BIOSPHERE RESERVES MODEL SITES FOR SUSTAINABILITY

http://www.globalregions.org/sites/default/files/MPA_Proceedings_BandIV_2013_Ruoss%5B1%5D.pdf


According to the Seville Strategy, all Biosphere Reserves should have the
following three main functions:

conservation in situ of natural and semi-natural ecosystems and landscapes;

demonstration areas for ecologically and sociology-culturally sustainable use;

logical support of research, monitoring, education,
training and information
exchange.

Some of
these critical issues are:

dealing with natural capital, the core idea of the
green economy concept;

enhancing awareness of values related to natural resources: biodiversity,
landscape;

increasing added value for people through sustainable growth;

relating cultural diversity and heritage to economy
and environment;

dedicating and linking innovation and research to development;

transferring knowledge and know-how to the general
public;

involving stakeholders and public in decision processes;

assessing heritage protection and development in territorial processes (e.g.
footprint)

Characterization of Global Regions
Global Regions will especially ...

launch bottom-up process in their areas regarding sustainable development
and involve stakeholders in all phases of planning,
implementation and monitoring;

establish legal and institutional frameworks and governance systems to foster
sustainable development;

create added value for people in the area through initiatives enhancing prosperity, well-being, welfare; e.g. income, investments, job opportunities, social cohesion, health;

base their sustainable growth on renewable natural
resources and human capacities, involve people and stakeholders in order
to create added value for
local people;

seek excellence through efficient use of natural resources, closing ecological
cycles as well as enhancing effective production and service chains;
-
focus on achievements regarding international conventions and frameworks,
e.g. Human Rights, Millennium Development Goals, Culture Conventions;
-
protect natural and cultural heritage as well as natural resources;

disseminate and promote best practice and methodologies regarding the key
aspects of sustainable development;

cooperate within a network of sites of excellence through exchange of
knowledge, transfer of know-how and promotion of the model sites;

develop networks of excellence further (Biosphere reserves, World Heritage
sites, geoparks, Ramsar sites, national and regional parks, nature parks) by
adopting the principles of sustainable development.

Global regions will have to focus on the following
goals:

established legal frameworks and regulations as well as strategies for Sustainable Development;

introduced planning, implementation and monitoring
instruments to foster
Sustainable Development in the defined areas: incentives, innovation and
funding mechanisms, participatory and democratic processes, co-operation,
assessment, promotion;

the involvement of people and stakeholders in consultation and decision processes;

tools adopted to plan, implement and monitor efficiently the territorial development such as GIS, statistics, indicator system;

raised public awareness regarding the values of nature, culture;

introduced appropriate curriculums in education systems in order to
strengthen the efforts of continuous capacity building;

established mechanisms to manage product cycles and
services chains more efficiently;

established networks and support systems in order to create continuity of the
development;

introduced funding schemes (fees, taxes, contributions, donations) which
guarantee the financing of the protection of natural and cultural heritage;

established a communication strategy and information tools (ICT, media)
which allows an effective support for sustainable development;

introduced evaluation systems which allow checking
all the projects and actions regarding SD criteria fulfilment of the agreed strategy.

A Model is a “best practice” regarding an integrated approach for sustainable development. It should beattractive, accepted, realistic, easy to understand, visible and tangible, reproducible,measurable and it has to be assessed continuously