslovakia at Ceske Budejovice in March 1986. This Conference drew together some 70 specialists from 18 European countries, and North America. Particular emphasis was given to environmental monitoring in biosphere reserves, since this topic is of special interest to scientists in the European and North American regions which are affected by acid-rain problems and other forms of trans-boundary pollution. The second major meeting was the recent workshop for the countries of the circum-Mediterranean region organised by MAB-France in September 1986, in the Cevennes Biosphere Reserve. Fifty specialists at this workshop from eight Mediterranean countries expressed the wish to increase both the quantity and the quality of biosphere reserves in the region, and to cover more of the very heterogenous man-impacted habitats which are characteristic of this area.

Many activities have also been initiated on the international level. Examples include the UNEP project to develop a multiple-site biosphere reserve in the Lesser Antilles region; the work with FAO, IUCN and the International Board on Plant Genetic Resources to prepare a booklet on in situ conservation; the MAB/Smithsonian Institution project on establishing a methodology for biological inventories of biospheres reserves, with support from US-AID for the associated training activities.

Looking ahead to the next stage of implementing the Action Plan, proposed lines of priority action include the following: integrated monitoring in biosphere reserves, particularly in association with UNEP-GEMS, IIASA and the ICSU Global Change programme; refining the concept of coastal/marine biosphere reserves; in-depth consideration of the role of biosphere reserves in environmental education, at the International Conference on Environmental Education and Training, to take place in Moscow, USSR, in August 1987; expansion and concentration of research in biosphere reserves.

Coordination with the implementation of the natural part of the World Heritage Convention has been extremely important, since some 20 biosphere reserves are also World Heritage sites. In this connection, it is noteworthy that over the past two years, the World Heritage Fund has provided more than $250,000 to support 32 separate training projects for conservation specialists, often on site within biosphere reserves.

The development of the international biosphere reserve network over the last two years has been extremely promising. The Action Plan is proving to be a real operational tool, not only for coordinating activities of relevant international organizations, but also for stimulating MAB National Committees and government authorities to improve and expand their own contributions to MAB.

TOWARDS A SCIENTIFIC BASIS FOR RESOURCE USE IN THE HUMID AND SUBHUMID TROPICS

Pilot projects

The primary thrust of MAB scientific work in the humid and subhumid tropics has

continued to be with development of networks of pilot projects focussed on resource management and land use planning. Progress has included the launching in 1985 of a major new project in the Congo, aimed at the scientific basis for regional development planning of the Mayombe region, and of work on artificial regeneration in Mexico. A number of well-established pilot projects have launched new component studies. The Dutch-Tropenbos project will provide a major boost to work on tropical forest structure and dynamics, with the launching in 1986 of comparative studies at six sites in the tropical zone. Several of these studies will take place at the MAB tropical forest sites, such as those in Gabon, Indonesia and the Côte d'Ivoire. Moreover, agreement has been reached whereby several associate experts will be made available by the Netherlands to Unesco for undertaking field research in the tropics under the joint frameworks of MAB and Tropenbos.

Several syntheses of the results of individual pilot projects, such as those in Makokou (Gabon), East Kalimantan (Indonesia), Gogol (Papua New Guinea), Sierra del Rosario (Cuba), and San Carlos de Rio Negro (Venezuela), are being prepared. Also under preparation is a substantive account on the findings of MAB research in the three regions of the humid tropics during the last 12-15 years, which will provide a firm basis for reference and evaluation of MAB work on tropical forest ecosystems.

Comparative Studies

Comparative studies in relatively finely focussed technical fields seem likely to be one of the emerging directions of work within MAB, and progress has been made in the planning of such activities in the humid and sub-humid tropics in the three areas identified by the MAB Council at its eighth session.

First, as regards the joint programme with the International Union of Biological Sciences (IUBS) on Tropical Soil Biology and Fertility (TSBF for short), two interregional research planning workshops have been held in 1985-86, in Fontainebleau (France) in June 1985 and in Yurimaguas (Peru) in May 1986. These workshops refined research hypotheses and experiments fox their testing, revised draft chapters of a handbook of methods for study of biological processes in tropical soils, and evaluated responses to the initial research proposals. In fact, the response to the plans for the TSBF programme has been most encouraging, with over 70 institutes in some 34 tropical zone countries expressing interest in participating in the programme. Field work was initiated in 1986 at several sites, while measures for intercalibration and comparison between research sites have included the purchase of some 8000 plastic litter bags, which have begun to be made available to collaborating field sites.

A second joint initiative between Unesco-MAB and the Decade of the Tropics of IUBS concerns the programme on the Responses of savannas to stress and disturbance. An international workshop held in Harare in December 1985 has put forward a research and organizational plan for this co-operative

study. Methodological aspects were examined at a workshop at Sofia Antipolis (France) in June 1986. The research plan includes a general statement on how the various determinants of savanna, such as water, soil nutrients, herbivory and fire, affect the structure and function of savanna systems, and how these systems respond to natural stresses and man-made disturbances. Several ideas have been proposed for testing within this programme, while the feasibility of a comparative global experiment and of an expert system for savanna management is also being examined. The report of the Harare workshop, published by IUBS as Special Issue No. 10 of Biology International, has been distributed widely, with covering letters inviting comments on the proposed ideas and soliciting interest to take part in the proposed programme.

In the third area of concentration within the humid tropics, forest regeneration, plans have been made for two international workshops to prepare state-of-the-art reviews and interregional comparisons. One workshop, to be held in Guri (Venezuela) in November 1986, will examine rainforest regeneration within the context of forest management needs. The second workshop in Malaysia in June 1987 will address Reproductive ecology of tropical forest plants. In addition to producing syntheses of existing information, these workshops will help in planning future research work on forest regeneration and ecosystem rehabilitation in the humid and sub-humid tropics.

Training

Training at the sites of pilot projects is a key element in the ongoing training programme within MAB. In the last two years several regional training seminars have been held at MAB research sites in the tropics, in co-operation with UNEP and other international programmes and organizations. In West Africa, for example, they included training seminars on agroforestry (Makokou, Gabon, July 1985) and on entomological research in the humid tropical zones (Abidjan-Taï, Côte d'Ivoire, November-December 1985). Training in research methods and techniques have included courses on computer-based quantitative methods for environmental biologists (Singapore, April-May 1985), on forest habitat matching (Thailand, January 1986) and on demographic analysis of lowland dipterocarp forest (Malaysia, August 1986). Efforts to promote the transfer of research results to planners and decision-makers have included the convening of regional training courses on the tropical forest canopy (Ghana, February 1985) and on tropical forest management in South-East Asia, designed for practising foresters (Malaysia, June-July 1986).

Access to information networks

As in other developing regions, one of the major problems faced by the ecologists of the humid and sub-humid tropics is that of isolation and access to communication and information networks in ecology. To gauge the extent of this problem, following a recommendation of the last session of the MAB Council, the International Association

of Ecology and Unesco-MAB are surveying such issues. A two-page questionnaire has been prepared in English, French, Portuguese and Spanish. It was widely distributed in the first quarter of 1986 through both governmental and non-governmental channels, including InfoMAB 5. Initial results of this survey were presented at the International Congress of Ecology held in Syracuse, New York, in August 1986.

Links with other international organizations

Contacts have been maintained with international organizations working in the field of tropical forest ecosystems. Of particular note since the last session of the MAB Council is the publication by FAO of an Action Plan on Tropical Forestry. This provides an overall framework within which international organizations (including Unesco), donor agencies and other interested bodies can co-operate in boosting existing efforts concerning research and management in tropical forest regions.

A "Call for Action on Tropical Forests", launched by the World Resources Institute, the Tropenbos programme, and the prospects of links between the Federal Republic of Germany and China for the reinforcement of ecological research on sub-tropical forest ecosystems in southern China, are three very promising indications of new concerted efforts on tropical forest ecology and management.

TOWARDS COMBATTING DESERTIFICATION AND INTEGRATED MANAGEMENT OF ARID AND SEMI-ARID LANDS

Pilot Projects

Integrated pilot projects involving research, training and demonstration, continue to form the basis of MAB work in arid and semi-arid zones. These pilot projects are grouped into four regional networks: Africa (South of the Sahara), North Africa, Asia, Latin America.

For Africa south of the Sahara, additional funds have been secured to develop two new projects. The first, ecological approaches to combatting desertification in Sudan, is being initiated by Unesco with funds from Major Programme VIII (Principles, Methods and Strategies of Action for Development). The second project, entitled "Integrated Project on Arid Lands (IPAL) in drought-stricken areas of southern Lesotho", is a follow-up to IPAL-Kenya, with funds-in-trust provided by the Federal Republic of Germany. Field work for both projects is expected to begin in 1987.

During recent months, Ethiopian, Indian, Pakistani and Sudanese specialists have visited the Kenya Arid Lands Research Station (KALRES) to share experiences and compare research methods and results of efforts to combat desertification. In August 1986, a sub-regional demonstration seminar was organized by KALRES for arid zone scientists and managers from Eastern and Southern Africa.

In North Africa and West Asia, national MAB activities have been strengthened in a number of countries, in particular in Algeria and Tunisia. In Tunisia, the new pilot project in 1985-86 on desertification control represented a direct follow-up to the

Integrated Project on Arid Lands (IPAL-Tunisia). It is again based at the Tunisia Arid Zones Institute in Medenine, and funds are being provided by UNEP. This project provides the logistic basis for regional MAB activities. In Algeria, a new project aimed at developing the programmes of a research station in the El Golea oasis in the central Sahara, is being launched in co-operation with UNDP.

A number of regional activities such as workshops have been undertaken by MAB for Arab countries mainly in co-operation with the Arab Centre for Studies on Arid zones and Drylands (ACSAD), based in Damascus.

In Asia, a new pilot project has been launched for the study of the impact of man on grazing lands in inner Mongolia (Xilingquali), People's Republic of China. Moreover, MAB research projects on arid and semi-arid ecosystems have continued to be undertaken by the Institute of Desert Research, Ashkhabad, Turkmen SSR, the Central Arid Zones' Research Institute (CAZRI) in Jodhpur, India, and the Desert Research Centre in Lanzhou, Gansu Province, China. Following a recommendation by the Inter-Agency Working Group on Desertification, Unesco-MAB has taken a leading role in developing an Asian network of research and training institutions concerned with combatting desertification. Upon invitation by ESCAP and in co-operation with UNEP, a network planning meeting took place in Bangkok in September 1986. All countries and institutions concerned, including Australia, have agreed to participate in the network.

In Latin America, a number of co­operative activities with FAO have been conducted. Activities are linked to the Latin American Working Group on Tropical and Sub-Tropical Pastures. At present, particular emphasis is given to research in the Chaco areas. The other area of co­operation deals with Prosopis as a multi­purpose arid zone plant. After the Prosopis tamarugo symposium held in Chile in 1984, a Prosopis ¿uliflora symposium was held in Recife, Brazil, in August 1986. This has led to the creation of an international Prosopis association, which will expand activities to other continents and similar species.

MAB was one of the sponsors of the International Arid Land Research and Development Conference which took place in Tucson, Arizona, in 1985 to celebrate both the centenary of the University of Arizona and the twenty-fifth anniversary of Unesco's Major Project on Arid Zones. Among other recommendations the Conference underlined the desirability of a stronger MAB focus on ecologically sound and economically viable land use systems derived from traditional production systems.

Unesco has continued to assist in the implementation of the Plan of Action to Combat Desertification and to contribute actively to the work of the Interagency Working Group of Desertification Control, a co-ordinating body linked to the Plan of Action.

Training

Under IPAL-Kenya, now KALRES, four international demonstration seminars were

organized, bringing together 68 scientists and specialists in pastoral land use from 33 countries. In addition over 1,000 scientists, administrators and other professionals from 56 countries have visited the project. It is hoped that in the future, the Kenya Arid Lands Research Station, will continue this regional role of training and demonstration jointly with the new IPAL project in Lesotho.

The lack of specialists in integrated arid land management is a major handicap in many African countries. This explains the capital importance of the Regional Project on Integrated Pastoral Management in the Sahel (FAPIS, from the French title "Formation en aménagement pastoral intégré dans la région du Sahel"), a joint training venture of Unesco and the Institut du Sahel/CILSS, with funds from UNDP and UNSO. In the first two phases, 84 senior professionals participated in the post-graduate programme and more than 90 technicians attended the middle-level training sessions. Four regional seminars have been organized, and several reports and publications based on the activities of the project have been prepared.

COASTAL ZONES AND ISLANDS

Since the last session of the Council, a considerable effort has been expended in integrated management of coastal zones and islands, particularly the smaller ones areas where conflicting appropriation of existing resources and increasing human pressures are threatening extremely delicate ecological equilibria and quality of life.

A regional workshop on management options for the next 40 years in Latin American cities, especially those in coastal areas was held in August 1986 in Sao Paulo (Brazil) in co­operation with the MAB National Committee, the United Nations University and the University of Sao Paulo. Other case studies on coastal resources management were prepared where traditional management of marine resources in Southern Italy and ecologically sound integrated tourism developments in Southern France coastal zones around the Aude river valley were examined.

In South-East Asia, in co-operation with the MAB Committee of Japan and other countries of the region, activities have continued on the impact of man's activities on coastal and estuarine ecosystems. Following a first seminar held in Japan in November 1984, a second regional seminar with particular emphasis on coral reef ecosystems was held in Indonesia in March 1986, while plans have been elaborated for a third regional seminar on brackish-water ecosystems, to be held in Thailand in December 1986.

In respect to island systems, in the Mediterranean region links have been strengthened with several scientific institutions and MAB National Committees of such countries as Greece, Italy, Malta, France and Tunisia, in their pursuit of field research and the reinforcement of the MAB island research stations. A new multidisciplinary pilot project was launched by MAB Spain, with Unesco support, on the island of Formentera (Balearic islands) based on the conclusions of a regional workshop held in late 1985. A new centre for island development has been established in Yugoslavia on the island of Losinj. Results from this

co-operative scientific network in the Mediterranean will be published soon.

Likewise, MAB France has published a report on the Ponant islands (coast of Brittany, France), and several publications have been produced by the universities collaborating with the Italian projects on the Aeolian Archipelago. In Asia, support has been provided to a study on the interrelations between culture and environment on the island of Bali, in Indonesia and to a multidisciplinary study on an island ecosystem in the Republic of Korea. In the Caribbean, MAB has contributed to a project on the traditional use of medicinal plants, and to the organization of a sub-regional seminar on the development perspectives of the island of Cozumel in Mexico.

Several multidisciplinary seminars were organized, such as a sub-regional seminar on computerized island management methods held in Kerkennah (Tunisia); the regional multidisciplinary training seminar on desertification of Mediterranean islands and their environmental rehabilitation held in Halki (Greece); and the regional seminar on ecologically sound management of islands held at the national park of Port-Cros (France), which was addressed to elected mayors and technical staff on Mediterranean islands. This is a new approach towards helping organize responsible decision-makers on these islands. One of the main recommendations of the participants was a request to MAB for support of an international association of smaller Mediterranean islands for their ecologically sound development. Such a desire for co­operation among the real actors of island development is an important achievement of MAB's efforts.

Three important activities will occur in late 1986. In December a regional seminar on tourism and water management on islands will be held in Malta at the International Institute for Mediterranean Studies, in co-operation with UNEP, WHO, the Council of Europe and Unesco's International Hydrological Programme. A regional seminar on integrated planning and management of islands will be organized in November on the island of Gomera (Canary Archipelago) by MAB Spain. Finally, an interoceanic workshop on sustainable development and environmental management of small islands will be held early November in Puerto Rico, with support from MAB Canada and USA.

About 180 young scientists, specialists of disciplines and managers responsible for local development have taken advantage of MAB's training initiatives on islands and coastal areas; many of them were women. This type of work will continue to play an important role in MAB activities.

MOUNTAIN REGIONS

During 1985-1986, MAB studies continued in tropical high mountains and in mountains of the temperate zones. In the Andes, research on problems of resource development, human settlements and ecological degradation was conducted in Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela. The last two of the four volumes of the Andean

state-of-knowledge report have been published in Spanish. In Asia, MAB work in mountain regions focussed primarily on activities using the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) in the Hindu Kush-Himalaya situated in Nepal as a regional co-ordination and resource institution. Two themes are being developed jointly by the MAB National Committees of the ICIMOD region and the Centre. These are mountain ecosystem research, and case studies on urban-rural linkages in some of the major areas of urbanization such as the Dun and Shrinagar Valleys in India and the Kathmandu Valley in Nepal.

In many countries of Africa the lack of funds and scientific personnel continues to be a major impediment to the implementation of MAB research focussed on mountain ecosystems. Under the joint sponsorship of the MAB Programme, UNU, IGU and the IUBS Decade of the Tropics, a workshop on research needs related to resource management and food security in African mountains and highlands was held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in October 1986.

Good progress on MAB studies in mountain regions of the temperate zones has been made in the Tatra, Carpathian, Balkan and Caucasus mountains, as well as in the European Alps and the Pyrenees. The results of the Swiss MAB projects have been extensively published (about 20 final reports on selected topics related to tourism development, technology, land-use alternatives and environmental degradation in the Alps, and another 5 general synthesis reports).

The Council may wish to consider that MAB activities concerned with mountain ecosystems need again greater attention and encouragement during the coming years.

INLAND WATERS AND THE TERRESTRIAL/FRESHWATER ECOTONES

Several activities related to freshwater aquatic ecosystems have been completed. A manual concerning problems with eutrophication is presently edited and will be published in 1987, probably in the proposed new MAB Book Series. Assistance has been provided for preparing guidelines for an action plan to rehabilitate Kastoria's historical centre and its lake (Northern Greece). Rehabilitation problems also figure promenently in the Kolleru lake in India. Cooperation has also been maintained with UNEP's Priority Action Plan for the Mediterranean, particularly in respect to coastal planning and management.

Studies of the effects of intensive agriculture on aquatic ecosystems have been followed up by a symposium in Budapest, Hungary, in November 1985, where the consequences of such agricultural practices on aquifer pollution by nitrates was covered. The proceedings will be published in the near future.

A group of experts from Europe and North America met in Toulouse in April 1986 to address available information about general land-use impacts on aquatic ecosystems. The main recommendations prepared by these experts was that MAB should inaugurate a strong new programme addressing the role of ecotones in landscape management, focussing in particular on the interfaces between land and freshwater.

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The overall objective is to develop a predictive capability for understanding the role of ecotones in determining landscape patterns and ecological processes. In developing a new MAB comparative study on the role of ecotones in landscape management, it has been proposed that special emphasis be given to those ecotones occurring at the terrestrial/freshwater interface. An international workshop on "The role of ecotones in landscape management and restoration", is scheduled for April-May 1988 in Austria, which it is hoped will initiate the operational phase of the project. The proceedings from this workshop will focus on two main areas: ecological processes common to all ecotones (i.e., nutrient cycling, productivity, decomposition); and hypotheses about restoration and management of ecotones, such as the level of human investment in ecotones, and how ecotones can be managed for better future use of resources.

NORTHERN SCIENCE NETWORK

The Northern Science Network, launched four years ago, has carried forward its plans based on three main issues: Ecology and land use in birch forest ecosystems, Biosphere Reserves and other protected areas, and northern land use and grazing animals. Meetings have been held for each of these subject areas and a publication, Northern Land Use and Grazing Animals published by the University of Umeâ, Sweden, has been issued. An international workshop on Arctic Science Policy and Development was held in 1985 in Fairbanks, Alaska. The network group has discussed a new plan for broadening its scope, and this session of the Council will be informed about these plans by the Canadian delegation in the light of contacts made with relevant National Committees. There is considerable interest in this network development, for it addresses an extremely fragile landscape, and information on these various systems will play a valuable part in determining global impacts.

STUDIES ON URBAN AREAS

Following the recommendations of the eighth session of the Council, a new generation of MAB urban projects on biological productivity, urban green space, better use of energy and resources, has been launched, with some accomplishments already at hand. These projects are geared to make cities more resource efficient, more self sustaining in energy and food, and less demanding on their surrounding countrysides. Outstanding examples for this new emphasis in MAB urban studies are found in Buenos Aires (Argentina), Sao Paulo (Brazil), Gwachon New Town (Republic of Korea), Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), Mexico City (Mexico), Thies (Senegal), Barcelona (Spain), and Dayton, Ohio (USA).

It is important that three Latin American cities are among these pioneers, since Latin America is fast achieving a rate of urbanization higher than in any other part of the world. This change poses a formidable task for urban planners, managers, and decision-makers for which

there is almost no scientific basis in the ecological sciences at hand, since the scientific community continues to be mainly concerned with rural environments and their transformation.

Environmental education, public participation, the dialogue between city authorities, scientists and the broad public, are important issues of MAB concern. Perhaps, the most striking example of a national effort in this direction constitutes the Centre for Urban Environment in Barcelona. Early this year this Centre, MAB-Spain and the Municipality of Barcelona hosted a successful international workshop on the use and management of urban green space.

A research area receiving increased attention is "Risk Assessment in Urban Planning". In this important evolving field a joint workshop with IIASA was held last year to review the state of the art and to define new useful research directions. Two of the areas which received particular attention were the paucity of experience in risk assessment in developing countries, and the need to develop protocol for assessing risks from many sources affecting a defined population or location, such as a city. It is felt that there is an opportunity for MAB to take the lead in developing further risk assessment techniques as a tool of urban planning. In fact, a joint pilot study with IFIAS/Ecoville is already under preparation. Another co-operative research project presently being developed is the elaboration of a scientific basis for human settlement planning in high mountain valleys. Initially, it is intended to launch such research in the Himalaya Hindu-Kush region, in co-operation with ICIMOD.

Collaboration with ICSU/SCOPE, IIASA, and IFIAS in the preparation of a state-of-knowledge report on Urbanization and Land Transformation has been fruitful. This project also receives support from MAB-France. Again in co-operation with SCOPE, IIASA and IFIAS, an analysis is being undertaken of existing urban models, and the results should be published next year.

The publication of the "MAB Urban and Human Ecology Digest" has been based on more than 50 integrated research projects in the field of urban and human ecology. This digest will be published in English, French and Spanish.

INFORMATION WITHIN MAB AND COMMUNICATION OF RESEARCH RESULTS

Information exchange is an essential part of any scientific programme. Within MAB communication fulfills two main roles: one responds to the internal programme needs of those participating, the other responds to the broader public audience. The record since the last session of the MAB Council has been spotty.

On the positive side, significant progress has been made in developing the MAB Information System for serving the MAB community. Thanks to the generous co-operation of the French MAB Committee and the Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, a sound foundation has been built for the storage, handling and distribution of publications generated by MAB field projects. A

bibliographie listing has been produced for the Council to consider and determine whether it should be developed further.

Other materials produced in 1985-86 include revised versions of the List of MAB National Committees and the Inventory of Biosphere Reserves. Four issues of InfoMAB have been prepared. The MAB Publications Catalogue has been updated. Several issues have appeared in the series of MAB green reports, technical notes and audio-visual programmes. The publication of the MAB Urban and Human Ecology Digest is another noteworthy innovation to bring together information on MAB activities in particular problem areas. Progress has also been made in preparing proposals for a revamped MAB communications policy, including the launching of a Man and Biosphere (MAB) Book Series in co-operation with a commercial publisher and a permanent series editor.

