What are biosphere reserves with examples

The Definition of biosphere reserves They are natural spaces where the conservation of biological resources lives with the cultural, social and economic development of human populations. They are established in land and/or aquatic areas with a special biological interest or unique ecosystems and where there is a great tradition of human presence with productive activities that are not very harmful to the natural environment, for example, the extraction of cork from the cork oaks.

In addition, they are areas created with the intention of evaluating different approaches to understand and manage changes and interactions between human and natural systemsintegrating conflict prevention and biodiversity management.

Both functions and areas in which biosphere reserves are divided They are specified in the program on man and the biosphere (MAB). Next, it is summarized briefly.

Biosphere reserves comply three main functions:

• Conservation: both biodiversity and ecosystems. It is based on the protection of genetic resources, species, ecosystems and landscapes.
• Development: Economic and human growth is sought from the sociocultural and ecological perspective of the local population centers.
• Logistic support: through research, environmental education and communication.

Three zones are differentiated in the biosphere reserves. The delimitation of the areas responds to the degree of protection and human presence, although this delimitation is not usually physical since it is necessary that the spaces are connected so that they are complemented and reinforced reciprocally.

• Core zone: It is a strongly protected ecosystem that contributes to the conservation of landscapes, species and their genetics and ecological processes. There may be more than one core zone in the same biosphere reserve. Only research activities and others of lower impact are allowed.
• Buffer zone, core or damping areas: It is the successive area to the nucleus. The existence of this area focuses on minimizing the effects that human activities can have on the core zone. Here human activities take place with little impact on the environment, such as those related to environmental education, sustainable ecological tourism and scientific research.
• Transition zone: It is the area where most local economic activities are developed. These should be as sustainable as possible, such as organic farming and ecological farming practices.

The idea of ​​biosphere reserves is Promote sustainable development at regional and world level. In addition, these reserves serve as educational spaces and where politicians, scientists and researchers, managers and other groups must do a cooperation exercise to implement local practices that translate into the basis of sustainable development. Therefore, the figure of the biosphere reserve implies directly to the local population.

Currently, the World Biosphere Reservations Network has 669 reservations declared and distributed in 120 countries. Spain leads the list with a total of 48 reservations, the United States is followed with 47 and Mexico with 42.

Due to the amount of biosphere reserves in Spain, the need to create its own reservations network has emerged. The Spanish Biosphere Reserve Network (RERB) It consists of a total of 48 Biosphere Reserves previously appointed by the UNESCO. Four of them are cross -border, three of them are shared with Portugal and the other is also intercontinental as it is shared with Morocco. The rest of the biosphere reserves are distributed among 15 autonomous communities, and in some cases these reserves include territories of several communities.

This reservation network is managed by the National Parks Autonomous Agency (OAPN) that belongs to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and the Ministry for Ecological Transition.

These 48 biosphere reserves can be classified according to their theme in six classes.

Water as the main element

Either because of its abundance or absence or by its natural characteristics we find the reserves of the wet stain (Castilla la-Mancha), coruña mariñas and Terras do Mandeo (A Coruña), Terras do Miño (Lugo), Eo River, Oscos and Terras do Burón (Lugo, Asturias), Urdaibai (Basque Country), Las Bardenas Reales (Navarra, Aragon) L’Albre (Tarragona), Marismas de Odiel (Huelva), Doñana (Cádiz), Cabo de Gata-Níjar (Almería).

Islands

Far plants, animals and cultures. That, together with natural isolation, are the ingredients to generate their particular and dignified richness of conservation. They are biosphere reserves: Menorca, La Palma, the island of El Hierro, Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, La Gomera, the Anaga Massif (Tenerife) and Gran Canaria.

Cantabrian mountain

It contains 12 of the 40 Spanish reserves forming a green carpet for almost its entire extension. Habitat of the bear and the urogallo, and earth with a great livestock tradition. The reserves of the Ubiñas-La Mesurias (Asturias), Networks (Asturias), Babia (León), Somiedo (Asturias), Muniellos (Asturias), Ancares Lucenses (Lugo), Allariz area (Ourense), Leon Ancares (León), Laciana Valley (León), Valleles de Omaña and Luna (León), Alto Bernesga (León), Alto Bernesga (León). Argüellos (León), Picos de Europa (Asturias, Cantabria and León).

Mediterranean atmosphere

The mountains, places of difficult access and lower productivity than the plains have allowed the conservation of natural values. The reserves located in these locations offer a union model between those inherited values ​​and the possibility of socioeconomic growth. We find the valleys of Leza, Jubera, Cidacos and Alhama (La Rioja), Montseny (Girona), Sierra del Rincón (Guadalajara), Royal Site of San Idelfonso- El Espinar (Ávila), Alta Basin of the Manzanares River (Madrid), Sierras de Béjar and France (Salamanca), Monfragüe (Cáceres), Dehesas de Sierra Morena (Cáceres) Seville and Córdoba), Sierra de Grazalema (Cádiz, Málaga), Sierra de las Nieves and its surroundings (Málaga) and Cazorla, Segura and Las Villas (Jaén).

High mountain

Pastors and cattle share the territory with hikers and fans of high -risk sports with vegetables and animals adapted to the harsh climatic conditions of the high mountain. We have the reserves of the Ordesa-Villamala Biosphere (Huesca) and Sierra Nevada (Granada, Almería).

Cross -border

Established between two or more countries to facilitate the integration of conservation and development on both sides of the border and favor cooperation. We have the cross-border reserve of Gêrés-Xurés (Galicia-Portugal), Iberian Plateau (Zamora, Salamanca, Portugal), Tajo-Tejo (Extremadura-Portugal) and the Intercontinental of the Mediterranean (Andalusia-Morroquecos).

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