The contribution of the MAB Programme to Unesco's broader spectrum of activities in the field of environmental education, and production of information materials for a wider layman audience has been less satisfactory. Budgetary restrictions have meant that there is little financial provision for a contribution from MAB to environmental education work in the 1986-87 biennium. Furthermore, the Information Officer position within the MAB Secretariat has been abolished, so presently there is no specialist responsible for this crucial part of the programme. This means that we are unable to make full use of such materials as the Ecology in Action poster exhibit. Nevertheless some 1600 copies of this MAB Exhibit have been circulated, in 130 countries. This figure does not include the number of copies reproduced in fifteen other languages through the efforts of MAB National Committees. Plans to further diversify these materials in other forms and to prepare other language versions have been shelved, delayed, or even cancelled, as a result of budgetary constraints. Sadly, our ability to respond to individual requests for copies of the existing printed posters, has been severely compromised. This dismantling of MAB's capacity in the environment education field is fortunately compensated to some degree by the continuing Unesco-UNEP programme on environmental education based in the Education Sector of Unesco. One of the most important ongoing activities of our colleagues in the Education Sector is the preparation of an international congress in 1987 to mark the tenth anniversary of the Tbilisi Conference on Environmental Education. A significant input from MAB to this Congress is envisaged, one that will highlight mainly the environmental education function of biosphere reserves.

COOPERATION WITH OTHER INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

Ongoing Programmes

An outstanding feature of the past two years has been enhanced co-operation with governmental and non-governmental organizations and programmes. An example is the Action Plan for Biosphere Reserves. In May 1985 the Governing Council of UNEP

took decision No. 13/28 in which States were urged to "... take all necessary steps at the national, regional and international levels to set up and improve biosphere reserves ..." The Governing Council of UNEP, furthermore invited the Executive Director of UNEP "to extend all possible support and assistance to the implementation of the Action Plan". Since then the implementation of the Action Plan for Biosphere Reserves has become a standing item on the agenda of the Ecosystem Conservation Group formed by UNEP, FAO, Unesco and IUCN. In particular IUCN has played an important role during the last two years in transforming this plan into action as part of National Conservation Strategies.

Cooperation with UNEP, UNSO and FAO in the implementation of the Plan of Action to Combat Desertification has continued. MAB plays an important role in the Inter-Agency Working Group on Desertification. Close collaboration has been developed with specialized regional institutions in particular with CILSS (Intergovernmental Committee to Combat Desertification in the Sudano-Sahelian Region) and ACSAD (the Arab Centre for Studies of Arid Zones and Drylands). Both of these associations have also been discussed earlier.

MAB activities in the humid tropics have been undertaken in collaboration with UNEP, FAO, and members of the ICSU family (in particular IUBS) as well as IUFRO and ICRAF. Co-operative studies in the field of tropical ecology have been successfully launched as joint Unesco-MAB/ICSU-IUBS ventures in the framework of the IUBS Decade of the Tropics.

The broad scope of MAB means that links do exist with a wide range of other intergovernmental and non-governmental bodies. Perhaps the most challenging co-operative issue for MAB is its future role in respect to ICSU's international programme on Global Change which was launched in September 1986 in Berne, Switzerland. Let me therefore give a brief synopsis of this programme, one that could well be the largest single scientific endeavour ever launched by man.

MAB and ICSU's Global Change Programme

At its 20th General Assembly in Ottawa, Canada in 1984 the International Council of Scientific Unions (ICSU) organized a symposium to study the need and desirability for an international interdisciplinary programme on global change. The basic approach taken was to focus upon complex and interactive biological, chemical, and physical processes in the Sun-Earth system that regulate biotic and abiotic processes on our planet. Since then several working groups have examined needs for understanding processes that govern the behaviour of oceans, atmosphere, lithosphère, biosphere, and the solar-terrestrial domain. At its most recent General Assembly in Berne, Switzerland in September 1986, the reports of five working groups were presented and discussed in great detail over a two-day period: changes in the solid earth; changes in terrestrial ecosystems and in the chemistry of the atmosphere; modifications of marine ecosystems; solar-terrestrial relationships and changes in the upper atmosphere and near-earth space; and remote sensing in the studies

of global change. As a result of these discussions ICSU has recommended that a major global programme - entitled the International Geosphere Biosphere Programme (IGBP) be developed.

Official representation from Unesco was sent to the ICSU meeting, and in its formal response from the floor, a pledge to co-operate with ICSU to the fullest in order to achieve the goals and objectives of the Global Change Programme was delivered. This pledge will affect many programme areas in Unesco, but the greatest meaning for the Man and the Biosphere Programme lies in the contribution that Biosphere Reserves may make for the IGBP Biological Observatories. Biological Observatories are intended to serve as scientific nodes around the globe from which basic biological and biophysical data can be collected. This information will have many uses, but among the most forward looking are the provision for ground truth stations for satellite-based remote sensing, and global-modelling validation sites.

The current network of 252 Biosphere Reserves is now being considered as the principal contributor to this IGBP network, particularly those in heavily impacted areas which serve to provide background information, and which either already have, or expect to acquire strong numerical information about productivity and biogeochemical cycling. The MAB Programme currently stands in a strong pivotal position for contributing to this important new global endeavour, the IGBP. By offering its help in structuring new dimensions from the Biosphere Reserve Programme, current international ties can be strengthened, and strong new ones can be formulated. Not only may MAB association with IGBP help basic sciences, but it might also provide an unequalled new opportunity to push forward on management programmes, such as ecosystem restoration and redevelopment with all its ecological, economic, and sociological implications. The Council will certainly wish to consider during its present session this important new opportunity, one that could add significantly to the importance and utility of MAB around the world.

RESOURCES OF THE MAB SECRETARIAT

As you may perhaps know, the MAB Secretariat is located in Unesco1s Division of Ecological Sciences. The Division is also in charge of the implementation of the natural part of Unesco1s World Heritage Convention and promotes ecological sciences in general.

Since the last Council session, activities of the Division have expanded considerably in many fields, mainly due to the success of the Action Plan for Biosphere Reserves, enthusiastic support to the newly launched comparative studies jointly with IUBS, and the increase in numbers of extrabudgetary-funded MAB field research projects. However, resources provided by Unesco have been drastically reduced recently, and this has affected all our programmes.

There is now discrepancy between programme servicing needs and the Secretariat's ability to fulfill them. This considerably restricts present activities

and programme development for the future, putting some projects in severe jeopardy.

Fortunately enough, the scientific community itself along with some MAB National Committees and governments has come forward to aid at least part of the programme. In this connection, we wish to express our gratitude to IUBS and the US MAB National Committee for the secondment of Dr. M.I. Dyer to the Secretariat, and to COWAR/ICSU to have made it possible for Dr. M.M. Holland to spend her sabbatical year with the MAB Secretariat. We also wish to acknowledge with thanks the , generous offer of the Netherlands to provide three associate experts to MAB within the framework of the Tropenbos programme. We thank SIDA/Sweden for providing an associate expert for the Unesco office in Beijing. We would also like to emphasize the importance of providing secondments and associate experts to the secretariat during these difficult times, and like to encourage other countries, organizations and MAB National Committees to follow these examples.

As significantly- already mentioned, Unesco's financial resources provided to MAB have decreased. Nevertheless, the Secretariat disposes more financial resources today than before, mainly to support a selective number of pilot projects and training schemes in developing countries. This is possible only with the extrabudgetary support from UNEP, UNDP and Funds-in-Trust provided by Member States. At present Funds-in-Trust are the most important source of income for MAB operational activities. In that respect, sincere thanks and gratitude are extended to the Governments of the FRG, Japan, Norway and Switzerland for their most generous support.

FUTURE OUTLOOK! THE 1990s

MAB'S RESEARCH AGENDA FOR

The development of MAB's future agenda is a principal task at this session. The Council has before it a large set of recommendations formulated by the General Scientific Advisory Panel covering all key functions of MAB: research, training and communication, and new modalities of execution. The Secretariat stands ready to carry out those recommendations as found appropriate by the Council.

Such recommendations will be incorporated into the Unesco programme and budget for 1988/89, the so-called draft 24 C/5, and into the Third Medium Term Plan of the Organization covering 1990 to 1995, plans which are currently under preparation by the Secretariat. The Council is once again urged to consider a unified form of presentation of the MAB Programme within the 24 C/5 to help strengthen MAB's visibility, cohesion and managerial structure. MAB activities hitherto included in five different programmes (X.5-X.9) are to be incorporated into one single programme, as recommended previously by the MAB Council. The new MAB Programme structure for the transitory period 1988-89 may consist of the following nine chapters or subprogrammes: Overall co-ordination and development of MAB; Tropical resource management; Combatting desertification; Mediterranean, temperate and cold regions and mountains; Coastal zones, islands and inland waters; Implementing

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the Action Plan for Biosphere Reserves; Towards the conserving city; Training of specialists and managers; and Communication/publication for wider application of MAB research results.

Mechanisms for integrated peer review and programme evaluation will be included and more work in the field of synthesis of research results foreseen. Partnership with non-governmental organizations will take a much more prominent place and better use of MAB pilot projects for in situ training and communication of research results will have to be examined.

In order to maintain a high quality and credible scientific programme within this canvas of interests, the General Scientific Advisory Panel recommended three major types of operation: further strengthening of MAB pilot projects as testing grounds for putting the MAB approach into practice and for demonstrating at the ground level the benefits of applied research for development; launching of a limited number of comparative studies to test a range of

hypotheses under different ecological situations and human impacts; and developing biosphere reserves as important centres for MAB research, integrated monitoring and synthesis.

Mr. Chairman, Members of the Council, Ladies and Gentlemen, we believe the major outcome of the MAB review by the General Scientific Advisory Panel has been the confirmation of the continuing validity of the MAB philosophy and approach on the one hand and the need to readapt the programme to new scientific challenges and needs of the next decade on the other.

There is now a unique opportunity to set new priorities and higher standards. In this way MAB will maintain its credibility and attractiveness to scientists and will enhance its relevance to development needs throughout the world.

We look forward to your advice for the further development and evolution of the MAB Programme and enthusiastic support to this new phase of MAB.

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ANNEX 5

MEETINGS AND TRAINING COURSES IN 1985-86

There follows a list of meetings and training courses in 1985-86 that have been organized either directly within the framework of MAB or with MAB inputs. Not included are national meetings and the annual post-graduate training courses in specialized institutions in Europe. Readers are asked to report corrections to the MAB Secretariat.

1985

4-8 February Corbett Park, India

Twenty-Fifth Working Session of IUCN Commission on National Parks and Protected Areas in the Indomalayan Realm.

18-22 February Kedougou, Senegal

Second International Colloquium on Tenda Populations: Traditions and Changes in Tenda Populations.

22 February-5 March Kumasi, Ghana

Sub-Regional ABN-MAB Training Workshop on Canopy Structure of the Tropical Rainforest Ecosystem.

25 February-1 March Everglades National Park, USA

Regional Training Seminar on Wetland Management for Spanish-Speaking Specialists.

18-20 March New Delhi, India

Meeting of MAB National Committees of South and Central Asia.

29 March-3 April Yalta, USSR

Session of International Working Group on Environmental Pollution and its Effects on the Biosphere (MAB Project 14).

1 April-21 May Bangkok, Thailand

In-Service Training Programme in Coastal Development Planning and Management.

16-19 April Samarinda, Indonesia

Third International Round Table Conference on Dipterocarpaceae. Organized by the International Working Group on Dipterocarps.

22 April-11 May Singapore

Regional MAB-UNEP Training Course on Computer-Based Quantitative Methods for Environmental Biologists.

2 May-28 June Paris-Nogent, France

In-Service Training Programme on Methods for Conservation of Dipterocarp Seeds. Organized by IUBS, Unesco-MAB, UNEP, CTFT and CNRS.

6-11 May Dakar, Senegal

Seminar on Agrosylvopastoral approaches and strategies in the Sahel. Organized within the framework of FAPIS.

3-7 June Merida, Venezuela

Workshop on Tropical Mountain Environments. Joint IUBS-Decade of the Tropics and Unesco-MAB Workshop.

24-28 June Turrialba, Costa Rica

IUFRO Workshop on Agroforestry and Wood Production in the Neotropics.

1-8 July Makokou, Gabon

Sub-Regional MAB-UNEP Seminar on Agroforestry in the Humid Forest Zone of Africa.

1-12 July Mexico City, Mexico

Ninth World Forestry Congress.

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21-26 July Ibadan, Nigeria

6-18 August Bangalore, India

International ISSS Conference on Soil Fertility, Soil Tilth and Post-Clearing Land Degradation in the Humid Tropics.

International Conference on Science and Technology Education and Future Human Needs. Organized by ICSU-CTS.

12-16 August Helsinki, Finland

Seventh International Conference on Global Impacts of Applied Microbiology.

13-20 August Edmonton, Canada

Fourth International Theriological Congress, including MAB Workshop on Mammals as Bioindicators.

21-24 August Jakarta, Indonesia

International Symposium on South East Asian Plant Genetic Resources. The Next Century of Development.

21-25 August Banff-Calgary, Canada

MAB General Scientific Advisory Panel. First Meeting.

25-27 August Banff, Canada

Arctic Heritage Symposium.

28-30 August Fairbanks, USA

Arctic Science Policy and Development Conference. Organized within the framework of the MAB Northern Science Network.

30 September-4 October Banff National Park, Canada

First World Congress on Heritage Presentation and Interpretation.

2-6 September Cancun, Mexico

MAB Scientific Advisory Panel for Biosphere Reserves. First Meeting.

7-12 September Damascus, Syria

23-28 September Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria

8-12 October Ibiza and Formentera, Spain

International Conference on Animal Production in Arid Zones. Organized by ACSAD.

International Symposium on Protection of Natural Territories and the Genetic Resources They Contain.

Regional MAB Colloquium on Environment and Development of Small Mediterranean Islands.

13-20 October Tashkent, USSR

20-25 October Tucson, USA

International Symposium on Integrated Global Monitoring of the State of the Biosphere.

International Arid Lands Research and Development Conference.

21-25 October Chengdu, China

24-26 October Venice, Italy

International Symposium on Ecology of the Development of Tropical and Subtropical Mountain Areas.

International Workshop on Simulation and Gaming Simulation Applied to Coastal Human Settlements.

27 October-1 November Castries, St. Lucia

MAB Workshop of Risk Assessment of Agrochemicals in Tropical Island Ecosystems.

4-8 November Antananarivo, Madagascar

25-30 November Recife, Brazil

Meeting for the Preparation of National Conservation Strategies for Madagascar and Scientific Workshop on Current Ecological Research and Nature Conservation. Organized by IUCN with support of Unesco-MAB.

Second International Meeting on Ecology and Management of Prosopis spp.

25 November-5 December Abidjan and Tai, Côte d'Ivoire

Regional MAB-UNEP-ABN Training Course on Technical Aspects of Entomological Research in Tropical Forest Ecosystems.

2-6 December Paris, France

Ninth Ordinary Session of World Heritage Committee.

9-13 December Harare, Zimbabwe

International IUBS-MAB-ABN Workshop on Responses on Savannas to Stress. In cooperation with CEC.

16-18 December Cairo, Egypt

African Ministerial Conference on the Environment.

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1986

9-16 January Nairobi, Kenya

12-28 January Sakaerat, Thailand

IUFRO Planning Workshop for Africa (Sudano-Sahelian Zones): Increasing Productivity of Multipurpose Lands.

MAB Field Training Seminar on Forest Habitat Matching.

14 January-12 February Bogor, Indonesia

15-17 January Bamako, Mali

BIOTROP-Unesco Training Seminar on Environmental Impact Analysis.

Eighth Session of FAO African Foresters Commission's Working Party on Wildlife and National Parks (special session on Biosphere Reserves).

20-25 January Hyderabad, India

21-24 January Rome, Italy

3-6 February Serdang, Malaysia

3-8 February Dakar, Senegal

25-27 February Paris, France

Regional Workshop on Environmental Management.

Inter-Agency (FAO/WMO/Unesco/UNEP) Group on Agricultural Biometeorology.

Regional Workshop on Impact of Man's Activities on Tropical Upland Forest Ecosystems. Cosponsored by Unesco-MAB, CIDA, IDRC and COSTED.

Seminar on Rural Hydrology in the Sahel. Organized with the framework of FAPIS.

Thirteenth Meeting of Ecosystem Conservation Group.

3-9 March Lucknow, India

4-7 March Ciloto, Indonesia

9-14 March Bariloche, Argentina

International Workshop on Amelioration of Soils by Trees. Organized by the Commonwealth Science Council, in cooperation with Unesco-MAB.

Second MAB-COWAR Regional Seminar on Man's Impact on Coastal and Estuarine Ecosystems: Coral Reef Ecosystems - Management Practices and Corresponding Research and Training Needs.

Twenty-seventh Meeting of IUCN's Commission on National Parks and Protected Areas (including review of Biosphere Reserves and World Heritage Convention in Neotropical Realm).

10-14 March Canberra, Australia

International Conference on the Economics of Dry Land Degradation and Rehabilitation.

17-19 March Madrid, Spain

17-22 March Honolulu, USA

Working Group on Integrated Island Management.

East-West Center Workshop on Strategies for Improving the Effectiveness of Asia-Pacific Forestry for Sustainable Development.

17-22 March Brno, Czechoslovakia

MAB Regional Meeting of Socialist Countries.

24-28 March Ceske Budejovice, Czechoslovakia

European MAB Conference on Biosphere Reserves and Ecological Monitoring.

26-29 March Kathmandu, Nepal

31 March-5 April Kerkennah, Tunisia

31 March-14 April Damascus, Syria

21-24 April Barcelona, Spain

21-24 April Paris, France

Regional Seminar on Urbanization Processes in High Mountain Valleys. In collaboration with ICIMOD.

Subregional MAB Training Seminar on the Use of Computerized Simulation Techniques in Land Use Planning in Coastal Mediterranean Zones.

ACSAD Training Course on Rangelands Management in the Arab Countries.

MAB Seminar on Planning, Management and Use of Urban Green Spaces in Northern Mediterranean Countries.

MAB General Scientific Advisory Panel. Second Meeting.

21-26 April Toulouse, France

MAB Workshop on Land Use Impacts on Aquatic Ecosystems: the Use of Scientific Information.

24-26 April Paris, France

Meeting of the Bureau of the MAB International Co-ordinating Council.

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26-30 April Port-Cros, France

Subregional Seminar for Technicians and Administrators of Islands of the Mediterranean Region.

5-10 May Dakar, Senegal

Seminar on Improvement of Quality of Life for Rural Populations in the Sahel. In cooperation with FAPIS.

7-15 May Halki, Greece

MAB Subregional Training Seminar on Eco-Development of Halki Island.

25 May-27 June Wageningen, Netherlands

Training Course on National Soil Collection and Reference Systems. Organized by ISRIC, in cooperation with Unesco-MAB.

26-30 May Yurimaguas, Peru

Interregional Research Planning Workshop for the IUBS-MAB Collaborative Programme on Tropical Soil Biology and Fertility (TSBF).

26-31 May Cozumel, Mexico

Subregional MAB Workshop on the Impact of Increased Human Activities on Littoral Zones in the Caribbean Area: The Case of Cozumel Island.

27-30 May Farnham Castle, UK

MAB Workshop on Environmental Perception and Siting of Hazardous Technological Facilities.

30 May-7 June Ottawa, Canada

1-30 June Szcezcin, Poland

IUCN Conference on Conservation and Development: Implementation of the World Conservation Strategy.

Advanced Training Course on Town and Regional Planning for Developing Countries.

9-13 June Sofia Antipolis, France

IUBS-MAB Workshop on Savanna Ecology and Management: Research and Experimental Design.

11-15 June Chiang Mai, Thailand

16-19 June Paris, France

International Symposium on Tropical Forest Hydrology and Application. In cooperation with Unesco (IHP and MAB).

Bureau of World Heritage Committee. Tenth Session.

16 June-5 July Kepong, Malaysia

Regional Training Workshop on Advances in Tropical Forest Ecological Research and Relevance to Management of Forest Resources in South-East Asia. Jointly sponsored by Unesco-MAB, UNEP, East West Center, GTZ and WWF.

22-28 June Caracas, Venezuela

International Symposium on Bioproductive Capacity of Savannas. Organized by CIET.

5-11 July Chiangbaishan Biosphere Reserve, China

International MAB Symposium on Temperate Forest Ecosystem Management and Environmental Protection.

29 July-27 August Banff, Canada, Hawaii, USA, and Costa Rica

Twentieth International Seminar on National Parks and Protected Areas.

30 July-4 August Labe, Guinea

4-10 August Marsabit, Kenya

4-16 August Kepong and. Pasoh, Malaysia

10-16 August Syracuse, USA

Subregional Seminar on the Integrated Management Project for the Fouta Djallon Massif.

Demonstration Seminar on MAB-IPAL Results in Northern Kenya, for Specialists from Eastern and Southern Africa.

Regional MAB-UNEP Field Workshop on Demographic Analysis of Lowland Dipterocarp Forest.

Fourth International Congress of Ecology.

13-20 August Hamburg, Federal Republic of Germany

15 August Mexico

Thirteenth Congress of the International Society of Soil Science.

International Workshop on Natural History and Resources of the 'Gran Desierto' .

18-22 August La Paz, Bolivia

MAB Scientific Advisory Panel for Biosphere Reserves. Second Meeting.

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25-28 August Sao Paulo, Brazil

Regional Workshop on Latin American Cities in the Next Forty Years.

25-29 August Recife, Brazil

Second International Conference on Prosopis. Organized by FAO with the collaboration of Unesco-MAB.

1-5 September Beijing, China

7-21 September Ljubljana, Yugoslavia

9-12 September Florae, France

15-19 September Berlin

13-18 October Moscow, USSR

18-27 October Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

20-25 October Paris, France

27-31 October Tiel, Netherlands

3-7 November San Juan, Puerto Rico

International Symposium on Mountain Vegetation.

Eighteenth IUFRO World Congress.

Workshop on Implementation of the Action Plan for Biosphere Reserves in the Mediterranean Region.

MAB-Project 11 Workshop on Urban Soils in the Planning and Management of Urban Green Spaces.

Conference on Natural Conditions and Biological Resources in the People's Republic of Mongolia.

International Workshop on African Mountains and Highlands. Cosponsored by UNU, IGU, Unesco-MAB and IUBS.

Ninth Session of the International Co-ordinating Council for MAB.

Consultation for the Development of a Common Framework for Cooperative Research to Combat Deforestation in the Humid Tropics. Organized by the CEC and the Tropenbos Programme.

Interoceanic MAB-UNCTAD-UNEP Workshop on Sustainable Development and Environmental Management in Small Islands.

3-8 November Dakar, Senegal

17-21 November Gomera Island, Canary Islands, Spain

24-26 November Brazzaville, Congo

24-28 November Guri, Venezuela

24-28 November Paris, France

Regional Seminar on Dynamics and Evolution of Sahelian Ecosystems. Organized within the framework of FAPIS.

International MAB Seminar on Management of Atlantic Islands.

Meeting of Enlarged Scientific Committee for the Mayombe Project.

International MAB-IUBS-UNEP Workshop on Rainforest Regeneration and Management.

Tenth Ordinary Session of the World Heritage Committee.

24-29 November Medenine, Tunisia

8-11 December Kampala and Mweya, Uganda

8-12 December Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

9-12 December Ranong, Thailand

Regional Seminar to Evaluate Results of Desertification Control Project in Southern Tunisia.

International Symposium on African Wildlife Research and Management. Silver Jubilee Symposium of the Uganda Institute of Ecology.

Symposium on the Results of the Endau Rompin Expedition.

Third MAB-COMAR Regional Seminar on Man's Impact on Coastal and Estuarine Ecosystems, with Emphasis on Conservation and Management of Brackish-Waters .

9-12 December Valetta, Malta

Subregional Workshop on Tourism and Environment in Mediterranean Islands.

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ANNEX 6

REPORT OF THE SCIENTIFIC

INTRODUCTION

At the eighth session of the International Coordinating Council of the MAB Programme, held at Unesco Headquarters from 3 to 8 December 1984, the Council decided to establish two advisory panels of scientific experts, one of which was to advise on biosphere reserves.

The Scientific Advisory Panel on Biosphere Reserves was established in conformity with Action 6 of the Action Plan for Biosphere Reserves which was adopted by the Council at the same meeting in December 1984. The Panel was asked "... to refine criteria for the selection and management of biosphere reserves, to evaluate proposals for new biosphere reserves, and to review from time to time the effectiveness of the network." The Council also invited the Panel to recommend ways and means for reviewing and future planning of the implementation of the Action Plan on the national, regional and global levels.

The Panel met on two occasions: the first meeting was held in Cancun (Mexico) from 2 to 6 September 1985 at the kind invitation of the MAB National Committee for Mexico with the logistic support of the Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACYT), the State of Quintana Roo and the Centro de Investigaciones de Quintana Roo (CIQRO); the second meeting was in La Paz (Bolivia) from 18 to 24 August 1986, at the kind invitation of the Academy of Sciences of Bolivia and with logistic support from The Nature Conservancy Bolivia Programme and the MAB National Committee for Bolivia.

This annex consists of the main sections of the Panel's reports of the Cancun and the La Paz meetings, with particular emphasis on the recommendations of interest to the MAB Council. An expanded version of this document will be published in the MAB Report Series.

The principal recommendations of the panel, as modified by the Council, are incorporated in Section 2 of the present report. The full report of the panel will be published in the MAB Report Series in early 1987.

PANEL ON BIOSPHERE RESERVES*

MAIN TOPICS OF THE PANEL'S DISCUSSIONS

Evolution of the Biosphere Reserve Concept

The Panel recalled that MAB launched the biosphere reserve concept to respond to the worldwide problem caused by the increasing loss of living species exacerbated by the absence of the scientific knowledge and by the inadequacies of the traditional means to conserve species and ecosystems.

In 1974, a MAB Task Force defined the threefold objectives of biosphere reserves (MAB Report Series No. 22): to conserve for present and future use the diversity and integrity of biotic communities of plants and animals within natural and semi-natural ecosystems, and to safeguard the genetic diversity of species on which their continuing evolution depends; to provide areas for ecological and environmental research, including baseline studies, both within and adjacent to such reserves; and to provide facilities for education and training.

It was this insistence on combining multiple functions under a single conceptual framework and linking individual sites through the international network that distinguished the Biosphere Reserve from all other approaches to establishing protected areas. That and its commitment to the idea that local populations have a constructive role to play and should not be excluded from the Biosphere Reserve.

The Panel recognised that the emphasis on the integration of the objective of nature conservation with the interests of the people living near or within biosphere reserves was one of the "hallmarks" of the biosphere reserve concept. Moreover, the Panel noted that this emphasis was even more relevant in 1985 than at the time when the biosphere reserve was first defined in 1974, and had been well outlined in the description of the characteristics and functions of a biosphere reserve in the Action Plan.

The Panel took note of the evolution of the application of the biosphere reserve concept in different geographical areas. The original basic zonation proposed in the concept was for a single site, zoned concentrically into "core" and "buffer" zone (Figure la). This has evolved firstly into the biosphere reserve cluster in regions where conservation areas and experimental zones are not contiguous. In this case,

BUFFER ZONE (STRICTLY DELINEATED)

TRANSITION AREA

HUMAN SETTLEMENTS

R RESEARCH STATION OR EXPERIMENT

M MONITORING

E EDUCATION & TRAINING

T TOURISM & RECREATION

Figure la. Schematic sanation of a Biosphere Reserve. In this zonation, already proposed in 1974, the core area is strictly protected. The buffer zone (formerly called "inner buffer zone") can be used for regulated non-destructive activities and is strictly delineated. A national park normally corresponds to a core area together with a buffer zone of this type. The transition area (which was originally called "outer buffer zone") covers other functions of the Biosphere Reserve including experimental research, traditional use, rehabilitation, etc., and it extends to form the area of cooperation of the Biosphere Reserve.

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CORE AREAS

BUFFER ZONE

TRANSITION AREA

EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH AREAS

RESEARCH OR TRAINING FACILITIES

Figure lb. Cluster Biosphere Reserve: the core/buffer zonation of Figure la is extended to cover geographically separate areas which contribute to fulfilling the different functions of the biosphere reserve as a whole.

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the core/buffer zonation can be extended to include geographically separate reserves (Figure lb). More recently, the biogeographical biosphere reserve cluster has been proposed, where geographically separate sites are selected to cover the range of ecosystem types which make up the "core area" and are supplemented by other areas destined for experimental research, recreation, rehabilitation of degraded landscapes, traditional use areas, etc.

• In parallel to this evolution, there has also been a change in the function of the "buffer zone". Indeed, in certain countries efforts have been made to expand biosphere reserves by involving the landowners who manage the land immediately surrounding the site protected under national jurisdiction. It has been found that the word "buffer zone" could hinder voluntary cooperative efforts in this respect since the term was thought to imply some sort of governmental control or restrictions. In such cases, the term "buffer zone" has been replaced by the term "transition area": instead of being a precisely delimited area which simply "buffers" the core from outside disturbance, this transition area constitutes an "area of cooperation" which is perhaps best defined by the extent of cooperation between the landowners and users of the area and the manager of the protected area. In addition, the information which is "generated" by the areas specifically devoted to experimental research, traditional land use or rehabilitation of degraded ecosystems can be transferred to and applied in the transition area, thus giving the notion of an ever-expanding sphere of influence of the biosphere reserve. Figure 2 illustrates this type of approach.

This shift towards increased involvement of local peoples and their socio­economic development is relatively recent and shows that more emphasis is given to characteristic (h) outlined in the Action Plan stating: "People should be considered as part of a biosphere reserve." In parallel, the notion of an undelimited transition area serves to strengthen the function of biosphere reserves for "conservation as an open system".

The Panel reasserted firmly, however, that a primary function of the biosphere reserve is conservation. The Panel recognised however, that, with the shift in emphasis in the concept towards local peoples and their socio-economic development, the conservation function of biosphere reserves should be viewed in a more anthropic manner, where biosphere reserves should be demonstration sites of harmonious, long-lasting relationships between man and the natural environment.

Strengths and shortcomings of biosphere reserves and the international biosphere reserve network

The Panel recognised that there are some salient strengths and weaknesses which are presented below, although not necessarily in an order of importance or priority.

The Panel noted some strengths of the biosphere reserve network as follows:

the high level of interest and participation shown around the world, with, as at September 1986, 66 countries out of the 112 with MAB National Committees having taken steps to establish 252 biosphere reserves and actively participate in the international network;

the great conservation value of the majority of biosphere reserves, particularly for ecosystem and species protection (indeed, some of the world's greatest conservation areas are included in the biosphere reserve network);

the enormous wealth of knowledge accumulated on the biological, physical and chemical sciences using biosphere reserves as study sites, and particularly in biosphere reserves with long-standing research records :

DEVELOPMENT CONCERN ASSOCIATION OF ENVIRONMENT

WITH DEVELOPMENT

BIOSPHERE RESERVE

CONSERVATION CONCERN CONSERVATION OF GENETIC MATERIAL AND ECOSYSTEMS

LOGISTIC CONCERN INTERNATIONAL NETWORK

FOR RESEARCH AND MONITORING

Figure 2. The three main concerns of a biosphere reserve. Their relative importance will vary from one biosphere reserve to another however it is their combined, harmonious presence which is characteristic of the biosphere reserve.

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the existence of certain biosphere reserves which effectively demonstrate the application of the biosphere reserve concept with its multiple functions.

The Panel also noted some shortcomings of the biosphere reserve network, as follows:

the lack of adequate communications and understanding among many scientists and decision makers on what the biosphere reserve concept and network is about, which has occasionally led to misconceptions and confused or conflicting ideas about biosphere reserves ;

the existence of sites designated as biosphere reserves which do not fully meet biosphere reserve characteristics or functions and which may not have the potential to do so. The problem is exacerbated by shortcomings in the legal and administrative control and by the lack of adequate links with MAB National Committees. This situation indicates that biosphere reserve criteria were perhaps not well applied in previous years and thereby tends to undermine the scientific credibility of the network as a whole;

the weakness of the existing information system to form and secure the required links between biosphere reserves. The flow of information and the exchange of personnel are essential to link up the separate biosphere reserves in their different countries into a functioning network and for opening the door for cooperation on the regional and international levels ;

the considerable gaps in global coverage of the world's major ecosystem types.

Biosphere Reserve Survey

The Panel was acutely aware of the lack of up-to-date information on the status of each biosphere reserve and how far each fulfilled the various functions as set out in the Action Plan for Biosphere Reserves. A questionnaire was therefore drawn up by the Panel, which had been sent out, to all MAB National Committees and Biosphere Reserve managers in June 1986, with a request for replies before the ninth session of the Council in October 1986.

The questionnaire was designed to reflect the objectives of the Action Plan for Biosphere Reserves. In addition, it was prepared in such a manner that it would provide a useful tool for MAB National Committees and biosphere reserve managers to make a self-appraisal of their own reserve(s) and to stimulate measures to improve their status and functioning.

At of mid-October 1986, 94 replies had already been received, 40 of them for biosphere reserves from the United States. Hence, only a preliminary analysis could be given of the overall results to the Council meeting at its meeting in October 1986. However, the Secretariat, following the Panel's recommendation, endeavoured to obtain a completed questionnaire for every biosphere reserve. The results of this work will help the Secretariat, the Council and other parties concerned in implementing the Action Plan for Biosphere Reserves to see more clearly the deficiencies and opportunities to be met in improving the effectiveness of the network. MAB National Committees, biosphere reserve managers and the scientific community will be informed of the results of the Survey in 1987.

Representativeness

Going back to the beginning of the biosphere reserve concept, the Panel recalled that the idea of "representativeness" came counter to some of the "traditional" approaches to nature conservation where emphasis had tended to be placed on the protection of beautiful and unique landscapes and on the preservation of large, noticeable and/or threatened species. The more widespread or typical ecosystems and man-modified landscapes tended to receive less attention. Hence the biosphere reserve was to be a "representative ecological area".

The concept of representativeness has been applied as a criterion for selecting biosphere reserves, though not a necessary one (MAB Report Series No. 22, page 15). Although originally used in the sense of typical of a particular biome, the concept can mean many different things including representative of (1) species composition, (2) physical structure (forest, steppe, coral reef), (3) parameters of certain phenomena such as species diversity, percent endemic species, and (4) human land-use patterns and intensities.

It is clear that biosphere reserves cannot be representative in all four senses at once, and there is even considerable doubt among ecologists about the scientific validity of the first meaning.

This problem of definition has become more acute in recent years as more information has accumulated about the actual distribution of ecological and species diversity. With regard to species composition, the term is more meaningful and useful in regions of low diversity (high latitudes). It becomes gradually less meaningful in regions of high species diversity, particularly where the rate of local endemism is high and where species turnover occurs over short distances (most mediterranean habitats, many parts of the tropics, archipelagos).

In view of reports of very high levels of species diversity and high geographic turnover, especially in the neo-tropics, it is unlikely that any a priori biogeographical classification system could capture most of the biotic diversity, simply because such systems ignore local ecosystem heterogeneity and elevational gradients.

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Another reason in introducing the conception of representativeness in the programme was to ensure an adequate world "coverage". It was and still is highly desirable to have examples of every major type of biological community captured by the safety net of the global system of biosphere reserves. This is still a major objective of the international conservation community. It has become apparent, however, that the current worldwide systems of classifications are too blunt a tool to capture local diversity and endemism. Many systematists, ecologists and biogeographers now believe that the currently used biogeographical classification systems are, by themselves, inadequate to ensure coverage of biological diversity, especially in the tropics. These systems must be refined and complemented by research.

It may however be useful to argue on occasion that a potential site would make an excellent biosphere reserve because the landscape, soils, microclimate, etc. are similar to that in a larger surrounding region. The site is then "representative" in this rather general sense and in particular is representative of the surrounding ecosystems where sustainable development is to be promoted through the biosphere reserve. Such an argument is appropriate as long as the proponents are clear themselves about which of the several meanings of the term is being employed.

From the point of view of conservation biology the criterion of "representative" should not therefore be considered as an essential scientific basis for biosphere reserve selection.

Refinement of selection criteria for Biosphere Reserves

The panel first recalled the criteria for selection of biosphere reserves as set out in MAB Report No. 22. It agreed that these criteria had been superseded by the description of the functions and characteristics of the biosphere reserve in the Action Plan which gave a more anthropic, dynamic and modern view of the concept and its application. A refinement of the selection criteria should therefore reflect the Action Plan and the shift in emphasis towards the view of biosphere reserves as demonstration sites of harmonious, long-lasting relationships between man and the natural environment.

Taking account of the evolution of the biosphere reserve concept, the extensive diversity of natural environments and the degree which they had been modified by man, the Panel recognized that rigid, strictly applicable criteria are neither desirable nor necessary. As had been stated several times in the past, a pragmatic, flexible approach should be used.

In reflecting on the refinement of the selection criteria, the Panel drew ideas from two papers. One was prepared specially for the second meeting of the Panel in which it was stressed that the conservation function of biosphere reserves had received considerable attention while the other roles, particularly the man-made landscapes, had

been neglected. A number of primary and secondary criteria to be taken into consideration in the evaluation of biosphere reserves was also suggested. The second paper had been prepared for the European Conference on Biosphere Reserves held at Ceske Budejovice in Czechoslovakia in March 1986.

In this latter paper, a chronological account was given of the development of the biosphere reserve concept in which it was considered that three different concerns were present from the beginning, although at the time they were not clearly expressed nor articulated. These concerns were:

the need for reinforcing the conservation of genetic resources and ecosystems (conservation concern);

the need for setting up a well identified international network of areas directly related to MAB field research and monitoring activities, including the accompanying training and information exchange (logistic concern);

the need to associate concretely environment and development in research and in education as a governing principle of the new programme (development concern).

The paper concluded that each biosphere reserve wherever it is located must to some extent address itself to the three concerns above which are presented in Figure 2. The Panel agreed with the analysis that: "...In particular, it (each biosphere reserve) must have one or several protected core areas to ensure its "conservation role", which must always be present. It must obviously participate in- the international network and thus have a "logistic role", supporting a certain amount of research work and taking part in the exchange of information. And it must go as far as possible through problem oriented research, demonstration, education and local participation in the "development role". The relative importance of these three roles will vary from one biosphere reserve to the other, but it is their combined presence which is characteristic of the project. In other words, a biosphere reserve which does not have a protected core area is not a true biosphere reserve. A national park which has no concern for the sustainable development of the surrounding area is not a true biosphere reserve either. An area which combines conservation with research and education for ecosystem development can only become a proper biosphere reserve if it joins in the international network of research, monitoring and information exchange."

Thus the Panel felt that the primary criteria for biosphere reserve could follow from the triangular conceptual framework of Figure 2 made by the interlinking of the conservation, logistic (international research and monitoring) and development concerns. It was this combination - a

synergistic combination - which distinguished the biosphere reserve from other types of protected area.

The Panel also felt that it was necessary to have these primary criteria backed up by a commitment of the concerned MAB National Committee to develop the biosphere reserve along the lines of the Action Plan and in particular, to subscribe to maintaining and updating the Biosphere Reserve Information System. This would enable a biosphere reserve to become an integral part of the International Biosphere Reserve Network.

Based on the Action Plan and on the work of the first and second meetings of the Panel, the following paragraphs propose a set of essential principles and criteria and a method for a holistic definition and evaluation of biosphere reserves.

Primary concerns

It is the combination - and harmonization of the three following concerns which

characterize biosphere reserves: conservation, logistic (international research and monitoring) and development.

Conservation concern

of areas for research and monitoring directly related to MAB field activities, making the accompanying training and information exchange. The following criteria apply:

Potential for scientific research and. monitoring. Biosphere reserves should have the potential for participating in interdisciplinary research programmes involving the natural and social sciences. Hence, biosphere reserves should have, or should plan to have, facilities for coordinated research, including research to determine the requirements for conserving biological diversity, to assess the impacts of pollution on the structure and function of ecosystems, to evaluate the effects of traditional and modern land use practices on ecosystem processes, and to develop sustainable production systems for degraded areas. Some elements which can be used in evaluating the potential for scientific research and monitoring include:

accumulation of scientific knowledge over long time periods;

history of scientific research programmes and existence of ongoing projects ;

Biosphere reserves should help to strengthen the conservation of biological diversity, genetic resources and ecosystem!. The following criteria apply:

Value for conservation. A biosphere reserve must contain a sample of an ecosystem that is typical of a biogeographic unit based on criteria of diversity, naturalness and effectiveness as a conservation unit. The area concerned should be of a size sufficient to ensure the sustainability of viable populations of the species of the ecosystem. This sample shall normally constitute the core area (or areas) and should be effectively protected so that it is minimally disturbed. Human activities in the core area are limited to those which will not adversely affect the continuing natural evolution and functioning of the ecosystem.

Coverage. There should be biosphere reserves in as many biogeographic regions and covering as many biological communities as possible in order that the global network of biosphere reserves can contribute to the conservation of biological diversity and provide models for sustainable and appropriate development. In terms of conservation, biosphere reserves alone are of course not intended to protect all of biological diversity but complement other efforts. In terms of sustainable development, it is highly useful that a biosphere reserve contains a representation of the landscape, soils, microclimate, etc. occurring in a larger surrounding area so that the research taking place in the biosphere reserve will be relevant and can be applied in this larger region.

a balance of fundamental and applied studies;

research

research and Logistic (j-JVA? rtl3J-j-S'nJiJ-monitoring) concern

Together biosphere reserves should constitute a well identified international network

emphasis on research to resolve specific land use or environmental problems ;

participation in programmes on monitoring.

international research and

In some cases, proposed biosphere reserves may not have a history of research, nor have elaborated a research programme. For these, the concerned MAB National Committee should certify that the administrative authorities responsible for the planning and management of the proposed biosphere reserve acknowledge their commitment to facilitate a programme of research and monitoring.

Commitment to the MAB Programme and international cooperation. Biosphere reserves should make a commitment to work within the international MAB framework for comparative studies of similar environmental problems in different parts of the world; for testing, standardising and transferring new methodologies; and for co-ordinating the development of information management systems. In particular, MAB National Committees should acknowledge their commitment to pursue the objectives identified in the Action Plan for Biosphere Reserves.

Development concern

Biosphere reserves should associate environment and land and water resources development in their research, education and demonstration activities. The following criteria apply:

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Local organisation and potential for participation of local people. Each biosphere reserve should have a managing authority of the biosphere reserve which must acknowledge its responsibility in cooperating with local and regional institutions in planning the management of the biosphere reserve to the benefit of those people living in or around its boundaries. The managing authority should also indicate its willingness, as is possible and appropriate, to involve local people in the 'decision-making process pertaining to the management of the reserve and to its various activities.

Value as a model for development. The biosphere reserve as a whole (including the core(s), buffer zone and transition area should be, or have the potential to be, a model of the harmonious relationship between man and nature reflecting the land use patterns and the cultural and ethnic environment characteristic of the biogeographic unit. It should be an example that effectively links conservation to development, in which the benefits of the biosphere reserve radiate into the surrounding area. The biosphere reserve should have the potential to play a significant role at the national level in solving the interrelated environmental, land use and socio-economic problems found elsewhere in the country.

Potential for extension and demonstration. The work conducted in the biosphere reserve should whenever possible lead to practical results which could be used by the local population for land and water resource development through extension and demonstration activities.

Spatial distribution of the three primary functions of biosphere reserves

While the spatial organization has to be adapted to a large variety of local situations, a biosphere reserve should normally consist of the three following types of areas:

Core area or areas

Each biosphere reserve includes one or several core areas which are strictly protected and consist of typical samples of natural or minimally disturbed ecosystems. Collectively these core areas should be large enough to be effective as in situ conservation units and, whenever possible, have value as benchmarks for measurements of long term changes in the biosphere and in the ecosystems they represent. The size and shape of the core area(s) depend on the type of landscape in which they are located and on the conservation objectives they are intended to meet. They can obviously be much larger in low population density regions than in regions with heavier human pressure and less available land. Core areas are usually delineated but may remain undelineated in certain cases within a delineated buffer zone.

Bufferzone

The core areas are normally surrounded by a buffer zone which must be strictly delineated and very often corresponds, together with the core areas, to a single and autonomous administrative unit. This buffer zone must have a clearly established legal or administrative status even when several administrative authorities are involved in its management. Only activities compatible with the protection of the core areas may take place. This includes, in particular, research, environmental education and training, as well as tourism and recreation or other uses carried out in accordance with the management requirements. Besides its other functions, the buffer zone often serves to protect an area of land that could be used to meet future needs for experimental research.

Transition area

The core area(s) and the buffer zone are surrounded by a transition area which may also serve as a protective buffer and promotes several characteristic functions of the biosphere reserve, particularly its development function. It may include experimental research areas, traditional use areas or rehabilitation areas. Usually, the transition area as a whole is not strictly delineated and corresponds more to biogeographic than to administrative limits. It normally extends the above mentioned areas into a larger and open area where efforts are made to develop cooperative activities between researchers, managers and the local population, with a view to ensuring appropriate planning and sustainable resource development in the region while maintaining the greatest possible harmony with the purposes of the biosphere reserve. The management of the transition area is usually the responsibility of a variety of authorities and therefore requires appropriate coordination arrangements.

Cluster biosphere reserves

The cluster concept refers to a combination of a number of non-contiguous areas - and possibly of research and education centres or laboratories - serving the various functions of biosphere reserves. The overall spatial distribution is the same as for a biosphere reserve made up of only one land unit. The different parts of a cluster biosphere reserve are not usually administered by the same entity and hence the overall management of a cluster calls for coordinating mechanisms through which the various administrative authorities concerned - as well as the local population - will cooperate.

Management plans

Biosphere reserves should each prepare and implement, a management plan covering in particular the core area(s) and the buffer zone. However, such plans take time to prepare and usually are not ready when the site

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concerned is being proposed as a biosphere reserve. Nevertheless, the MAB National Committees should certify that the administrative authorities responsible for the planning and management of the proposed biosphere reserve acknowledge their commitment to pursue the objectives identified in the Action Plan, and in particular to prepare the corresponding management guidelines.

Revision of nomination form

The Panel noted that there was a need to revise the biosphere reserve nomination form. A proposal for a revised version was prepared for the second meeting of the Panel. This revision was made to conform more clearly to the Action Plan for Biosphere Reserves and to provide sufficient information to better evaluate new proposals. In particular, the revised form should stress the following features:

whether the proposed biosphere reserve has an effectively protected core area or areas of value for conservation, basic research and monitoring;

whether there is an appropriate management authority to administer and protect the core area(s) and the buffer zone(s);

whether the proposed biosphere reserve has a baseline of scientific information upon which further collaborative work in research and monitoring could be built;

whether the management authority of the proposed biosphere reserve has a general understanding of the functions of a biosphere reserve and is cooperating with the managers of the surrounding lands;

that human concerns are being appropriately addressed so that the benefits of the biosphere reserve will radiate into the surrounding lands;

that the MAB National Committee concerned has made the necessary commitment to developing the proposed biosphere reserve following the objectives of the Action Plan for Biosphere Reserves.

The Panel essentially agreed to the proposed version of the nomination form. Indeed, the Panel felt that although the form was rather long and comprehensive it would encourage MAB National Committees to think carefully about their proposed biosphere reserves along the lines of the Action Plan. The Panel made some suggestions, for example, concerning the name, the categories of legal protection, and different activities in the biosphere reserve. In particular it was suggested that the sections on the buffer zone and transition area be clarified, and that clear indications be given as to the kind of maps (scale, legends, zonation) required to be submitted with the nomination.

The Panel particularly noted the need to obtain a commitment on behalf of the MAB National Committees to developing the proposed biosphere reserve according to the Action Plan for Biosphere Reserves. For this, the following text was prepared for insertion in the nomination form above the signature of the nominating MAB National Committee.

"We hereby certify that the administrative authorities responsible for the planning and management of the proposed biosphere reserve acknowledge their commitment to pursue the objectives identified in the Action Plan for Biosphere Reserves, and in particular to prepare the corresponding management guidelines to facilitate a program­me of research and monitoring and to participa­te in the international network of biosphere re­serves and the MA3 information system".

A revision of the nomination form incorporating the above suggestions has been submitted to the Bureau of the Council for consideration.

Implementation of the Action Plan for Biosphere Reserves

The Panel recalled that the Action Plan for Biosphere Reserves was adopted by the MAB International Co-ordinating Council at its eighth session in December 1984. The Panel noted that the Action Plan had been translated into six languages (English, French, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, and Russian) and had been submitted to all MAB National Committees. It is also available as a reprint from "Nature and Resources" in English, French and Spanish. Attention had been drawn to the minimum set of activities which each country was invited to implement as a first step for the whole Action Plan, and for which international organizations should provide support as appropriate.

The Action Plan has been submitted to the international organizations associated with its implementation. The Governing Council of UNEP, at its 13th session held in Nairobi in May 1985, took decision N° 13/28 in which States were urged to "...take all necessary steps at the national, regional and international levels to set up or improve biosphere reserves and take part in the development and operation of the world network of biosphere reserves, paying particular attention to the establishment and adequate maintenance of biosphere reserves considered to be of special international importance." The Governing council of UNEP furthermore invited the Executive Director of UNEP "... to extend all possible support and assistance to the implementation of the Action Plan and to report to it at its fourteenth session on progress achieved in this respect." FAO has indicated its commitment to implement those actions of the Plan which came under its responsibility. The General Assembly of IUCN, at its 16th session held in Madrid (Spain) in November 1984, adopted Resolution N° 16/32 inviting "...all IUCN components to enhance the role of biosphere reserves in programmes for ecosystem conservation and integrated rural development...".

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A summary of the Panel's considerations for specific objectives are outlined below.

Objective 1 (International network)

(1) National working groups

The Panel emphasized that the international network of biosphere reserves as a whole could be strengthened only through the individual efforts of each nation. In order to stimulate such efforts, the Panel requested the MAB Secretariat to invite each national MAB committee to establish a working group on biosphere reserves. The working group should strive to strengthen national capabilities for promoting the Action Plan, in part by developing cooperative linkages with NGOs. Links between biosphere reserves at the regional and the international levels should be fully encouraged by this working group.

Although the composition of such national working groups would vary from country to country, depending upon its administrative structure, its institutional framework or its academic tradition, it is suggested that the following representation should be considered:

appropriate officials from government departments concerned with various aspects of the development and management of Biosphere Reserves in the country (i.e. environment, forestry, rural development, education, etc.);

appropriate representatives of the academic and scientific communities, including particularly those concerned with botanical and zoological surveys;

officials concerned with the utilization of biosphere reserves for environmental and conservation education at school level or technical level.

(2) Surveys to identify gags in network

The Panel noted the many activities aimed at identifying gaps in the coverage of protected areas. In clarifying the types of survey required, the Panel identified the following as necessary:

surveys to identify coverage resulting from all the IUCN categories of protected areas, including biosphere reserves, in selected countries, regions and/or biogeographic provinces;

surveys to identify management objectives and functions being performed by each area;

surveys to determine which among these areas could be the basis for new biosphere reserves or which could become associated with biosphere reserve functions (perhaps as a component of a biosphere reserve cluster).

Objective 2 (Management)

The Panel considered a proposal that the existence of a management plan be an obligatory prerequisite for approval of new biosphere reserves. After discussion it was felt that a mandatory requirement would be counter-productive at this stage in the evolution of the network. The Panel also felt that what was important was the actual implementation of the management plan, rather than its mere preparation. Finally, the Panel realised that emphasis should also be placed on the preparation and implementation of management plans of already existing biosphere reserves, and not just new or proposed sites.

The Panel recommended that the MAB-ICC draw the attention of MAB National Committees to Action 9 in the Action Plan in which they are invited to review the management of existing biosphere reserves in order to improve the standard of management. The Panel also recommended that the MAB-ICC specifically ask them to provide a copy of the management plan for each biosphere reserve, if available, to the MAB Secretariat. The Panel further recommended that for new biosphere reserves the nomination include a commitment to prepare a management plan.

The Panel considered that it was vital to share the experience and examples of good biosphere reserve management plans, especially as they were rather different from traditional national park plans. IUCN indicated that it would be willing to prepare guidelines on how to prepare a biosphere reserve management plan.

Objective 3 (In situ conservation)

The attention of the Panel was drawn to the work of international organisations on in situ conservation. The panel in particular emphasized that efforts should be stepped up to identify particular species and ecosystems which should be brought into the network of biosphere reserves. Existing lists of species and ecosystems in need of conservation (IUCN Conservation Monitoring Centre; FAO Panel of Experts of Forest Gene Research, etc;) should be used as a basis for such efforts. The Panel also stressed that close links should be established between the MAB Secretariat and the Secretariat of the FAO Commission on Plant Genetic Resources, which deals with both in and ex situ conservation issues on a global scale. Also, full use should be made, for the dissemination of information, of existing newsletters and journals focussed on in and ex situ conservation issues.

Objective 4 (Research)

(1) Inventories in Biosphere Reserves

The Panel welcomed the efforts of the Smithsonian Institution, The Nature Conservancy and IUCN to outline a methodology for preparing inventories of plants and animals in biosphere reserves. The particular objectives of this project were:

to define a minimum set of parameters that should be inventoried and monitored in each biosphere reserve;

to prepare a handbook for biosphere reserve managers explaining how to do this;

to prepare such technical guidelines, standards and software packages to enable biosphere reserve managers to computerise the resulting data.

Implementation would initially be focussed on setting up a draft methodology and testing it out in biosphere reserves in selected countries. Later on, all countries would be invited to participate with their own inventories. A requirement for the work is a commitment to train young local scientists in plant and animal taxonomy and to promote research in Biosphere Reserves. It was felt strongly that international funding agencies should be encouraged to fund research in model Biosphere Reserves and that developed countries should help build the suitable infrastructure needed for such inventories in developing countries.

The Panel discussed the use of the data generated by this work and believed strongly that the whole exercise be oriented firmly towards use in the countries concerned. Essentially, they wanted to see a system emerge that was not dependent on a central hub, but in which the data gathered were freely exchanged at country and regional levels.

As recommended by the Panel at its first meeting, a small workshop of a few selected taxonomist scientists, biological database designers and protected area managers was held at the Smithsonian Institution on 25 September 1986 to refine concepts further and outline a route for the implementation of the findings of the project.

(2) Biosphere reserves and MAB Research

It is recalled that the General Scientific Advisory Panel for the MAB Programme had explicitly expressed the wish to use biosphere reserves as a geographic focus for MAB research and the use of data gathered through the biosphere reserve network. The General Scientific Advisory Panel felt that biosphere reserves could in particular serve for studies on ecosystem functioning under different intensities of human impact.

Objective 5 (Monitoring)

The Panel recalled that Objective 5 of the Action Plan on monitoring essentially referred to long-term monitoring of global blogeochemical cycles, ecological processes and the effects of human use of the biosphere. As such, biosphere reserves offer excellent reference sites for monitoring background levels of pollutants, and in particular for monitoring global biochemical changes such as ozone levels or the acid rain problem. Thus, monitoring in biosphere reserves adds on to the scientific research in a synergistic manner so that the value of biosphere reserves for science is very significant indeed.

In this connection, the Panel felt that international programmes which require continuous observation of air and water quality, soil quality and possible degradation (ÜNEP-GEMS and GRID, ICSU Global Change Programme), runoff and erosion in selected hydrological basins (International Hydrological Programme), and ground truth data for remote-sensing techniques (eg certain activities of IIASA and National Space Agencies) should focus these observations within biosphere reserves. In order to stimulate such a process, the Panel recommended that a small working group of monitoring specialists be established to develop compatible approaches to integrated monitoring.

The Panel recalled that the conservation objective of biosphere reserves included: the maintenance of habitat diversity; the maintenance of species diversity; the prevention of degradation or simplification, particularly in the core area or areas; the maintenance of the biological integrity of the core area(s) with respect to structure, function and size of area; in certain cases, the restoration or regeneration of degraded habitats.

In the light of these objectives, the Panel recommended that conservation monitoring in biosphere reserves should concentrate on those biological and biophysical variables, changes, conditions, and states that reflect changes in the diversity and integrity of the reserve. Specifically:

permanent vegetation plots or transects should be established at carefully selected sites in the core and buffer zones, for the long-term monitoring of vegetational changes;

permanent transects and a standard methodology should be established for censusing birds, butterflies and/or other taxa that would provide early warning of ecological dysfunction or degradation;

permanent vegetation transects should be established on the border between the core and buffer zones to monitor edge effects. These transects should be long - up to several kilometres.

The Panel recommended that attention should be paid to setting out some guidelines for conservation monitoring in biosphere reserves, and also to preparing workshops on specific subjects, for example on edge effects.

Finally, the Panel agreed that attention should also be turned to observing over time the degree to which biosphere reserves contributed to sustainable development, although this could not be truly termed as "monitoring".

Objectives 6 (Regional planning), 7 (Local participation) and 9 (Information)

These objectives are grouped together for the purpose of presenting the Panel's discussion on "model" biosphere reserves,

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following Action 35 of the Action Plan. Such "model" biosphere reserves might serve as good working demonstrations on the concept of a biosphere reserve being applied in practice. These would exemplify the biosphere reserve approach to conservation and would show the balanced relationship between man and nature inherent in the concept.

It appeared from the Panel's discussion that there is probably not yet any biosphere reserve in the world which adequately fulfils all the functions of the concept. This perception is strengthened by a better understanding of the characteristics of a true biosphere reserve, following discussions at Cancun and as outlined in several recent papers.

Also, sufficient data were not yet available to make a truly representative selection. In particular, information was needed on: experience in building cooperation between managers, scientists and local people; the organization of applied interdisciplinary research and environmental monitoring; the links between work in biosphere reserves and sustainable development, both locally and regionally.

The Panel felt, therefore, that at this stage a better approach would be to find "illustrative examples". Rather than exemplifying an ideal biosphere reserve, the chosen examples would illustrate the application of the biosphere reserve concept to solve specific problems of wider interest to MAB.

The Panel felt, however, that the concept of the model biosphere reserve, as outlined in the Action Plan, was a good one. The immediate emphasis, though, should be to gather more data on the one hand and to help develop those functions not yet fulfilled on the other. The Panel reiterated that each biosphere reserve on the list of illustrative examples must have the prerequisites to become a biosphere reserve in the full sense of the term, albeit with some functions still to be strengthened; each would have to be moving towards being a "model". The Panel therefore requested the Secretariat to:

Work with MAB National Committees and the authorities concerned to strengthen those functions not yet fully developed in each of the chosen examples;

Gather and maintain more extensive data on all the reserves in the network, based on the biosphere reserve survey;

Prepare a report outlining how the biosphere reserve concept had been applied in the selected reserves, showing how all the biosphere reserve functions could be fulfilled in a very wide variety of ecological and socio-economic situations ;

Encourage MAB National Committees and relevant authorities to publish further material, including pamphlets for the public on each of the illustrative examples concerned.

The Panel also requested that the Secretariat develop substantial proposals for consolidating and developing three or four leading biosphere reserves into outstanding examples of the concept in all its functions.

On the basis of the data already available, the Panel identified a set of 17 biosphere reserves which would seem to provide illustrative examples of the concept in action including their apparent strengths and weaknesses. The Panel emphasised that there may be others of similar value not yet identified because of lack of information.

Objective 8 (Training and education)

(1) Education and training in biosphere reserves

While education and training for conservation can be conducted in many protected areas, they can take a particular dimension in biosphere reserves where human concerns and human uses are an' essential component of the reserve. The research and monitoring programmes and facilities of biosphere reserves offer excellent opportunities for field education and training at all levels, ranging from undergraduate level education to advanced post-graduate training of individual scientists. Equally important are the opportunities for environmental education in the broadest sense which could be addressed to primary and secondary schools, university students and the local population as well as tourists and visitors. The Panel underlined the synergistic effect which derived from the development of the various education and training activities undertaken in a same multi-functional area.

The Panel agreed that the potential offered by biosphere reserves as open field laboratories should be used to the maximum extent possible for environmental education and for specialised training at different levels. It suggested in particular:

the organisation of research-oriented short-term courses for graduates on a national or sub-regional basis on topics such as resource assessment and management or observation and monitoring techniques;

the organisation of sub-regional post-graduate and refresher training courses for introducing new concepts or techniques to groups of research workers or administrators already involved in resource management;

the preparation of information and teaching materials for environmental education activities emphasizing the multiple functions of the biosphere reserve.

It also recommended that MAB National Committees should be invited to:

encourage Ministries of Education and educational institutions to use biosphere reserves for environmental education activities;

use the media to promote the support of biosphere reserves by the public and by visitors. (This could also be done by biosphere reserve managers.)

(2) Training for biosphere reserve managers

The Panel considered the training requirements for the management and administration of biosphere reserves. It agreed that the biosphere reserve manager is a key to their proper functioning and to their adequate linkage with the international network. The capacities and contacts of the biosphere reserve manager largely determine the quality of the programmes carried out within the biosphere reserve, the flow of information in and out of it, and the value and importance of the relationships with the local population. Unless biosphere reserve managers are properly trained and informed, the individual biosphere reserves and the global network are not likely to achieve their objective.

The Panel recommended therefore that training of biosphere reserve managers be given the highest priority.

Biosphere reserve managers are responsible for complex environments with various forms of land-use and interests. They should have specialised training, not just in biology but also in other disciplines for example economics, psychology a.id regional planning.

In this respect, the Panel recommended:

that national and regional institutions specialised in the training of wildlife managers (such as Garoua, Cameroon, Mweka, Tanzania, CATIE, Costa Rica, and Dehra Dun, India) provide appropriate elements on the biosphere reserve concept and the related planning and management skills in their curricula;

that sufficient similar elements be provided in the Unesco-sponsored post-graduate courses on land or water resources management;

that national authorities award fellowships for training biosphere reserve managers.

The Panel recommended that special consideration be immediately given to in-service training of biosphere reserve managers through the organization of regional or sub-regional seminars held preferably at the site of a biosphere reserve, with carefully selected participants.

In order to organise such workshops, the Panel advocated a two-step process. The first step would be to ensure appropriate "training of the trainers" and the development of curricula adapted to the main biogeographic regions. This could be achieved through one or several workshops attended by potential trainers and by experts with experience in several fields and disciplines, including conservation biology, community relations, budgeting and planning, management plan development and training methodology. The

objective at such workshops is to design training workshops appropriate for the regions. The product would be a detailed syllabus, educational materials, and lists of suggested instructors. The Panel made some suggestions for the contents of such syllabuses.

The Panel hoped that funding agencies would be attracted to this important programme and recommended that the Secretariat should prepare appropriate proposals to this end.

RECOMMENDED PRIORITY ACTION BY MAB NATIONAL COMMITTEES

The Panel noted that the majority of the 35 implementing actions identified in the Action Plan for Biosphere Reserves would require the participation of MAB National Committees. While recognizing the need for full and expeditious implementation of the Plan, the Panel considered several actions to merit priority for immediate consideration by MAB National Committees in their efforts to implement the Plan because of the particular importance of these actions in developing and demonstrating the multiple functions of biosphere reserves.

Following its recommendation under Action 1 of the Action Plan to create national working groups the Panel recommended in particular that the International Coordinating Council invites and encourages each MAB National Committee to develop a national strategy for implementing the Action Plan and that special consideration be given by MAB National Committees as appropriate to the following:

review of the management of existing biosphere reserves with respect to the objectives of the Action Plan, and, on the basis of this review, development of management guidelines and appropriate implementing resources for improving the effectiveness of the biosphere reserves (Action 9);

identification of areas for nomination as biosphere reserves which fill gaps in ecosystem representation and biosphere reserve functions (Action 3) and which illustrate or have the potential to illustrate the benefits of integrating conservation and rural development (Action 24);

in cooperation with appropriate national and international agencies and organisations, identification of opportunities for the participation of regional and international development-financing agencies and organisations in demonstrating the value of biosphere reserves in integrated regional planning for sustainable land use and economic development. Particular consideration should be given to assessing possibilities for integrating ecologically sustainable rural development projects with the conservation,

research, educational, and training functions of biosphere reserves (Action 25);

identification of measures to promote the scientific use of biosphere reserves as centres for biological survey, monitoring, research and the development and application of appropriate technologies to support conservation and rational use of ecosystems (Action 15). Special consideration should be given to the development of accommodation and other appropriate on-site facilities to support scientists' interest in working in biosphere reserves;

promotion of use of biosphere reserves for general environmental education activities, through the national Ministries of Education (Action 29);

documentations of the traditional land use practices and ecological knowledge of local populations, and assessment of possibilities for incorporating such knowledge in research and demonstration projects in biosphere reserves (Action 20);

sharing of information on the biosphere reserves through full participation in the MAB Information System (Action 33). For each biosphere reserve, MAB National Committees should be encouraged to provide the Secretariat with copies of management plans, documents relating to administration and use, a bibliography of selected literature, photographic materials illustrating ecosystems, features and biosphere reserve functions, and basic descriptive information on the physical, biological and social characteristics of biosphere reserves. MAB National Committees should be encouraged to provide these materials if they have not already done so and to furnish new or updated materials as they become available.

In addition, the Panel recommended that MAB National Committees should be encouraged to furnish the Secretariat with information on on-going biosphere reserve activities which they consider to be of general interest, and to prepare case studies on their biosphere reserves for distribution through the MAB network.

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ANNEX 7

LIST OF BIOSPHERE RESERVES

ALGERIA / ALGÉRIE

Parc national du Tassili

ARGENTINA / ARGENTINE

Reserva de la Biosfera 'San Guillermo1

Reserva Natural de Vida Silvestre 'Laguna Blanca'

Parque Costero del Sur Reserva ecológica de Nacunan

AUSTRALIA / AUSTRALIE

Danggali Conservation Park Uluru (Ayers Rock - Mt Olga) National Park Kosciusko National Park The Unnamed Conservation Park of South Australia Yathong Nature Reserve Croajingolong Macquarie Island Nature Reserve Southwest National Park Hattah-Kulkyne National Park and Murray-Kulkyne Park

Prince Regent River Nature Reserve Fitzgerald River National Park Wilson's Promontory National Park

AUSTRIA / AUTRICHE

Gossenkôllesee Gurgler Kamm Neusiedler See-Osterreichischer Teil Lobau Reserve

BENIN

Réserve de la biosphère de la Pendjari

BOLIVIA / BOLIVIE

Parque Nacional Pilón-Lajas Reserva Biológica de Ulla ülla Estación Biológica Beni

BULGARIA / BULGARIE

Réserve Srébarna Réserve Kamtchia Réserve Tchoupréné Réserve Boatine Réserve Tsaritchina Parc national Steneto Réserve Djendema Réserve Bistrichko branichté Réserve parangalitza

Réserve Maritchini ezera Réserve Baévi doupki Réserve Alibotouch Réserve Mantaritza Réserve Koupena Réserve Doupkata Réserve Tchervenata sténa Réserve Ouzounbodjak

BURKINA FASO

Forêt classée de la mare aux hippopotames

BYELORUSSIAN SOVIET SOCIALIST REPUBLIC / RÉPUBLIQUE SOCIALISTE SOVIÉTIQUE DE BIÉLORUSSIE

Berezinsky Reserve

CAMEROON / CAMEROUN

Parc national de Waza Parc national de la Benoué Réserve forestière et de faune du Dja

CANADA

Mont St. Hilaire Waterton Lakes National Park Riding Mountain Biosphere Reserve Long Point Biosphere Reserve

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC / RÉPUBLIQUE CENTRAFRICAINE

Basse-Lobaye Forest Bamingui Bangoran Conservation Area

CHILE / CHILI

Parque Nacional Juan Fernandez Parque Nacional Fray Jorge/Reserva Nacional Las Chinchillas

Torres del Paine National Park Laguna San Rafael National Park

(including El Guayaneco National Park) Parque Nacional Lauca Reserva de la Biosfera 'Araucarias' La Campana-Peñuelas

CHINA, PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF / CHINE, RÉPUBLIQUE POPULAIRE DE

Changbai Nature Reserve Dinghu Nature Reserve Wolung Nature Reserve Fanjingshan Mountain Biosphere Reserve

80

COLOMBIA / COLOMBIE GUINEA / GUINÉE

Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta (including the Tayrona National Park)

El Tuparro Nature Reserve Cinturón Andino Cluster Biosphere Reserve

(including the Puracé, Nevado del Huila and Cueva de los Guácharos National Parks)

CONGO

Pare national d'Odzala

COSTA RICA

Reserva de la Biosfera de la Amistad

CÔTE D'IVOIRE

Parc national de Taï Parc national de la Comoé

CUBA

Sierra del Rosario

CZECHOSLOVAKIA / TCHÉCOSLOVAQUIE

Krivoklátsko Reserve Slovak Karst Reserve Trebon Basin Reserve Palava Biosphere Reserve

DENMARK / DANEMARK

Northeast Greenland National Park

ECUADOR / EQUATEUR

Archipiélago de Colón (Galápagos)

EGYPT / EGYPTE

Omayed Experimental Research Area

FRANCE

Réserve nationale de Camargue Forêt domaniale du Fango Atoll de Taiaro Réserve de la biosphère du Parc national des Cévennes

GABON

Réserve naturelle intégrale d'Ipassa-Makokou

GERMAN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC / RÉPUBLIQUE DÉMOCRATIQUE ALLEMANDE

Steckby-Loedderitz Forest Nature Reserve Vessertal Nature Reserve

GERMANY, FEDE.RAL REPUBLIC OF / ALLEMAGNE, REPUBLIQUE FEDERALE D

Bayerischer Wald National Park

GHANA

Bia National Park

GREECE / GRÈCE

Mount Olympus National Park Gorge of Samaria National Park

Réserve de la biosphère des Monts Nimba Réserve de la biosphère du Massif du Ziama

HONDURAS

Rio Plátano Biosphere Reserve

HUNGARY / HONGRIE

Hortobagy National Park Kiskinsag Biosphere Reserve Biosphere Reserve of Aggtelek Lake Fertô Biosphere Reserve Pilis Biosphere Reserve

INDONESIA / INDONÉSIE

Cibodas Reserve Tanjung Puting Nature Park Lore Lindu National Park Komodo National Park Gunung Leuser Reserves Siberut Nature Reserve

IRAN

Arasbaran Protected Area Arjan Protected Area Hara Protected Area Kavir National Park Geno Protected Area Lake Oromeeh National Park Miankaleh Protected Area Golestan National Park Touran Protected Area

IRELAND / IRELANDE

North Bull Island Killarney National Park

ITALY / ITALIE

Collemeluccio-Montedimezzo Forêt domaniale du Circeo Miramare Marine Park

JAPAN / JAPON

Yakushima Island Mount Odaigahara and Mount Omine Mount Hakusan Stviga Highland

KENYA

Mount Kulal Biosphere Reserve Mount Kenya Biosphere Reserve Malindi-Watamu Biosphere Reserve Kiunga Marine National Reserve

KOREA/ REPUBLIC OF / RÉPUBLIQUE DE CORÉE

Mount Sorak Biosphere Reserve

MALI

Pare national de la Boucle du Baoulé et Réserves adjacentes: Fina - Koungossambougou et Badinko

MAURITIUS / ÎLE MAURICE

Macchabée/Bel Ombre Nature Reserve

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MEXICO / MEXIQUE

Reserva de Mapimí Reserva de La Michilía Montes Azules Reserva de la Biosfera 'El Cielo' Reserva de la Biosfera de Sian Ka'an

NETHERLANDS / PAYS-BAS

Waddensea Area

NIGERIA

Orno Reserve

NORWAY / NORVÈGE

Northeast Svalbard Nature Reserve

PAKISTAN

Lalsohanra National Park

PANAMA

Darien National Park

PERU / PÉROU

Reserva de Huascarán Reserva del Manu Reserva del Noroeste

PHILIPPINES

Puerto Galera Biosphere Reserve

POLAND / POLOGNE

Babia Gora National Park Bial/owieza National Park Luknajno Lake Reserve Slowinski National Park

PORTUGAL

Paul do Boquilobo Biosphere Reserve

ROMANIA / ROUMANIE

Pietrosu Mare Nature Reserve Retezat National Park Rosca-Letea Reserve

RWANDA

Pare national des Volcans

SENEGAL

Forêt classée de Samba Dia Delta du Sine Saloum Parc national du Niokolo-Koba

SPAIN / ESPAGNE

Reserva de Grazalema Reserva de Ordesa-Viñamala Parque Natural del Montseny Reserva de la Biosfera de la Mancha Húmeda Reserva de la Biosfera de Doñana Reserva de la Biosfera de las Marismas del

Odiel Reserva de la Biosfera de las Sierras de

Cazorla y Segura

Reserva de la Biosfera del Canal y los Tiles Reserva de la Biosfera del Urdalbai Reserva de la Biosfera 'Sierra Nevada'

SRI LANKA

Hurulu Forest Reserve Sinharaja Forest Reserve

SUDAN / SOUDAN

Dinder National Park Radom National Park

SWEDEN / SUÈDE

Lake Torne Area

SWITZERLAND / SUISSE

Pare national Suisse

TANZANIA / TANZANIE

Serengeti National Park and Ngorongoro Conservation Area

Lake Manyara National Park

THAILAND / THAÏLANDE

Sakaerat Environmental Research Station Mae Sa-Kog Ma Reserve Hauy Tak Teak Reserve

TUNISIA / TUNISIE

Parc national de Djebel Bou-Hedma Parc national de Djebel Chambi Parc national de l'Ichkeul Parc national des Iles Zembra et Zembretta

UGANDA / OUGANDA

Queen Elizabeth National Park

UKRAINIAN SOVIET SOCIALIST REPUBLIC / RÉPUBLIQUE SOCIALISTE SOVIETIQUE D'UKRAINE

Tchernomorsky State Reserve Askania-Nova State Reserve

UNION OF SOVIET SOCIALIST REPUBLICS / UNION DES RÉPUBLIQUES SOCIALISTES SOVIÉTIQUES

Caucasian Reserve Priokosko-Terrasny Reserve Repetek Reserve Sary-Chelek Reserve Sikhote-Alin Reserve Central-Chernozem Reserve Central Forest zapovednik Astrakhansky zapovednik Voronezhsky zapovednik Kronotsky zapovednik Laplandsky zapovednik Pechoro-Ilychsky zapovednik Sayano-Shushensky zapovednik Sokhondinsky zapovednik Lake Baikal Region Biosphere Reserve Tzentralnosibirskii Biosphere Reserve

UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND / ROYAUME~UNI DE GRANDE-BRETAGNE ET D*IRLANDE DU NORD

Beinn Eighe National Nature Reserve Brauton Burrows National Nature Reserve Caerlaverock National Nature Reserve Cairnsmore of Fleet National Nature Reserve Dyfi National Nature Reserve Isle of Rhum National Nature Reserve Loch Druidibeg National Nature Reserve Moor House-Upper Teesdale Biosphere Reserve North Norfolk Coast Biosphere Reserve St. Kilda National Nature Reserve Silver Flowe-Merrick Kells Biosphere Reserve Taynish National Nature Reserve Claish Moss National Nature Reserve

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA / ETATS-UNIS D'AMER IQUE

Aleutian Islands Biosphere Reserve Big Bend National Park Cascade Head Experimental Forest and

Scenic Research Area Central Plains Experimental Range (CPER) Channel Islands National Monument Coram Experimental Forest

(including Coram Natural Area) Coweeta Hydrologie Laboratory Denali National Park and Biosphere Reserve Desert Experimental Range Everglades National Park

(including Ft. Jefferson National Monument) Fraser Experimental Forest Glacier National Park Great Smoky Mountains National Park H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest Jornada Experimental Range Luquillo Experimental Forest

(Caribbean National Forest)

Noatak Biosphere Reserve Olympic National Park Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument Rocky Mountain National Park San Dimas Experimental Forest San Joaquin Experimental Range Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Parks Stanislaus-Tuolumne Experimental Forest Three Sisters Wilderness Virgin Islands National Park Yellowstone National Park Beaver Creek Experimental Watershed Niwot Ridge Biosphere Reserve Konza Prairie Research Natural Area The University of Michigan Biological Station The Virginia Coast Reserve Isle Royale National Park Hawaii Islands Biosphere Reserve Guanica Commonwealth Forest Reserve Big Thicket National Preserve California Coast Ranges Biosphere Reserve Central Gulf Coastal Plain Biosphere Reserve South Atlantic Coastal Plain Biosphere Reserve Mojave and Colorado Deserts Biosphere Reserve Carolinian-South Atlantic Biosphere Reserve Glacier Bay-Admiralty Island Biosphere Reserve

URUGUAY

Bañados del Este

YUGOSLAVIA / YOUGOSLAVIE

Réserve écologique du Bassin de la Rivière Tara The Velebit Mountain

ZAIRE

Réserve floristlque de Yangambi Réserve forestière de la Luki Vallée de la Lufira

83

ANNEX 8

REPORT OF THE GENERAL SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY PANEL

SUMMARY

The MAB General Scientific Advisory Panel was established by the International Co­ordinating Council of MAB at its eighth session (3-8 December 1984) to review the scientific programme of MAB and to make recommendations on "ways to disseminate and implement new criteria, concepts, techniques and methods throughout MAB activities with the objective of maintaining a good and credible scientific programme; the strengthening of scientific ana regional networks within MAB; and the provision of general scientific counsel".

The Panel met on two occasions: in Banff and Calgary (Canada) from 21-25 August 1985, hosted by the Canadian MAB National Committee, and in Paris, from 21-24 April 1986, hosted by the International Council of Scientific Unions (ICSU). The second meeting overlapped with a meeting of the MAB Bureau (Paris, 24-25 April 1986), and this provided the occasion for the Panel to report its recommendations and conclusions to the Bureau. This annex comprises an edited version of the Panel's report that was presented to the Bureau on 24 April and subsequently to the MAB Council; an expanded version of the report is available as MAB Report Series No. 59.

In the light of its reviews of MAB activities over the 15 years since it was established in 1971, the Panel made the following main recommendations for consideration by the Council.

(i) A Research Plan be elaborated for the medium-term which would concentrate and redirect MAB research and encourage wide international participation.

(ii) Research activities be focussed on four major research orientations, to be put into operation as soon as possible:

1. Ecosystem functioning under different intensities of human impact.

4. Human stress.

response to environmental

(iii) The research programme be implemented through complementary networks of MAB pilot projects, Biosphere Reserves, MAB comparative studies and MAB national projects so that MAB will continue to operate at national and international levels and contribute to the advancement of science and development.

(iv) MAB research proposals, projects and reports should be subjected to scientific peer review, and appropriate procedures for achieving this should be established and communicated to participating scientists, MAB National Committees and collaborating organizations.

(v) MAB should seek to associate its training activities with MAB research projects and Biosphere Reserves, and should, as far as possible, carry out training activities within the appropriate ecological zone. Support to developing country centres of excellence and young scientists is encouraged.

(vi) An overall communications policy should be developed which will involve the elimination of some communication outlets, but will provide greater benefit in the long-term visibility and scientific credibility of MAB.

(vii) The MAB Programme should be consolidated into one coherent scientific programme within the next Medium-Term Plan of Unesco, and this should be reflected in the presentations of Unesco's Programmes.

(viii) This Panel's duties being hereby fulfilled, it is recommended that a new Panel(s) of experts be established to advise on the detailed elaboration and implementation of the Research Plan.

Management and restoration human-impacted resources.

of

Human use.

investment and resource

84

INTRODUCTION

The MAB Programme is an international programme of research, training and information diffusion drawing on both the natural and social sciences, which is aimed at providing the scientific basis and the trained' personnel needed to deal with problems of resource use, conservation, and human settlements.

The main aim of this report is to present proposals for restructuring the research plan of MAB in order to reach these goals.

This report has been drafted taking into consideration the mandate of the eighth session of the MAB Council (Paris, December 1984) and the Panel's deliberations at its meetings in Banff/Calgary (August 1985) and Paris (April 1986). The recommended research plan has been prepared with three needs in mind:

(i) to maintain a continuity with the work that has evolved over the past 15 years under the MAB Programme;

(ii) to develop new research directions that link recent advances in science with the new generation of environmental and resource issues and opportunities for the 1990s;

(iii) to produce a research plan that is achievable within the resources likely to be available for undertaking and servicing the programme.

The recommended research plan is a limited-term plan of action for MAB. It supplements the original 14 project areas for national efforts in MAB by presenting a more concentrated focus for the international research programme. During a transition period, national efforts should be encouraged to contribute to the focus presented in this plan from the base of their existing projects. The Panel envisages an evolution to a new programme emphasizing policy issues and scientific excellence through further extension of the unique research arrangements that MAB has evolved.

The overall focus of the research would emphasize ecosystems and functions that have been degraded or enhanced by human activities. Their examination can be focussed by four research orientations:

(1) Ecosystem functioning under different intensities of human impact.

(2) Management and restoration of human-impacted resources.

(3) Human investments and resource use.

(4) Human response to environmental stress.

These topics draw upon the particular research arrangements and methods that have been part of MAB's history. The combination of such arrangements is unique to MAB and includes pilot projects, international comparative studies, and basic research undertaken at Biosphere Reserves. Each approach provides particular advantages

for furthering and integrating research within each of the four orientations. Pilot projects provide a means for organizing intensive analyses that can integrate across MAB themes for particular locations. The comparative studies encourage collaborative efforts leading to broad syntheses within and between key biogeographical systems. And finally, Biosphere Reserves provide an extensive network of "laboratories" for monitoring, conservation and application.

Such a programme will move MAB research into topics of ' current and emerging environmental policy concern, will connect it to the most active of ongoing research and scholarship in the natural and social sciences, and will draw upon the unique research arrangements that MAB has developed and tested.

PRESENT OPERATIONS

The original 14 themes have provided the substantive framework within which MAB National Committees have organized their contributions to the programme. These contributions have generally been based on field research projects, organized and financed by the individual countries themselves, in some cases with support from other countries and international organizations.

Field projects have been marked by a wide variation in such characteristics as land use or research problems treated, scope, research approach, duration, available resources, disciplines and institutions involved, provisions for training and the communication of results, relevance to policy and management issues, etc. Within this spectrum, at least three broad types of field research operations can be recognized: MAB international pilot projects, international comparative studies and other MAB national field projects.

The major focus for international cooperation in MAB has been provided by pilot projects. Ideally, these problem-oriented pilot projects have:

(i) dealt with priority land use problems of interest at regional and international, as well as local and national levels;

(ii) addressed land use problems at a manageable scale (e.g., an alpine river valley), while placing them within their broader spatial and temporal contexts;

(iii) involved the participation of scientists from the range of natural- and social-science disciplines needed to study the interplay between natural and social systems, as well as planners and local populations.

These interdisciplinary and intersectoral pilot projects have comprised perhaps the most significant and distinctive contribution of MAB to the challenge of harnessing environmental science to socio-economic development needs. The ideas of interface and interaction are pervasive in this approach to environmental problems. This so-called "MAB approach" is one operational response

to the complexity of ecological problems, as perceived in social as well as scientific terms. Estimates vary of the number of such pilot projects that have been undertaken within the framework of MAB. A total of 70-90 is estimated (though strict application of the proposed criteria for evaluating pilot projects would considerably reduce this number).

Within this framework of heterogeneous pilot projects dealing with complementary issues of resource management and land use, there has always been the potential to promote comparative studies in particular technical fields. This potential has been considerably reinforced by the emerging international network of Biosphere Reserves. The pilot projects may often encompass similar component studies (e.g., on soil structure or vegetation dynamics or household economics). Few attempts have been made in the first dozen or so years of MAB to promote comparison among such component studies. Exceptions have been in such fields as soil characterization, soil microflora, matching of forest habitats and integrated modelling of mountain and urban systems. They have generally been undertaken by a group of scientists working out of a single specialized institution, at a limited number of sites overseas.

A third category of research projects - much larger in number than the other two categories - are those carried out by countries as part of their national contribution to MAB under the auspices of MAB National Committees. These do not necessarily meet the characteristics of pilot projects nor of comparative studies that are designed as such from the outset. National projects do not necessarily contribute to regional networks of pilot projects which have formed the primary focus for international research cooperation until now within MAB. On the other hand, many of these national projects fulfill an important national function, and some have contributed to international cooperative work in frameworks other than MAB.

STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES

The General Scientific Advisory Panel feels that every MAB National Committee should set the criteria for their national projects in a way that reflects national needs and possibilities. The Panel's recommendations, therefore, refer principally to the International Programme of Unesco-MAB. It is felt that the Unesco-MAB label should be reserved for a limited number of international projects; and that national projects should be identified with a national MAB label. The General Scientific Advisory Panel has assessed the strengths and shortcomings of past MAB projects and their effectiveness in meeting a number of criteria for evaluation. As part of this review, the Advisory Panel has considered some major developments in science that have taken place since MAB began, including the activities of other international programmes.

Major shortcomings in MAB that were identified by the Panel include:

the dispersion of programme activities over too large a number of subject areas;

problems related to the scientific quality of projects;

a need for greater scientific coherence and for mechanisms for selection and effective evaluation of projects which go under the MAB label;

continuing mismatch between the goals of MAB and its resources and lack of focus on regional and international problems with significant interregional impact.

On the positive side, the MAB programme has contributed to:

awareness and research in the interface between ecology and social sciences leading to increased understanding and new solutions to land use problems;

the stimulation of research coordination between countries and institutions;

the development of scientific infra­structure in many countries;

pioneering examples in the field in testing a certain approach to complex land use problems.

The following recommendations build on these perceived strengths and seek to overcome the shortcomings.

STRUCTURE OF THE RESEARCH PLAN

Following the formal launching of MAB in 1971, 14 international project areas were identified by the International Coordinating Council for the Programme. These project areas were defined in terms of ecological subject matters.

As the programme evolved during the 1970s, the concerns of the more process-oriented projects became integrated within field activities in particular ecological zones or physiographic units. The Secretariat's resources were gradually concentrated on four types of ecosystems: humid and sub-humid tropics, arid and semi-arid lands, urban areas considered as ecological systems, and biosphere reserves. Substantial effort continued to go into field activities in the other ecosystem types encompassed by the programme (e.g., temperate zones, coastal areas, mountain ecosystems, islands), but with a lower level of financial input from Unesco.

The Panel recognizes the value of maintaining for the short term the continuity afforded by the traditional fourteen MAB themes. Eventually they should be reviewed to reflect scientific advances. However, there are compelling reasons for re-focussing the international component of the MAB Programme in theoretical and methodological terms:

(i) Recent advances in theory, methods and example provide better ways to deal with human-biosphere interaction.

(ii) Many international programmes are now successfully fulfilling some roles that originally only the MAB Programmes addressed.

(iii) Budgetary constraints in Unesco require more 'efficient uses of those resources available to MAB.

(iv) New dimensions to environmental and resources issues have recently emerged that still require MAB to continue

its leadership field.

in the environmental

(v) Innovative approaches with use of new technology and scientific understanding are needed to benefit humans in their relationship to the natural resource base that supports them.

For the above reasons the Panel recommends a matrix approach' for organizing the international research interests of the MAB Programme. The matrix retains the geographic and ecosystem dimensions of the existing programme and adds a second dimension dealing with problem focus (Fig. 1).

^ ^ ^ ^ ^ _ ^

Research orientations

Ecosystem functioning under different intensities of human impact

Management and restoration of human-impacted resources

Human investment and resource use

Human response to environmental stress

Project Areas (examples only)

Tropical Temperate Arid Urban Etc.

Figure 1. Matrix showing relationship between the proposed research orientations and possible project areas.

Ecosystem functioning under intensities of human impact

different

Natural ecosystems, in contrast to artificial engineering systems, are not characterized by steady-state behaviour. Ecosystems are highly variable and subject to many external and internal processes and phenomena which generate change. An increasingly important cause of variability is human activity. Hence, it is often more relevant to explore how inherent instabilities generate change and renewal than to attempt a local or global stability analysis. Man's interactions with the rest of the ecosystem should be evaluated by the way natural renewal functions are sustained or enhanced. For example, as soils become eroded, the ecosystem can only be sustained by heavy investment in fertilizer and energy. When the costs of masking the erosion with increasing input of fertilizers can no longer be afforded, then the local ecosystem can shift from a productive to a non-productive mode.

Ecosystems vary from "near-pristine" where natural processes dominate, through systems where both natural and human-affected

processes are important, to systems where human impacts are dominant. This proposed orientation emphasizes comparative studies of the important processes in the functioning of ecosystems, subject to different intensities of human impact. Studies should include both regional comparisons of ecosystems affected by similar degrees of human impact, and local comparisons, often based on Biosphere Reserves, of the relative importance of processes within an ecosystem that is Subject to different degrees of human impact.

Methods will include mapping of the resource base, analysis of trends, and evaluation of the importance of different processes in the system. The importance of a social-historical perspective of system responses to human impact must be emphasized. Short-term projects usually record only transient stages in ecosystem change. Thus, documentation of the history of human impact and ecosystem change, including relatively rapid evolutionary responses, is essential to the topic. The use of systems analysis techniques may be useful. Research questions will address which ecosystem processes are most sensitive to human impact, what is the

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nature of the change in these processes, and the positive or negative feedbacks that come into play as the intensity of human impact changes.

Some ecosystems have been intensively used for hundreds, even for thousands of years, others are relatively pristine, while many others are intermediate between these extremes. Better understanding of ecosystem functioning is necessary for three reasons: (1) a certain type of use may be only sustainable for a relatively short time period depending on the nature of the human macro- and micro-economy; (2) ecosystems may be affected by anthropogenic factors coming from outside the system (i.e., acid rain); (3) ecosystems face short- and long-term "natural" changes, imposed from both within and outside the system (e.g., climatic changes). These forces stress and change the system, or at least change its reactions to human use. In many cases response to these forces by the most basic ecosystem processes (e.g., water cycles, nutrient cycles, etc.) are poorly understood in both time and space, and this ignorance often leads to mistakes and poor ecosystem management.

For a better perspective, paleo-ecological studies of changes in ecosystem structure and functions are also extremely valuable, and may provide new insights into the function of ecosystems in both long- and short-term perspectives.

Management and restoration of human-impacted resources

There is a clear need for managing human-impacted ecosystems. In many cases ecosystem restoration is needed to recover the loss of amenities of ecosystems that have been heavily damaged. Instead of emphasizing research on steady-state ecosystems and of human cultures uncontaminated by external forces, MAB should highlight questions related to management and restoration of human-impacted ecosystems such as secondary forests, pollution-affected systems, degraded agricultural lands, ecosystems dominated by exotic species, channelized rivers, reservoirs, drained wetlands, polluted estuaries, eroded hillsides, overgrazed pastures, deteriorated urban areas, and societies negatively affected by external market forces.

The Panel defines restoration as the transformation of a human-impacted ecosystem into a more desirable state. While under some circumstances the restored state may be a mature or climax ecosystem, this is not necessarily always the case. Humans have a great variety of needs that can be satisfied by an equally variable set of ecosystem states which can be considered as desirable under the proper circumstances.

In highlighting questions of ecosystem management and restoration, the research units addressed under MAB would not only be the ecosystems but also the resource management systems (e.g., production and waste processing systems). Equally important is the question of optimal adaptation of the resource management systems to the functioning of affected ecosystems. In the context of developing societies particular

attention should be paid to the functioning and the logic of traditional production systems. There is still widespread failure of resource development programmes (e.g., in the arid lands of Africa) in applying available scientific and technological know-how to different and often complex social contexts. The Panel recommends that MAB should strive to focus knowledge on how to introduce ecologically-sound and economically viable change into traditional production systems gradually by using inputs closely linked to those of traditional management systems.

It is clear to the Panel that much relevant work on this theme has been conducted outside of the MAB Programme but the information is dispersed and poorly integrated. Packages useful to resource managers are simply not available as there is a general lack of attention to the problem of how to restore human impacted systems into more desirable states. Therefore, activities within this subject include creative and new synthesis presented in international meetings and resource papers, documentation of case studies (including examples of natural restorations), and field research. Field research should take the form of manipulative experiments to learn about the susceptibility of human-impacted ecosystems to management, and research designed to develop management prescriptions for specific situations or management problems.

Analytical tools that are especially useful for this theme are: traditional ecosystem analysis techniques, computer simulation of ecosystem models, watershed research approaches, and horticultural techniques. The development in expert systems theory may provide a useful tool to assist in analyzing problems and in applying recommended prescriptions.

A field of ecological engineering will emerge from the recommended programme. Early in the programme, there is a need to catalogue the various kinds of human-impacted ecosystems. These include production systems, waste receiving systems, buffer systems, systems impacted accidentally by human activity, etc. Different restoration and management techniques with different time horizons are required for each of these kinds of systems. Work under this theme would be carried out both in the framework of pilot projects focussing on localized specific resource use problems and patterns, and regional and international MAB comparative studies. Components of pilot projects could ideally be part of such comparative studies.

Human investment and resource use

Investments of knowledge, time and money drive change. Such investments can be for improvement in social welfare, for furthering economic development, for enhancing resource sustainability, or all three. If the investments are narrowly based, however, the consequence can be the reverse of that desired. As in the Sahel, for example, the resource base can be eroded together with social welfare. Those reverse consequences are not only local or regional; they are also global. Investment in land development in the Southern Hemisphere can lead to

deforestation that produces climatic and resource impacts in the Northern Hemisphere. Investment in fast-growing tree plantations in the South can shift trade balances in forest products for the benefit of forest ecosystem restoration in the North. Therefore, the link between human welfare and ecosystem sustainability is through investment processes that reflect local, regional, and global forces. For this reason, this proposed topic requires the integration of knowledge of social perceptions and expectations, of the behaviour of biophysical systems and of the process of investment, disinvestment, and reinvestment.

A major problem in ecological research lies in the conceptualization and explanation of the interaction between human activities and natural processes. This problem is exacerbated by differences in approach and assumptions between natural-science and social-science research. Here the concepts "investment" and "use" are chosen to mediate these differences. Human investment is taken to imply all that the resources mean to a particular cultural community. Resource use is taken to cover the other side of the man-environment equation - the complementary physical interaction of people and resources and the consequent change in the condition of the resources.

Several project categories can be visualized under this theme:

the impact of poverty on resource sustainability;

vulnerabilities of alternative investment strategies to low probability, high consequence risks;

survivability and viability of resource business, resource policy, and natural ecosystems;

effects of international trade on investment patterns that impact regional ecosystems;

impacts of global environmental change (viz; acid rain, climate change) on regional investment assumptions.

This theme emphasizes change and evolution, and therefore it provides a particular opportunity to extend the paradigms, procedures and methods used in the MAB Programme (e.g. regional synthesis, historical analysis, interactive procedures to link science and policy).

Human response to environmental stress

Because of the dynamic nature of the human-biosphere interaction, there is a continuous need to formulate issues that require research attention. The Panel offers this fourth topic as an example of an issue that is gaining importance as a candidate for future consideration by the MAB Programme. This theme can be phased in as interest, opportunity and budgets allow.

The main feature of the MAB Programme, which makes it original in comparison with other international programmes is that human

beings are the focus for studies of complex ecological systems. There are many examples of environmental influences on human health and welfare: e.g. the impacts of natural hazards, noise pollution, heavy metals, pesticides, fertilizers and environmental pollution; stress and adaptation of migrants into arctic, tropical, desert, high-mountain, and urban conditions; appearance (e.g. Lassa fever in Africa) and activation of some diseases as a result of land development (e.g. schistosomasis, malaria, leishmaniasis, leptospiroses, etc.); and the higher risk of disease of migrants who lack resistance to pathogens in the new environment. On the other hand, some human environmental changes have many positive impacts on health and these environments are suitable for active recreation activity and as a means to restore the energy, health, mood, and spirit of people.

The World Health Organization (WHO) and UNEP have projects dealing with environmental health aspects. The MAB Programme with its strong combination of natural and socio-economic studies of human ecology has the opportunity not only to make an important input in the above mentioned projects but also to take leadership in such multidisciplinary research dealing with positive and negative impacts of environmental changes on human health and welfare. Therefore, the panel members call the attention of MAB national committees and the ICC members to the emerging and very important need to protect people from the negative side effects of environmental change and to optimize the management of natural environments for the benefit of people living and depending on them.

FUTURE HAS RESEARCH: GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS

The MAB Programme is an international programme of research, training and information diffusion aimed at providing the scientific basis and the trained personnel needed to deal with problems relative to resource use and conservation and human settlements.

The MAB approach to research emphasizes problem solving at the level of specific, local situations, often involving multidisciplinary teams and field training, which applies a systems approach to understanding the linkages between the natural and human components of environmental management and impact.

Two principal types of field activities are envisaged in the Future Research Plan:

- pilot projects - comparative studies.

Whenever possible, Biosphere Reserves should be utilized in these research efforts. And it is equally important to emphasize the necessity of relating MAB projects to practical application for public policy considerations.

Integrated pilot projects

Characteristics and criteria

Integrated pilot projects of the sort pioneered within MAB constitute one research approach to tackling complex environmental problems. They encompass a unique combination of

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characteristics and outputs, and will fulfill a core function in the future research programme of MAB. They will continue to play a crucial role as testing grounds for putting the "MAB approach" into practice and for demonstrating at the ground level the fruits of applying such an approach to development needs.

In line with lessons gained from early pilot projects, it is proposed that the following guidelines be used in the process of screening, planning and implementing future pilot projects:

(i) focus on a land use or resource management problem of priority at the local and national level, but at the same time having a wider regional and international significance (i.e., the results of the project are likely to be of interest to other countries);

(ii) concern with the interfaces between human populations, their activities and their environment and the boundaries between socio-economic and physical and biological systems;

(iii) availability, or likely availability, of sufficient financial and technical resources required to carry out a pilot project, and demonstrable political will of a country to undertake the pilot project;

(iv) agreement of the host country for the project to be periodically assessed through a scientific review procedure for MAB pilot projects;

(v) development of mechanisms for the communication of results to those concerned with planning and management;

(vi) advantage to be taken of the opportunities offered by the pilot project for institutional development in the country or region concerned.

Geographic focus and number of pilot projects

In the next few years, implementation of integrated pilot projects will continue to take place in different regions. It is proposed that a primary focus of pilot projects be in the arid and semi-arid regions due to the increasing magnitude and intensity of desertification and the large number of peoples affected.

Notwithstanding these considerations, it is expected that several pilot projects will be carried out in regions other than the arid and semi-arid zones, contingent on their compliance with the criteria for pilot projects proposed above.

Comparative studies

A second plank in the future research programme is provided by areas of thematic concentration, which will act as foci for comparative studies, regional syntheses and international scientific cooperation. Such comparative studies are intended to develop a better theoretical and operational basis for understanding the replicability

and comparability of ecological information, and thus advance the subject towards a more predictive science. The specific objective of MAB comparative studies is to test a range of hypotheses under different ecological situations and human impacts.

Four criteria are proposed for the selection of comparative studies within MAB:

(i) enunciation of general and specific hypotheses combining both theoretical and applied objectives;

(ii) application of appropriate methods and techniques standardized so as to ensure repeatability and comparability;

(iii) appropriate choice of sites in relation to the stated hypotheses. In considering sites, attention should be paid to their structural and/or functional similarity or types of impact ;

(iv) designing the programme such that theories, methods or management insights will be developed and tested leading to a final regional synthesis.

Contributions to research from Biosphere Reserves

The MAB Programme for the conservation of natural areas, Biosphere Reserves (Project 8), has been successful in creating a global network of potential observation sites for natural systems and associated environments. The recently approved Action Plan for Biosphere Reserves will strengthen the Programme even more. Clearly, the network now offers unique reference data for many of MAB's other scientific programmes. The General Scientific Advisory Panel wants to see a significant increase in the use of data from the Biosphere Reserve Network, but this should be accomplished through increased use of these data in the comparative studies and syntheses planned under the proposed new research orientations above, particularly the studies of ecosystem functioning.

Biosphere Reserves also serve to some degree as reference sites documenting historical relationships between human activity and natural resource use. In this way they will also serve as reference areas for restoration of seriously altered resources, and in some cases as reference areas for utilization and investment strategies for resource development. They will also serve as sources of seed or genetic diversity for the establishment of productive ecosystems on seriously altered landscapes. Since much of the research at the Reserves focusses on monitoring and on the functioning of natural systems, the most effective use of the data base is likely to be in regional (or biome-wide) syntheses of the understanding of ecosystem processes, potentially under a limited range of human impacts.

MECHANISMS FOR REVIEW AND EVALUATION

The General Scientific Advisory Panel proposes that all MAB projects be subjected to periodic review.

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In the case of comparative studies, in each of the two early studies - on Tropical soil biology and fertility and Responses of savannas to stress and disturbance -these mechanisms comprise a small (5-6 persons) Coordinating Committee backed up by a •somewhat larger Scientific Advisory Panel, with independent assessors being invited to participate in the periodic review and synthesis meetings. The non-governmental scientific' partner with Unesco-MAB in these ventures (in this case ICSU-IUBS) has taken prime responsibility for setting up this peer review system. Similar (but probably somewhat simpler) mechanisms could be established for the other areas of concentration, with the non-governmental scientific partner or its equivalent (which will vary according to the subject at hand) being primarily responsible for assuring the scientific rigour of the work undertaken in the study. The MAB Bureau, via its General Scientific Advisory Panel, would receive periodic reports on progress in the various comparative studies and would make their own evaluations, with recommendations on shifts in emphasis and directions for future work. The MAB Bureau would nominate or designate a MAB representative to serve on each Coordinating Committee, and a member of the Unesco-MAB Secretariat would also take part, on an ex officio basis.

MAB TRAINING PROGRAMMES

Goals and context

The goals of the training programme within MAB evolved during the mid-1970s to meet a need that was only implicit in the words "education and information" in the mission statement, activities that were to be related to the primary focus of MAB on research. The 1980 general brochure on MAB training programmes states the need as being "closely linked to the research programme", and increasingly "carried out in developing countries - under the socio-economic conditions the trainees will face in the future management of their country's land and resources."

The report of the eighth session of the International Coordinating Council for MAB, December 1984, expands on the training needs statement. It states the purpose is to "help the developing countries equip themselves with staff specializing in the different branches of ... basic and applied ecology and to introduce them to the new approaches and methods relating to land use problems . . . and protection of renewable natural resources." The full report lists the seven major post-graduate courses (non-degree programmes offered in various European centers) as well as the complementary range of short training courses. Some of the short courses are focussed around major MAB "pilot" projects and others around regional problem topics.

Recent situation

A review of the recent training courses offered by MAB, and the sources of their support, indicates a strategy of providing brief, introductory-level training in a

passive or reactive mode to the largest possible number of individuals at the least direct cost to MAB. On the surface, this seems commendable, but the fact that as much as 90% of the cost of the 9-month courses is borne by the host countries in Europe has meant that MAB has little influence on the course content, or with the relationship to other parts of the MAB Programme. In addition, it now appears that the MAB Programme budget cuts will eliminate MAB support for some of these post-graduate courses.

The present short courses emphasize field problem analysis and potential management measures in conjunction with certain of MAB pilot projects. This also has been a convenient way to provide a certain type of training to a moderately large number of people at a low cost. However, these training seminars have met the need for field managers, primarily; they have done little toward introducing the advanced problem analysis and decision-making methods now becoming available through certain pilot projects and comparative syntheses, and at some universities in developing countries. The reduction in the MAB Programme budget may decrease the possibility for meeting these emerging training needs, unless new measures are developed.

The continuing demand for the special training programmes of MAB indicates they have been meeting an important need, but the programme has not changed appreciably even as the research has changed, and it has not been subjected to an external review of quality or efficacy in meeting MAB1s stated goals. This committee report also cannot be regarded as a rigorous review, but rather as an interim assessment, taken in the context of the Scientific Advisory Panel's charge to consider and advise on all aspects of MAB's scientific programmes.

Transition in needs for the 1990s

Our context in 1986 is one of rapidly expanding scientific understanding of linkages within and between major resource systems (forests, grasslands, soils and water) in the scientific community generally and in MAB in particular. There is also increased emphasis in MAJ3 on the methods (and problems) of quantifying responses to management (as discussed elsewhere in the Panel's report). These changes lead us to consider updating of the needs statement and goals of the MAB training programme. This updated statement must emphasize the need to balance both the experience-based training of the existing programme and the technical training needs of the more advanced developing countries, utilizing some of the integrated pilot projects and comparative syntheses.

Several areas of particular importance have been developing in MAB since the mid-1970s and should now be well represented in the training programmes for wise use of the biosphere. These areas, drawn in part from the proposed new directions in the scientific research plan, include the following:

principles of environmental and resource trends analysis, including dynamic systems modelling, and benefit/cost analysis for regional mitigation of conflicts;

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methods for carrying out integrated resource policy assessments, including the role of human institutions, investment policies, and regulations in man/biosphere relationships.

Given the budget cuts within MAB, these training initiatives will have to be supported either by new sources of funding, or by new approaches for achieving exchange of technical experience among developing countries themselves. Some countries have specialized training opportunities and projects now open primarily to their own citizens. Could reciprocal exchanges among these countries be arranged in the future?

In addition, MAB governing bodies will recognize that by the time new programmes can be implemented, it will have been fifteen years since the first cohort of MAB trainees took up work in their respective countries. Consideration should be given now to selective "in-service" training for some of these people at complementary MAB study sites among developing countries. They are likely to be involved increasingly in programme and agency development and management in the future, and should have direct experience with the changing role of science for guiding the man-resources relationship. Individual fellowships or study grants, drawing from a possible new "trust fund", might be arranged for these trainees on a competitive Dasis.

There is also an increasing need for training (through a diploma or Master's degree level) for individuals in the techniques of managing and interpreting the inter-disciplinary environmental assessments now under way at some MAB projects. The techniques of systems modelling and trend analysis, and their use in examining the role of the relevant human institutions in determining resource development or protection (proposed for future emphasis) must be included here. The opportunities are increasing here as well for many of the emerging nations to utilize centres of excellence among their universities, in conjunction with MAB experience at project sites in these or nearby countries, to meet this training need. More ways also may now be developed to utilize the resources of UNEP to increase the variety of training opportunities for MAB interest areas, particularly, for example, for training in the management of biosphere reserves.

Re commenda t i ons

2. Major new training initiatives should be developed in conjunction with MAB pilot project and comparative synthesis studies in the area of man/resources decision-making and management. These include:

(i) techniques of environmental and resource trends analysis in systems modelling, benefit/cost analysis and regional mitigation of conflicts;

(ii) methods for integration of multi-national resource status assessments with the influences of human institutions, development policies, and environmental regulations;

(iii) research-oriented graduate courses that explore the links between sociology and natural sciences. Such a course should be designed in the context of a real-world problem in tropical or arid lands and be associated with an active research programme, with equal participation by scientists and students from both areas.

3. A small programme of "in-service" refresher training should be developed, emphasizing advanced training for resource management agencies. This programme should be available to selected individuals at mid-career who may have had only limited training ten to twenty years ago.

4. The Panel strongly recommends that in each of the above, in-country training in the areas of man/resources relationships be given priority.

5. The Panel endorses the proposal for training of selected young scientists, possibly on a competitive award basis, at institutions or sites of his or her choosing. We suggest that the length of stay be six months to a year, and that the trainee be assigned to a selected scientist with mutual agreement for joint work on a MAB-related study.

6. Explicit new funding proposals should be developed by the MAB Secretariat and its cooperating National Committees, working with various international assistance agencies, so as to facilitate implementation of these proposals.

1. The MAB General Scientific Advisory Panel affirms the historic importance attached to training and technology transfer in the Man and Biosphere Programme. Considering the importance of these programmes for guiding the development of resources in newly emerging nations, it is essential that judicious review and updating be accorded the existing programmes; at the same time, new sources of funds should be sought to meet expanded training needs, as well as new ways of utilizing the present centres of excellence in developing countries and the major MAB projects throughout the world.

A COMMUNICATIONS POLICY

Introduction

The main communications issue is how to re-structure the MAB publications and information programmes in keeping with the changing scope of the MAB Programme itself. Limitations of budget and personnel, combined with increased emphasis on resource management sciences, will require certain choices possibly at the expense of existing practices.

Information exchange is an essential part of any scientific programme and it has played a crucial role in MAB since 1971. It is the primary means by which the results of the Programme are recorded, and by which

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public awareness and understanding of the programme are enhanced. From the beginning of the Programme, many different channels of communication have been utilized, matching the diversity of audiences participating or interested in MAB-related activities. The communication materials in MAB range from technical publications for specialists and audio-visuals for management and the educated public to the MAB poster exhibit which has reached thousands of people (see Table 1).

From the outset, MAB has recognized the two main roles played by its communications programme - one responding to internal programme needs (within the participating MAB community), and one responding to the broader public audience. After its first Council, MAB established an Information System to cover the two areas of information collection and information processing. From a modest beginning in the MAB Report Series (Green Reports) - which published the results of meetings and panels related to development of the MAB project areas - the MAB Information System has grown to include project inventories, the MAB National Committee Directory, MAB Technical Notes and the Natural Resources Research Series. These publications are mainly intended for internal distribution within the MAB community.

In addition, many other information materials have been produced as specific needs arose in response to external enquiries and suggestions. These included public information brochures, audio-visual materials, poster exhibits, news bulletins and a large number of field project publications, all intended for distribution beyond the immediate MAB community. These materials serve two distinct purposes:

the maintenance of the MAB network for information exchange between scientists and scientific institutions; and

production of information materials for a wider audience that included not only the MAB community (scientists, natural resources managers, decision makers, and planners) but also non-specialists in MAB-related fields.

The first has become the MAB Documentation and Retrieval System, while the second has become a public information service.

Current status of the communication programme

With the entry of numerous other agencies in the environmental research field, and given the budgetary constraints both in Unesco and at the national level, MAB must concentrate its resources on integrated ecological research and training. A survey of the entries in Table 1 indicates the growth in communication activities, documentation, synthesis, and public information achieved during the 1971-86 period. With the restructuring of the programme since 1981 to emphasize the role of scientific research and natural resources management, and the reduction in funding

and personnel since 1985, the capacity of the Secretariat to maintain this range and scope of materials has been reduced. In addition, the emergence of other specialized organizations in various fields of environmental research and management has more clearly defined the areas most appropriate for emphasis by MAB. Thus, in re-defining the most appropriate role that communications should play in MAB, two primary needs must be met: provision- of basic descriptive information on the programme; and publication of research results.

Recommendations

In light of the above discussion, MAB should terminate some of its past forms of communication and introduce others that are more comprehensive and amenable to second-party support. Two materials now being produced that could be discontinued include: The "Ecology in Action" poster series and related products (after first trying to license these or sub-contract them to an outside firm); and the Natural Resources Research Series, now infrequently used, and amenable to transfer to other outlet forms.

The following eight established MAB communications should be continued, partly through increased use of cooperators and various National Committees:

MAB Report Series (the Green Reports) ; Technical Notes (for selected projects and languages);

- The MAB newsletter: InfoMAB; The MAB publications catalogue; MAB's basic project inventories, National Committee listings and Biosphere Reserve Inventory; video productions (with cooperators); MAB audio-visual series (to be subcontracted to cooperators, if possible); occasional feature stories in international journals (e.g., Ambio special issues).

The following two types of materials are recommended as new communication forms:

(i) a MAB Biennial Report, covering changes in projects and operations, new programme results and expected future directions ;

(ii) a MAB Book Series, to publish global syntheses, state-of-the-art surveys, and selected case studies on integrated ecological research, through designated editors, and through commercial publishers.

The Panel considered a proposal to establish a MAB research journal, replacing the newsletter, InfoMAB, and the Technical Notes. The proposal is attractive in some respects, but also has risks. We recommend MAB should not expend either funds or significant Secretariat time on a MAB journal for the present. However, the Secretariat may want to initiate a feasibility study into the launching of a new journal dealing with results from MAB activities through a commercial publisher.

Table 1. The multiplicity of products mentioned above corresponded with the many areas to which the MAB Programme addressed itself: research, demonstration, development of management guidelines and application of research results.

Publication Year

Product Theme or Content Language Versions

Target Audience

1963- Natural Resources research synthesis Research Book Series

E/F/S

1971-*- Nature & Resources synthesis on research E/F/S/R/Ch results and reports on MAB and MAB-related activities

1972/3-»- MAB Information System

1974-

1974-

1976

1979-

1981-

1981-

1981/83

1984

1983/4

1984

1984-

1986

. MAB Report Series programme development and evaluation

. Directory MAB basic data National Committees

. Project Inventory basic data

Technical Notes research results

Field Project Reports technical, research

Inventory of Biosphere Reserves

Audio-Visual Series

MAB Brochure

data base

research results/ public information

public information

Poster Series research results/ with slide products: educational material

. brochures

. slide show

. language versions

. resource kit

AMBIO Special Issues research/public information

Publications Catalogue

Ecology in Practice Biosphere Reserve film

InfoMAB

Bibliographic documentation & Inventory

research and public information

data

5 Videos on field projects/ 13-Part TV Film (BBC) Series "Only One Earth"

public information

E/F/S/R/A

E

E/F/S

E/F/S

E/F/S

E/F/S

E/F/S E/F/S

E/F/S

E

E

E/F

E/F/S

E/F

scientists and decision­makers

MAB community scientists decision-makers educational

MAB community

MAB community

MAB community general scientific

MAB community

general public educational

MAB community general public

MAB community educational

- general scientific - decision-makers

- general scientific - general public

- general scientific - general public

- MAB community - general public

- MAB community

general public

onwards

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The Panel also recommends publication of an updated and completed version of a draft paper entitled "MAB operational guidelines", prepared by the Secretariat and made available for consideration by the Panel. This document might best be recast as a "Prospectus for MAB", to be done in an attractive format, including graphics and photographs. Such a prospectus would signal to the international scientific community, and to MAB National Committees, among others, that MAB is launching new directions in research, together with changes in its organization and procedures. The prospectus, using the draft operational guidelines as its starting point, could be widely distributed to National Committees, scientific institutions and to scientists. It should include clear descriptions of how MAB operates, the research agenda, and the review procedures for research projects.

On the related questions of communications within and through National Committees the Panel recommends:

(i) that National Committees be encouraged to produce annual reports under their own national MAB identification, and disseminate such reports to other National Committees as well as to the Secretariat;

(ii) that the use of the MAB label should be accompanied by the name of the originating country for all of their reports; the example used by India in its annual report is excellent;

(iii) that the role in communications of the MAB National Committees should become increasingly important. The Panel recommends that these Committees take the responsibility of ensuring information flow between participating researchers and institutions both nationally and in their regions. An efficient and cost-effective way of doing this is through publication of regional newsletters by a pooling of National Committee newsletters;

(iv) that the restructuring of an overall communications policy for MAB also should include the harmonization of presentation and format of the publications of each country with those of the Secretariat.

Finally, MAB should also continue to identify scientists working in MAB programmes and include them in the Secretariat mailing list to avoid communication blockages that might occur at the National Committee level.

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ANNEX 9

COMPARATIVE STUDIES: TENTATIVE LISTING AND EXAMPLES OF MAB STUDY OUTLINES

As noted in Section 3.5 of this report, comparative studies in relatively finely focussed technical fields comprise one component of MAB's evolving research agenda. There follows a tentative listing of some possible areas of concentration for comparative studies, with indications on the status of such studies. This listing is amended from a table in the working document on Future MAB Research Programme, considered by the Council. Also included in the present annex are summary accounts of four of the comparative studies, each presented in the form of a standard, two-page "MAB Study Outline".

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SOME POSSIBLE AREAS OF CONCENTRATION FOR COMPARATIVE STUDIES WITHIN MAB: BACKGROUND AMD STATUS

Areas of concentration Background-Origin Status

MAB Study Outline Research proposal

Tropical soil biology and fertility

Joint ICSU-IUBS/Unesco-MAB operation. Initial proposals given general ap­proval by MAB-ICC 8 (see MAB Report Series 58, Section 3.3) and IUBS General Assembly

Available. MAB Study Out­line A of present annex

Published in late 1985 as Special Issue 9 of Biology International

B. Responses of savanna to stress and disturbance

Joint ICSU-IUBS/Unesco-MAB operation. Initial proposals given general ap­proval by MAB Council (see MAB Report Series 58, Section 3.3) and IUBS General Assembly

Available. MAB Study Out­line B

Published in April 1986 as Special Issue 10 of Biology International

Forest regeneration and ecosystem reha­bilitation in the humid tropics

MAB-ICC 8 identified rainforest regeneration as possible area of concentration for MAB work in the humid tropics

Available. MAB Study Out­line C

Proposal to be elaborated iteratively during synthesis workshops planned for Caracas (Nov. 1986), Budapest (April 1987), Bangi (June 1987) etc.

The role of ecotones Outcome of MAB Project 5 meeting in in landscape management Toulouse in April 1986

Available. MAB Study Out­line D

Draft proposal being elaborated for consideration by planning meeting in April-May 1987 and international workshop in April-May 1988

Monitoring of environ­mental change

Considerable interest from certain countries in developing this topic within MAB, particularly in respect to baseline monitoring in bio­sphere reserves. Would build on existing co-operation between Unesco, UNEP-GEMS and WMO, and on the possib­ilities of collaboration offered by ICSU's newly launched International Geosphere Biosphere Programme

Basic proposal could be developed during secondment by MAB National Committee(s) of specialist(s) to MAB Secretariat, and could be articulated with preparation of international symposium on aérospatial techniques, in USSR in 1988

Multiple stress effects on temperate zone ecosystems

Priority environmental problem in many temperate countries, with fair amount of (largely disparate) work already underway within MAB

Could be developed through initiatives of one or two lead countries

Resilience to and recovery from disturb­ance in arctic ecosystems

Proposed future line of work within Northern Science Network

H. Reconciling land use conflicts in coastal and estuarine systems

Could build on joint MAB-COMAR activities and series of regional seminars in South-East Asia

idem

I. Ecological sustainabil-ity of small island economies

Considerable interest in this theme, as instanced by plans for worldwide meeting on small islands, and network of MAB experimental stations and studies in small Mediterra­nean islands

idem

J. Urban risk assessment

Human settlement plan­ning in high mountain valleys

Would take advantage of previous and evolving work within MAB in European Alps and Hindu-Kush Himalayan region

ICIMOD (Kathmandu) and MAB projects in the European Alps could act as focal points for development of this programme

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MAB STUDY OUTLINE A

TROPICAL SOIL BIOLOGY AND FERTILITY

To determine the management options for improving tropical soil fertility through biological processes.

The programme is based on a four part rationale. First, the present trend of decreasing soil fertility in many tropical regions is a major cause for concern. Second, in natural ecosystems and in low-input agricultural systems, soil biological processes are paramount in determining soil fertility by their effect on soil nutrient availability, soil physical structure and soil water characteristics. Third, there may be both economic and ecological limits to the introduction of high-input agricultural systems in many parts of the tropics. Fourth, practical management options can be developed with the aim of manipulating soil biological properties for increased or sustained production within both low and high input systems.

This programme (TSBF for short) represents a joint undertaking of the International Union of Biological Sciences (IUBS) and Unesco, within the respective frameworks of the Decade of the Tropics and the MAB Programme. Initial plans for the collaborative programme -developed at a workshop held at Lancaster, United Kingdom, in January 1984 - were diffused

widely in 1984. The response has been most encouraging. The proposals have been endorsed by the General Assembly of IUBS and the MAB Council (see MAB Report Series No. 58, Section 3.3), and have elicited constructive support from over 70 institutions in 34 tropical zone countries. Most of the respondees to the initial research plans have indicated that they wish to participate, at one level or another, in the international programme of collaborative research.

In May 1985, a second international workshop was held at Fontainebleau, near Paris. Its report has been published by IUBS as Special Issue No. 9 of Biology International, and circulated widely (e.g. under cover of MAB Circular Letter No. 7/85). The Fontainebleau workshop had three major tasks : refinement of the set of hypotheses, with experiments for their testing, together with indications of the agricultural management options which flow from them; evaluation of the responses to the Lancaster document and identification of a number of sites where it is hoped that experimental testing can be initiated in 1986; revision of draft chapters for a handbook of methods for study of biological processes in tropical soils.

A third international research planning workshop was held in May 1986 in Yurimaguas (Peru), at which plans for early starting field activities were examined. The challenge for this third workshop was to finalize the guidelines and procedures for achieving genuinely compatible results among contributing field projects, and in this way facilitate the emergence of general principles relating soil biological processes to aspects of soil fertility. Compatibility, standardization and collaboration were thus three central issues addressed by this workshop.

The identification of specific testable hypotheses has been shaped by the general aim of TSBF to improve the efficiency of agriculture production in the tropics through better understanding and manipulation of intrinsic soil fertility. The programme of field work is based on a series of hypotheses which have been grouped under three general experimental principles, which can be tested by specific experimentation: first, the release of nutrient (N and P) from above- and below-ground litter (crop residues, etc.) can be synchronized with plant growth demands (= SYNCH theme); second, soil organic matter (SOM, sensu humus) acts as both a source and sink for nutrients in the soil - its quantity and quality can be regulated by management of litter inputs (= SOM theme)i third, litter and soil organic matter influence soil water characteristics (= SOIL WATER theme).

The list of principles and hypotheses is not exhaustive and every statement is clearly challengeable. The intention is to provide the basis for rigorous experimental testing of a range of assumptions concerning the biological basis of soil fertility, most of which carry direct implications for the management of tropical soils under low-input conditions. The management proposals are simple and are largely concerned with manipulation of the quality, quantity, timing and location of organic inputs to the soil. An example is the statement that the pattern of root growth in time and space acts as a regulator of the availability of nutrients to plants in present and future seasons. The management implication is that practices which retain root litter in the rooting zone and relate new plantings to the location of the previous one will improve soil fertility. Among the testable hypotheses for this proposal is that below-ground litter is a more important source of immediately available nutrient than above-ground litter.

Design principles It is envisaged that the experimental principles will be investigated at three levels of increasing intensity of research. Level I is the minimum level of participation in the programme. It involves an investigation of the various features of nutrient cycling in the plant-litter-soil system, and can be achieved by means of a broad comparative study of natural and managed ecosystems.

Each participating site is asked to carry out the minimum package of measurements for a minimum experimental design consisting of a comparison of an agricultural system with the natural ecosystem from which it is derived. This minimum is intended to "test" the general basis of the experimental principles, particularly the nutrient cycling aspects. Interpretation of the data obtained will define the factors regulating nutrient dynamics and quantify the main differences between natural and managed systems. This will be the first step in identifying targets for management practices applicable to local conditions by means of both intra- and inter-site comparisons.

Further information on the design (including experimental) principles of TSBF is given in Special Issue No. 9 of Biology International.

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May 1986

Title

Overall objective

Rationale

Background and planning to date

Research issues and responses

Duration

Geographical scope and emphasis

The Lancaster proposal (Biology International Special Issue No. 6) envisaged a ten-year programme of experiment, measurement and implementation starting in 1986 following the international planning phase from 1984 to mid-1986.

It is expected that field projects will be situated mainly in the humid, subhumid and semi-arid tropics, since it is within the systems of these tropical zones that biological processes are considered to be of particular importance to soil fertility and plant growth, and it is in these regions that there are significant opportunities for manipulation of soils by agricultural practices. But, as recommended by the MAB Council, it is expected that work in the drier parts of the tropics will also be able to make a contribution.

Proposed steps in Following the third international planning workshop held in Peru in May 1986, three regional programme planning workshops are- planned in 1987-88. These will provide the opportunity to widen the and implementation participation in the programme within each continent, and will also involve a substantial

training element.

A handbook of standard methods in soil biology for use in tropical soils is being prepared, with a view to achieving comparability of results. The handbook will be issued on a chapter by chapter basis, in mimeographed form, in 1986-87. After field-testing and revision a final version will be produced. In 1987-88, it is hoped to be able to provide pump-priming support to field activities contributing to the programme, following the review and screening of field research proposals by the TSBF Co-ordinating Committee. Arrangements are also being made for standardization of certain aspects of the experimentation related to the handbook recommendations (e.g. circulation of standards for chemical analysis of soil organic matter and litter). The provision of standard research materials (e.g. litter bags, equipment for lysimeters) to participating sites is also envisaged.

Field activities

Co-ordination and evaluation

Indications of interest and readiness to be among the early-starting field activities contributing to TSBF have been expressed in all regions of the tropics, for example in Africa (Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Egypt, Nigeria, Zimbabwe), in the Asia-Pacific region (Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka) and Latin America (Brazil, Columbia, Cuba, Mexico, Peru, Venezuela). It is expected that a number of the field studies contributing to the collaborative programme will be carried out as one component of a broader MAB pilot project, in several cases based on the site of a biosphere reserves. Examples in Africa of such studies include work at the MAB sites at Tal (Côte d'Ivoire) and Mayombe (Congo). In several countries, the setting up of an informal "consortium" of institutions taking part in TSBF is envisaged, each providing different inputs of expertise and facilities.

A Co-ordinating Committee and Scientific Advisory Group have been set up, charged with the substantive co-ordination of the TSBF effort. The Chairman is Prof. M. Swift (University of Harare, Zimbabwe). Terms of reference are given in Biology International Special Issue No. 9.

Periodic assessments and evaluations of the TSBF are envisaged throughout the duration of the programme, involving visits to project sites and the convening of programme review workshops at approximately 3-yearly intervals. Independent assessors will be invited to such workshops, which will examine progress, make adjustments to objectives, design and methods, and consider measures for the testing and application of results. A preliminary evaluation of the planning phase of the TSBF effort has been made by Dr. H. Mooney (Biology International No. 12, December 1985, page 6).

Organizational and Informal and formal contacts have been made by Unesco-MAB and IUBS with a variety of institutional links international bodies in respect to the TSBF programme, including UNEP, FAO, the International

Society of Soil Science (ISSS), the International Soil Reference and Information Centre (ISRIC), international agricultural research institutes and agencies such as the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and the International Board for Soil Research and Management (IBSRAM), etc. Contacts have also been established with regional research projects such as that on "Environmental site characterization by soil fauna in Egypt and Africa", an activity of the Institute of African Research and Studies of Cairo University.

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May 1986 MAB STUDY OUTLINE B

Title RESPONSES OF SAVANNAS TO STRESS AND DISTURBANCE

Overall objective To develop a predictive understanding of the ways in which savannas respond to natural and man-made stresses and disturbances.

Rationale

Background and planning to date

Research issues and responses

Current trends of degradation in tropical savannas around the world involve changes in composition and productivity that are adversely affecting the capacity of these systems to support humans and other organisms. In order to arrest or reverse these changes we need to improve our understanding of savanna dynamics under prevailing and projected patterns of land use. This can be achieved through a comparative, intercontinental analysis of some selected aspects of tropical savannas involving a diversity of research inputs.

The proposed programme on Responses of savannas to stress and disturbance (RSSD for short) is one of a series of activities being undertaken jointly by the International Union of Biological Sciences (IUBS) and Unesco, within the respective frameworks of the Decade of the Tropics and the MAB Programme. Proposals for this collaborative programme have been developed over a period of two years, involving three workshops (Brisbane, May 1984; Paris, May 1985; and Harare, December 1985). The research proposal produced by the Harare workshop is available as Special Issue No. 10 of Biology International. This report has been widely distributed in the second quarter of 1986: covering letters (e.g. MAB Circular Letter 4/86) have invited comments on the general hypotheses and proposals put forward by the Harare workshop, soliciting indications of interest to take part in the proposed programme. This report provides essential supplementary information to that given in the present two-page summary description.

From the MAB side, the MAB Council at its eighth session in December 1984, examined and gave general approval to proposals for this collaborative programme on savannas (see MAB Report Series No. 58, Section 3.3, Annex 5). In part, the programme is a response to a perceived neglect within MAB. In effect MAB field projects in the intertropical zone have been concentrated in the more arid and humid ends of the moisture gradient. Relatively few projects have been situated in the semi-arid and sub-humid zones, dominated by savanna-type ecosystems of various kinds.

The underlying motivation for this research programme is the need to improve savanna management. Two issues are of major concern: (1) alterations to the ecological structure of savanna communities, involving change in species composition, relative abundance and relationships between species; and, (2) changes in functioning, principally declines in productivity, resulting from changes in water availability. To understand the implications of these changes for the dynamics of savannas, and therefore for their management, key questions have been posed :

What are the structural and functional properties of savannas that render them stable and/or resilient to seasonal and aseasonal natural stresses and disturbance (e.g. fire, drought)?

Are there critical limits (i.e. thresholds) of disturbance beyond which savanna ecosystems do not recover after the disturbance factor is removed?

The resolution of the problems calls for answers to two further questions :

In which ways (both structurally and functionally), and by how much do different types of savannas change in response to natural stresses (fire, below-average rainfall, floods, etc. ) and natural and anthropogenic disturbance (e.g. prolonged drought, over-grazing, de-bushing, and cultivation) and their interactions?

What are the mechanisms that determine the manner and the rates by which savannas respond and recover from a disturbance?

A general statement has been formulated on how the various determinants of savanna (water, soil nutrient, herbivory and fire) affect the structure and function of savanna systems, and how these systems respond to natural stresses and man-made disturbances. A number of hypotheses have been proposed for testing within the programme. Three examples are: increasing levels of herbivory in single-herbivore systems increase the proportion of unpalatable species in the community; the responses of savanna species to stress can be predicted on the basis of their life history characteristics and population biology; woody plants contribute more to functional stability in dystrophic than in eutrophic savannas.

Each hypothesis has been presented in three parts: (a) a statement of the hypothesis, with brief amplification where necessary; (b) a statement of its implications for management; and (c) an indication as to how the hypothesis might be tested. The feasibility of comparative integrated experiments is also being examined.

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Design principles

Duration

The programme will entail: comparisons between managed systems and the natural systems from which they are derived; involvement in field research projects (from the outset of the project planning) of extension officers and scientists interested in socio-economic aspects of farming and land use; implementation of field programme at varying levels of intensity and resolution at different participating sites; adoption of a primarily experimental approach, aimed at testing one or more hypotheses (rather than pursuing detailed descriptive studies).

The Harare document proposes a ten-year programme of experiment, measurement and implementation starting in 1986, following the two-year international planning phase of 1984-85.

Geographical scope For the purpose of this programme, core savannas will be defined very broadly to include and emphasis all those tropical and some near-tropical ecosystems characterized by a continuous herbaceous

cover consisting of heliophilous C4 grasses and sedges that show clear seasonality related to water stress. Woody species (shrubs, trees, palms) occur but seldom form a continuous cover paralleling that of the grassy layer. Marginal savanna systems in which either one of these two vegetation components has an insignificant effect can be included for their comparative value. Savannas encompassed by this definition cover extensive areas of South America, Africa and Australia, and also occur in Central America and India.

Proposed steps in programme planning and implementation

Proposed workshops include an international methodological workshop (Sophia-Antipolis, France, June 1986) and three regional workshops in 1987-88, including one in Latin America in 1987 and one in Australia in 1988, designed to widen the participation in the programme in each continent and to establish networks of collaboration. Under preparation is a methodological document which will include guidelines for proposed field experiments, functional classifications of savannas and savanna plant types, and the framework of an expert system for savanna management.

Field activities Initial and informal expressions of interest in participating in the programme have been received from different savanna regions of Africa (Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda, Zimbabwe), Asia-Pacific (India, Australia) and the Americas (Argentina, Brazil, Cuba, Mexico, Venezuela).

Co-ordination and evaluation

It is likely that field activities contributing to the present project will be launched in late 1986-87 in most of these countries. The wide distribution in 1986 of the programme proposal is expected to lead to new, more detailed and more formal indications of interest in taking part in the field work programme. In a number of instances, it is expected that field research will take place in biosphere reserves and research sites already active within MAB (e.g. Queen Elizabeth National Park and Biosphere Reserve in Uganda, Comoé in the Côte d'Ivoire, Lake Kainji in Nigeria, Accra Plains in Ghana).

A Co-ordinating Committee has been set up to oversee the planning and execution of the proposed programme of work. The Chairman is Prof. Brian Walker (CSIRO, Australia). An important task of members of the co-ordinating and advisory groups in 1986-87 is to visit potential project sites and programme centres, to advise on the planning and design of field activities contributing to the overall programme and to undertake short-term training in field methods. A newsletter and a register of savanna researchers and field projects will serve to promote and maintain contact.

A meeting of the Co-ordinating Committee and researchers taking part in RSSD, together with some invited scientists not associated with the programme, will be held in late 1988, to review and evaluate progress, to make adjustments to programme design and methods, to consider the development of new hypotheses on the basis of results obtained, and to examine plans for testing research findings in management trials.

Organizational and As indicated above, RSSD represents a joint venture of IUBS and Unesco-MAB. A number of institutional links other international and regional organizations have also been invited to take part in the

programme, together with national participating institutions in the tropical zones. In this respect, the European Economic Commission (EEC) and the African Biosciences Network were among the other cosponsors of the workshop held in Harare.

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May 1986 MAB STUDY OUTLINE C

Title FOREST REGENERATION AND ECOSYSTEM REHABILITATION IN THE HUMID TROPICS

Overall objective

Rationale

Background and planning to date

Research issues and responses

Design principle

Duration

Geographical scope and emphasis

To develop a predictive understanding of the biological, physical and social processes involved in forest regeneration and ecosystem rehabilitation in impacted areas in the humid and sub-humid tropics, and hence to contribute to measures for improved resource management and restoration of degraded land areas in these regions.

In the decades ahead, a greater proportion of tropical lands will support human-impacted ecosystems. Degraded ecosystems cover an important and growing land area in the tropics. Human-impacted and degraded systems in the tropics have received comparatively little attention, compared to "natural" systems. Hence the need for improved scientific understanding on which the effective management of impacted systems (including rehabilitation of degraded areas) could be based. These systems may well hold the key for long-term solutions to human-environment problems in the tropics.

This proposed activity is still at a very early planning stage. The impetus for programme development is twofold. First, the recommendation by the General Scientific Advisory Panel for MAB, that the management and restoration of human-impacted resources could provide a focus for new collaborative work within MAB. Second, the identification by the MAB Council at its eighth session of rainforest regeneration as one important area of concentration for future MAB activities in the humid and sub-humid tropics, within the framework of MAB Project Area 1.

Experimental studies will be designed to answer practical questions about management and restoration of human-impacted ecosystems in the tropics. Examples of such questions are: When and how much intervention is required to restore an ecosystem in a given location? How can the recovery process be accelerated? At what cost to humans? To what extent can ecosystems dominated by exotic species be used as the pioneer successional stage in a successional sequence? Can surrogate or foster ecosystems be used to restore preferred native ecosystems?

Answers to practical questions such as these will entail fundamental ecological work (in such fields as nutrient and water dynamics, succession, etc.), to be undertaken within the framework of the proposed experimental studies. Experimental design may include comparison of particular aspects of ecosystem functioning within intact and impacted situations.

A ten-year programme on forest regeneration and ecosystem rehabilitation in the humid tropics is envisaged, starting in 1986, with three principal phases: Planning and feasibility (1986-89), field programme (1990-1993), synthesis and application (1994-95).

This work will be mainly concentrated on the humid and sub-humid tropics, where the natural vegetation cover is forest and dense woodland. As such, this work will complement that on the Responses of savannas to stress and disturbance. Examples of human-impacted ecosystems to be studied include secondary forests, degraded agricultural lands, eroded hillsides, etc.

Proposed steps The general framework for this work is provided by the new proposed programme on "Management in programme and restoration of human-impacted resources" being developed within MAB, following a planning and recommendation made by the General Scientific Advisory Panel of MAB. Important steps in implementation the elaboration of this general theme include the elaboration of an outline research proposal

by the General Scientific Advisory Panel and MAB Bureau in April 1986, submission of preliminary proposals to the MAB Council at its ninth session in October 1986, and convening of an international workshop on "Ecosystem redevelopment: ecological, economic and policy aspects", to be held in Budapest in April 1987 under the aegis of national academies of Canada, Hungary and Sweden and of IIASA and Unesco.

Within this international context, it is proposed that a new generation of MAB field activities in the humid and sub-humid tropics be developed around the theme of forest regeneration and ecosystem rehabilitation after disturbance. During the period 1986-1988, a number of international and regional workshops are envisaged which could contribute to the development of activities in this problem area. Proposed activities include:

international workshop on Rainforest regeneration and management (Venezuela, 24-28 November 1986), designed to produce a state-of-the-art review on the management implications of present scientific knowledge on rainforest regeneratioin, as well as to identify gaps in information and to explore directions for future collaborating research and action.

inputs from humid tropical zones to the international workshop on Ecosystem redevelopment : ecological, economic and policy aspects (Budapest, 6-10 April 1987).

international workshop on Reproductive ecology of tropical forest plants (Bangi, Malaysia, 8-12 June 1987), designed to produce a pan-tropical review of recent developments in this field, to explore the practical implications of current findings and to discuss the future course of research.

regional technical workshop and research planning meeting on Recovery processes in disturbed land areas in the Asian tropics, tentatively scheduled for Bogor, Indonesia, in June-July 1988.

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Advantage would be taken of these workshops to elaborate a proposal for a collaborative programme of research, training and demonstration within MAB, on the general topic of "Forest regeneration and ecosystem rehabilitation in impacted areas in the humid tropics". The proposal would cover activities to be carried out during the six-year period 1990-1995, í np lml i n o A final «ti a a o nf aimf-Vta c íe in 1 Q Q ¿ — 1 QQ ̂ Th í a nrrtnnoal ma \r Inri iiHc • including a final phase of synthesis in 1994-1995.

a reasoned evaluation of the importance of measures to promote forest regeneration and ecosystem rehabilitation in the tropics;

an overview of the most significant gaps in present knowledge and understanding;

a description of the objectives, scope and approach of MAB work in this problem area;

detailed suggestions for collaborative research, including elucidation of precise scientific theme(s) to be treated and (where appropriate) of a set of hypotheses with defined observations and experiments for their testing, together with indications of the management options which flow from them;

guidelines on methods and experimental design, with a view to promoting comparability and transfer of results;

a preliminary listing of field projects that might contribute to the collaborative programme;

recommendations on procedures collaborative programme.

for co-ordination, synthesis and evaluation of the

The research proposal would be revised iteratively within the various workshops mentioned above. Information notes on these workshops are available. Workshops and other means could be envisaged for synthesis of information and research planning for other tropical regions (Africa, Latin America). Another aspect of planning could focus on the application to ecosystem rehabilitation in the tropics of modern ecological concepts (e.g. in such fields as succession, disturbance theory and stress ecology). By October 1987, a proposal document would be available for distribution to MAB National Committees and other interested parties. After further revision, the proposal would then be submitted for consideration by the International Co-ordinating Committee for the MAB Programme at its tenth session in 1988.

Field C Network of contributing activities to take shape following indications of interest in activities taking part in this programme of activities. J

Coordination C To be determined by the MAB Council or Bureau, in light of the recommendations of the and evaluation proposal document. J

Organizational From the Unesco-MAB viewpoint, this work on Forest regeneration and ecosystem rehabilitation and in the humid tropics will be undertaken within the framework of MAB Project Area 1 (concerned institutional with man's interactions with tropical forest ecosystems). It will be planned and carried links out in close co-operation with IIASA, the Decade of the Tropics of IUBS and other interested

international organizations. Co-operative links will also be sought with other international programmes and organizations, such as UNEP, FAO, the land transformation programme of SCOPE, IUFRO, IUCN, etc. It is hoped that the programme could contribute to the Action Plan on Tropical Forestry, elaborated by FAO and collaborating institutions.

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May 1986 MAB STUDY OUTLINE D

Title THE ROLE OF ECOTONES IN LANDSCAPE MANAGEMENT

Overall objective To develop a predictive capability for understanding the role of boundaries (ecotones) in determining landscape patterns and ecological processes.

Rationale Real-world ecosystems are complex landscape mosaics containing interdigitating patches of different types. Working on three separate fronts, ecologists have recently begun to emphasize the importance of this spatial patterning, (i.e. modelling of spatial patterning, importance of patch dynamics on ecological systems, and approaches that consider entire landscape mosaics). However, the most dynamic part of any given patch is its boundary with another patch. In terms of ecosystem properties, boundaries (or ecotones) are locations where the rates or magnitudes of ecological transfers (e.g. energy flow, nutrient exchange) change abruptly in relation to those within the patches. These boundaries vary in their permeability to disturbance, pollution, abiotic and biotic vectors, and their ability to mitigate the activities of humans on downstream ecosystems. These patch boundaries have a regulating role in the landscape mosaic, affecting the flow of materials and information between adjacent patches. Often they are the first to show changes resulting from human influences on the environment. Nevertheless, there is a general disregard for the importance of these interface zones, and management of boundaries with a view towards maintaining the continued health and well-being of the landscape is as yet little appreciated.

The understanding gathered through this collaborative programme will provide a better scientific basis for landscape management, for conservation of ecotones and for addressing detrimental environmental practices. In developing a new generation of MAB field activities on the role of ecotones in ecological systems, special emphasis will be given to those ecotones occurring at the terrestrial-aquatic interface.

Background and This programme is in the initial planning stages. In April 1986, a meeting was held in planning to date Toulouse, France, on "Land use impacts on aquatic ecosystems: the use of scientific

information". The conference was jointly supported by Unesco (within the framework of MAB Project Area 5) and the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, One outcome of this meeting was the realization of the crucial role ecotones play in regulating transient biochemical processes and the character of the landscape mosaic. It was proposed, and accepted by the assembly, that the focus of the informal working group on MAB Project Area 5 be immediately reoriented towards an intense examination of the role of ecotones, their management, and their restoration. The present proposal on ecotone studies within MAB is a direct result of these discussions at Toulouse.

Research issues Experimental studies will be designed to answer practical questions about the management and responses and restoration of ecotonej between terrestrial and aquatic systems throughout the world

that have been affected by human activity. Examples of the type of issues to be addressed include categorizing ecotones as to their broad functions, delineating the magnitude of their influence on specific environmental processes, specifying the roles of various ecotone-types, and investigating the major ecosystem-level processes associated with these boundaries. Questions to be addressed may include: (1) the resistance and resilience of ecotones to various classes of human disturbance; (2) means by which the valuable ecosystem-level processes of ecotones may be restored after disturbance; and (3) development and communication of guidelines for landscape management designed to take advantage of the ecologically valuable properties of ecotones.

Design principles Answers to fundamental concerns such as these will initially require basic ecological and geographical research. Areas to be investigated may include the development of a geographical information system for specific regions, and studies of nutrient cycling, decomposition dynamics, metabolic processes, population and community dynamics. Closely allied with the scientific research will be investigations into solving the social, economic and political concerns that impede the development of a successful management plan for specific geographical regions. Experimental design may include comparison of natural and impacted systems and experimental manipulations on a large scale, and will include standardized procedures that allow statistical testing of concise hypotheses.

Duration A nine-year programme on the role of ecotones is envisaged, starting in 1987, with three distinct phases: planning and feasibility (1987-1988), field programme (1989-1993), synthesis and application (1994-1995).

Geographical scope This work will be global in its scientific scope and application. This programme has the and emphasis potential to develop a worldwide network of research sites, depending upon the interest

of participating members. Examples of ecotones to be studied include riparian forests, marginal wetlands, littoral lake zones, floodplain lakes and forests, and areas with significant groundwater-surface water exchange.

Proposed steps in Following the MAB Project 5 meeting held in Toulouse in April 1986 and projected informal programme planning talks during the IVth International Congress of Ecology in Syracuse in August 1986, a and implementation discussion document is being prepared by a small group of scientists involved in MAB Project

Area 5. This document will outline the proposed programme in a broad perspective, and will comprise the basic working document to be considered at a small planning meeting scheduled for April-May 1987. The aim of this meeting is to prepare a more detailed proposal documenting the scope of the programme, topics to be addressed, potential funding strategies, logistics, tentative research plans, and specific objectives and hypotheses.

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A second meeting, in the form of an international workshop on "The role of ecotones in landscape management", is being planned for April-May 1988 in Austria under the aegis of Unesco and possibly COWAR, at which the final proposal will be prepared. All interested parties will be encouraged to attend and to contribute to the final research plan. An interim meeting among members of a proposed co-ordinating committee may be necessary in November-December 1987, but that will be decided upon in the light of the outcome of the first meeting.

Field activities The network of field activities will be developed after indications of interest have been received from those willing to participate in the programme.

Coordination and It is proposed that a small ad hoc planning committee be set up for an initial two-year evaluation period starting October 1986 with the charge of preparing a proposal for collaborative

research, training and demonstration within MAB, on the general topic of "The role of ecotones in landscape management". The proposal would cover activities to be carried out during the period 1989-1995, including a final phase of synthesis in 1994-1995. Measures for ongoing co-ordination and evaluation of the collaborative programme will be determined by the MAB Council in light of recommendations made by the ad hoc planning committee.

Organizational and This programme will be undertaken in close co-operation with other interested international institutional links programmes and organizations. Possible co-operators include IHP, FAO, IUBS, SCOPE, IGU,

COWAR and ECOSOC.

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ANNEX 10

NORTHERN SCIENCE NETWORK

During its meeting in April 1986, the Bureau of the MAB Council discussed the progress of the Northern Science Network, and noted that useful progress had been made in some of the co-operative projects and the exchange of information. It was apparent however, that the achievements have come about largely through initiatives of individual scientists, and that to date, there has been little involvement of the MAB National Committees of the countries concerned. The Bureau accordingly asked the Canadian MAB Committee to review with the National Committees of other countries the present situation regarding the Northern Science Network, to make suggestions to the MAB Council on possible further developments of activities within the network, and to suggest any changes in organization that might continue or improve its usefulness.

This annex comprises two parts. First, there is an edited version of the report made to the MAB Council by the Canadian MAB National Committee, in response to the request of the MAB Bureau. The second part provides further information on the results of an informal discussion meeting held during the Council session, information which supplements that given in Section 3 of the present report.

REPORT FROM THE CANADIAN MAB NATIONAL COMMITTEE

The report that follows on the Northern Science Network concerns organization and structure only - not scientific content, training or education, nor the value, to all MAB countries, of studies of biological processes and their human interactions in areas of low biological energy.

The Canadian MAB Committee reviewed the activities of the network to date, and sent a questionnaire to the MAB National Committees of all northern countries to ascertain their degree of involvement in, or interest in, a continuing northern science network for MAB. From the information returned, and from informal contacts, it is apparent that for many countries that are active in both northern science and in MAB:

except in Finland, the activities of the Northern Science Network have developed separately from the National Committees and have not been directly in touch with it, although some Committees (USA and Canada) have given general approval to the network programme.

The activities of the Northern Science Network have included:

Co-ordination of studies under the Subarctic Birch Forest Ecosystem theme. These studies, which started in an organized way in 1977, have fallen naturally into the MAB study scheme, and are combining pure research on natural processes within the birch forest ecozone with research on problems posed by multiple uses of the area through reindeer herding, forestry, tourism, fishing and hunting. Five sub-projects have been identified, dealing with different aspects and scales of ecosystem processes and human disturbance, with field studies undertaken at research sites in Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Finland, together with laboratory and nursery studies at four universities. The network organized a useful field workshop in the birch forest zone of south-western Greenland in 1984. The studies are continuing.

A Northern Science Network Symposium on Research and Monitoring in Circumpolar Biosphere Reserves was held at Waterton Biosphere Reserve, Alberta, Canada, in August 1984. Many useful and scientifically novel approaches to the use of biosphere reserves as models and reference systems for the interaction of human activities and northern ecological processes were explored. The proceedings of the workshop are being prepared for publication.

the application of MAB principles and approaches to northern issues involving human activities and the biosphere is endorsed, and the idea or concept of the Northern Science Network is supported in principle;

An international Symposium on Northern Science Policy was organized by the Northern Science Network and held in Fairbanks, Alaska, in August 1985. Papers and panel discussions explored the issues and problems

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of the adaptation of government, industrial and social policies to rapidly changing human and economic conditions in northern areas, against the background of environmental and biological processes that have different sensitivities and modes of reaction from those in temperate latitudes. The proceedings are being prepared for publication.

The co-operative theme activity relating to Sub-arctic Land Use and Grazing Animals, led by Sweden, held an excellent launching meeting in Arvidsjaur, northern Sweden, in 1984, with presentations of potential study projects from Canada, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden and the USA. A report on the research under this theme has recently been published by Umea University, with the co-operation of the Swedish MAB Committee. The future development of this activity is being re-assessed.

Five issues of a MAB Northern Science Network Newsletter have been produced, and distributed to researchers in all arctic countries.

The Canadian National Committee has reviewed these and related activities, and noted that in addition to its formal functions, the Northern Science Network has provided useful informal liaison and communication services and assistance to northern science-related activities, as for example those of the Nordic Council, the Comité Arctique International and the International Reindeer/Caribou Symposium. The Committee has concluded that the network has become a valuable and internationally recognized part of the northern science scene, and is an appropriate vehicle to carry the MAB objectives and activities into northern regions.

Special acknowledgement, with thanks, must be given to the University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada, for its financial and administrational assistance in providing a secretariat for the Northern Science Network.

Despite these successes, the network has some shortcomings and faces some serious problems. These include:

lack of co-ordination with other MAB activities in the northern countries that have MAB programmes;

lack of a systematic means for generating new activities or proposals, or for assessing, assigning priority to, or taking action on proposals received;

absence of a systematic means of reporting activities or assessing progress, except incidentally through the Newsletter;

lack of an established means for selecting and rotating officers and/or national representatives;

lack of regularity in the Newsletter, which is the main organ of communication;

ad hoo arrangements or material support;

for funding

lack of action in developing links or joint activities with other international programmes in northern regions.

To address the above problems, the Canadian National Committee suggests to the Council that it urge its members to take action at two levels: (A) within the Northern Science Network establishment itself, and (B) by the National Committees of those countries with interests or activities in northern regions.

A. The Northern Science Network should

Devise and adopt a more systematic organizational structure, with Chairman or President, Vice-Chairman or Vice-President, and national representatives or national correspondents. Whether or not a separate office of Secretary is needed is to be decided by the network in consultation, but the decision should be clear. A systematic means for nomination, selection, and retirement or rotation of the officers (but not necessarily the national representatives) should be established.

Inasmuch as the major activity of the network is the bringing together of suggestions or proposals for co-operative work related to MAB objectives in the northern regions, the network should devise and set in place a mechanism for soliciting and receiving research proposals, for reviewing them and for taking appropriate action. It should make this mechanism, and the existence and work of the network, known to the scientific community in northern countries.

The officers of the network should report annually to the MAB Secretariat and Council, with copies to all National Committees concerned, on the activities and programmes of the network, its finances and need for funds, and future plans.

The officers and as many national representatives as possible should meet together on a regular basis, at intervals of not less than once every two years, to review progress, plans, finances and administration, and (depending on the interval selected) rotation of officers.

The newsletter should be produced at regular intervals.

Active links and exchanges of information should be developed and nurtured with other international northern scientific or knowledge-related activities such as the Northern Research Basins Programme of the Unesco-sponsored International Hydrological Programme.

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B. The MAB National Committees in northern countries should

Recognize the work of the Northern Science Network, in those activities that concern their country, as an essential and integral part of the MAB Programme of their country. The degree to which the National Committee wishes to associate itself directly with their country's participation in network projects will depend on the circumstances in each particular country, but the National Committees should keep themselves informed of network activities through their national representatives. Some National Committees may wish to appoint the national representative to the Northern Science Network, and/or to have him or her a member of the National Committee.

Relate their own northern-related activities and concerns to the Northern Science Network, and identify research or study projects, of interest to two or more countries, that can be brought to the network for consideration.

Actively seek means to provide the network with financial and other support.

The concept of the Northern Science Network, and its activities to date, are in full accordance with the new directions for the Man and the Biosphere Programme proposed by the General Scientific Advisory Panel and the Scientific Advisory Panel on Biosphere Reserves. The distinctive biological and environmental processes of high latitudes, and the historical and cultural as well as modern technological activities that have developed in those areas in different circumpolar countries, make the arctic regions an important and essential part of the relationship between mankind and the biosphere. Without attention to low-energy biological systems and to both the traditional as well as the modern human activities in those regions, MAB will be incomplete. All countries interested in MAB, and not only northern countries, can benefit from the work of an active northern science network. The Canadian MAB National Committee feels that, with the changes suggested, the Northern Science Network will continue to be a useful, practical, very economical and scientifically productive part of the MAB family of activities.

REPORT ON AN INFORMAL DISCUSSION MEETING

Following the presentation to the Council on 22 October of the report from the Canadian National Committee on its review of the effectiveness and structure of the Northern Science Network, representatives of countries with northern science interests met on 23 October to exchange views on the work of the network, and what changes, if any, should be made to improve its effectiveness and integration with other MAB activities. Present were representatives from Canada, Finland, Sweden, USA, USSR, and the Unesco Secretariat.

The working group agreed with the general conclusions of the Canadian report, that the Northern Science Network had done useful work in bringing together researchers from northern countries on studies that were important to MAB, and in enabling studies that would otherwise be undertaken only in one country to be carried out as international and regional programmes, and in so doing, the usefulness of the studies has been increased. The network has been particularly useful in facilitating contact and co-operation between northern research stations, which previously had tended to work on a rather independent basis. The newsletter has been widely distributed, even outside northern countries, and is considered very useful.

The working group also agreed, however, with the problems and shortcomings identified in the Canadian report, and concluded that the deliberately informal and unstructured basis upon which the network had been operating until now was perhaps not adequate for the future. Although there were advantages in the present informality, the network will have to become a more official institution, recognized as such by National Committees and Unesco-MAB, if all northern countries are to participate in its activities and if it is to obtain resources and play a full role in the future MAB research plan.

The working group endorsed the recommendations in the Canadian report. The following points for action were agreed upon:

The present informal officers of the Northern Science Network, together with their colleagues from other countries, will be asked to respond to the Secretariat on the points raised in Section A of the recommendations of the Canadian report.

MAB National Committees of northern countries should consider the most appropriate means of their participation in the work of the Northern Science Network, and for the delegation or appointment of national representatives to it, and should advise the Unesco-MAB Secretariat accordingly.

MAB National Committees should consider carefully the opportunities and interests in their countries of providing assistance to the network, through support of its secretariat or newsletter.

A review will be made of the substance and work of the network, and the relevance of man-biosphere studies in northern and polar regions to the whole spectrum of MAB activities and objectives. This review, if suitable, will be published, perhaps in Nature and Resources, as a follow-up to the general article on the network presented there several years ago.

MAB National Committees and the northern science community will be informed of the existence and work of the network, and asked to

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consider and suggest projects that could be undertaken or co-ordinated by it.

The Unesco-MAB Secretariat should co-ordinate the information received

and take whatever steps are necessary to establish the Northern Science Network on a sounder administrative basis.

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ANNEX 11

TRAINING WITHIN

CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK AND OBJECTIVES

In order to achieve the objectives entrusted to it, the inter-governmental "Man and the Biosphere" Programme (HAB) has found it appropriate to give priority attention to training activities. It should be remembered that this Programme deals with problems of integrated land-use planning and conservation of natural resources which extend beyond the frontiers of traditional scientific and technical disciplines and which relate to the most diverse geographical, ecological, socio-economic and political situations.

The MAB Programme also has the task of finding practical and concrete solutions to the needs of planners, decision-makers and managers, taking into account the problems of the local populations concerned and the various constraints which impede the development process.

The numerous failures experienced in the implementation of development projects show that in many cases neither researchers nor technical and administrative managerial staff have received sufficient training to be able to implement such an interdisciplinary approach, this being the only possible operational response to the complex problems of rural and urban planning and the rational management of renewable natural resources.

Practical training activities which promote dialogue and team-work among researchers in different disciplines, on the one hand, and which ensure better communication linking researchers, planners, decision-makers and managers, on the other, are thus the only means of creating the appropriate conditions for the implementation of such an approach.

The need to develop this new type of interdisciplinary training for application to the problems of land-use planning and natural resources management is strongly felt both in the developed countries and in the developing countries, which suffer from an acute shortage of senior managers and an even worse shortage of technicians capable of developing this type of approach and planning and implementing integrated development projects and programmes adapted to their ecological and socio-economic circumstances.

The MAB Programme has therefore been at pains to promote this type of training

FRAMEWORK OF MAB

and to create favourable conditions in which to help a number of developing countries satisfy their most pressing needs for specialists in the development and integrated management of natural resources.

A REVIEW OF THE MAIN TYPES OF TRAINING ACTIVITIES CARRIED OUT UNDER THE AEGIS OF MAB

The training activities carried out under the aegis of MAB have adopted a variety of forms and techniques:

international and regional courses at advanced university and postgraduate levels;

training at the sites of pilot projects and biosphere reserves;

introductory and further training courses oriented towards the integrated and ecological approach to rural development and to natural resources management;

seminars, workshops and study tours to promote exchanges of information and experience on methodologies used and on achievements;

support to national institutions which have regional coverage and are capable of providing suitable training in the management and conservation of natural resources.

A summary description is given below of some of these activities.

Advanced university courses

There are half-a-dozen international courses operating under the aegis of Unesco-MAB and providing advanced university training and postgraduate training in the ecological sciences. These courses have helped train many specialists from developing countries. They have the advantage of bringing together students from developing and industrialized countries alike.

It has been recommended on various occasions, including that of the last session of the ICC, that it would be preferable for such courses to be organized in the developing countries themselves. In this respect

attention sould be drawn to the Training Project for Integrated Pastoral Management in the Sahel which has been under way at the University of Dakar since 1980 in co­operation with the Institut du Sahel/CILSS with the assistance of UNDP and the UNSO, and which is attended by participants from some ten countries in the Sudan and Sahel region.

This project provides not only postgraduate training (annual nine-month sessions), but also refresher courses and further training for middle-level managerial staff (three-month sessions). From time to time, it also organizes seminars for senior officials from the countries of the Sahel to enable them to undertake more searching analysis of problems relating to rural development and the management of renewable natural resources. This project also includes various activities in support of research and extension work in keeping with the spirit and approach of the MAB Programme.

Training at the sites of pilot projects and biosphere reserves

Training at the sites of pilot projects and biosphere reserves is the most characteristic type of training provided by MAB, as these sites offer possibilities which do not exist in the traditional structures of research and training. The projects are set up according to the integrated and multidisciplinary approach of MAB, and their constituent research activities are oriented towards finding practical solutions to the problems facing managers and the local populations. These projects form part of regional and international networks ensuring closer consultation on scientific matters and a synergistic effect between them. The most advanced and best equipped succeed in acquiring regional scope, particularly for the on-site training of managerial staff and technicians.

The IPAL (Integrated Project on Arid Lands) projects in northern Kenya and the south of Tunisia have thus been able, by their own achievements and thanks to a reinforcement of the national structures to which they have been attached, to provide facilities for a large number of trainees from a large number of countries with similar ecological and socio-economic conditions.

The training activities organized under such projects have been extremely varied, ranging from ad hoc visits to thesis writing in the case of individual training courses, and from information and demonstration days to specialized seminars in the case of group training. Such activities are also organized in biosphere reserves which are permanent sites for research, training, information and demonstration.

Interdisciplinary training

Despite the progress made, it is often found that young researchers, including those who have a good knowledge of their specific

discipline, are not sufficiently trained to be able to join the multidisciplinary teams working on practical problems of land-use planning and integrated rural development.

These young researchers need to acquire the necessary grounding in methodology and practice to enable them to work together and to become aware of the synergistic effect of joint common efforts.

It is clear that many other categories of senior managers and, in particular, deci­sion-makers and educators need to acquire interdisciplinary training which will give them a better grasp of complex problems of land-use planning and integrated development.

Training of researchers

Appropriate training was given inter alia in seminars lasting for a maximum of ten days, bringing together on the site of a MAB field project between 20 and 25 experienced researchers and young researchers in a proportion of 1/3 to 2/3, with attention to both balanced geographical representation and the representation of women.

The thematic content of the seminars consists of one or more real-life problems chosen by the researchers in charge of the project. The purpose of this is to try, using ad hoc educational methods, to find solutions to the problems that are acceptable from ecological and socio-economic points of view.

Seminars of this type, in which MAB has now acquired some experience, can thus be said to be primarily methodological, not only because they enable participants to learn to work together but also, and this is central in what must be regarded as a continuing educational process, because they are a means of testing and improving teaching techniques which are innovative and can be passed on by the participants themselves on their return to their respective institutions.

This result is also confirmed by the many seminars which have been successfully organized recently with considerable financial backing from the national host institutions and using the various methods (simulation games, "rotational group system method", etc.) devised by Unesco and now widely used by many research and training institutions.

Training of decision-makers and educators

The training of decision-makers deserves the closest attention as, in the final analysis, they are the recipients of the scientific results of MAB field projects. Once again, Unesco has acquired some experience in the context of what is commonly known as the "Human Settlements Managers Training Programme". This is a training programme which was started with the financial support of UNDP and which has made it possible to assemble the results of quite widely varying experiments.

The training of educators has been one of the initial tasks to be successfully carried out in several parts of the world, with the result that the effort can be continued today with financial support provided

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mainly by the countries themselves, owing to the direct interest which these countries have taken in this activity. A large number of handbooks and documents are available, but it is probably unnecessary to give a detailed account of them here. It must, however, be emphasized that the purpose of this programme is to find a pragmatic solution to one of the main bottlenecks

of the MAB Programme, namely communications between researchers and decision-makers who not only use different languages but who also have goals and time-frames which belong to different patterns of thinking.

Here again, it is in the field, and face to face with concrete problems requiring solution, that this synthesis, an apparently impossible one, can be made.

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ANNEX 12

MAB HAN AND THE BIOSPHERE BOOK SERIES

The new MAB Man and the Biosphere Book Series is intended to reach a wider audience than the existing Unesco series of MAB Technical Notes, MAB State-of-Knowledge Reports and MAB Green Reports. The MAB Book Series will be written in a clear and comprehensible style suitable for upper level university students and scientists not necessarily specialists in ecology. The books will not normally be suitable for undergraduate text books but rather will provide additional resource material in the form of case studies based on primary data collection and written by the researchers involved; global and regional syntheses of comparative research conducted in several sites or countries, and state-of-the-art assessments of knowledge or methodological approaches based on scientific meetings, commissioned reports or panels of experts. Examples of possible topics to be treated in the first few titles in the book series include eutrophication control, arid land research in northern Kenya, urbanization and environmental change, rainforest regeneration and management. In order to ensure clarity and uniform style in multi-authored volumes, a scientific editor(s) would be appointed for each volume, and texts rewritten when necessary.

It is proposed that a senior scientist be invited to become the general Editor-in-Chief of the series, supported by an Editorial Advisory Board. The Editor-in-Chief would have an international scientific reputation, wide contacts in the scientific community, knowledge of the MAB Programme, experience of scientific writing and editing and liaison with authors and publishers, English mother tongue, time to devote to editing functions from late 1986 or early 1987 onwards (e.g., someone near retirement or recently retired). The Editor-in-Chief will be responsible to MAB for sending out manuscripts to reviewers and for ensuring a high scientific standard and clear presentation in each volume. Where necessary, the Editor-in-Chief will call on the services of the Editorial Advisory Board, additional reviewers, and scientific writers. Mr. John Jeffers - until recently the Director of the Institute of Terrestrial Ecology in the United Kingdom and a person who has been associated with MAB since its inception has agreed to be Editor-in-Chief of the series.

An Editorial Advisory Board of 8-10 persons will be established under the auspices of MAB. The responsibilities of the Advisory Board will include: advising on the general orientation and "hallmark" of the series; suggesting specific reviews and syntheses that might be commissioned; authorizing and undertaking the review and screening of manuscripts through a process of scientific peer review; and where necessary calling upon the advice of individual specialists in the field concerned. The Editorial Advisory Board will consist of internationally-renowned scientists from different regions of the world and from different disciplinary backgrounds.

As regards publishing arrangements, it is proposed that the objective of the new Book Series would be best met by finding a publisher who could fulfill the following criteria:

high quality production in both hardback and soft cover editions (preferably simultaneous or within a period of 6 months);

speed of publication; except in exceptional circumstances, a publication date within 12 months of the final complete manuscript (not camera-ready but ready for the copy editor) being received by the publisher;

low-cost paperback edition for Unesco's distribution needs;

sales and distribution - active marketing in English-speaking countries, as well as international mailing lists and distribution networks;

strong publications list in area of natural resources management and environment specifically, and academic publishing more generally;

proven reliability and established reputation as scientific, high-quality publisher;

European base, as preference ease of communication from Paris;

for

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agreement to allow MAB to distribute copies purchased by MAB to developing country scientists and organizations who are outside the normal commercial market for such volumes, and who form part of the MAB scientific network.

Several publishers have expressed interest in being associated with Unesco in the new

series and it is hoped to conclude negotiations with one of these publishers in late 1986-early 1987. Books in the series will be published initially in English, but it is intended to seek out special arrangements with different publishers for other language versions.

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