UNESCO Biosphere Reserves

In my role as the Natural Sciences Officer at UNESCO, I am responsible for managing projects relating to what are called Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Reserves, in Vietnam. I had never heard of these places before starting at UNESCO but there are over 500 UNESCO Biosphere Reserves in 105 countries around the world, including 6 in Vietnam (click here for more information on these) and 14 in Australia.

Biosphere Reserves are areas which are designated by UNESCO as having significant natural heritage and requiring international conservation effort. They are similar to World Heritage sites but maybe without the unique appeal to warrant World Heritage status. But the key difference between the two types of UNESCO heritage sites is that MAB Reserves, as the name suggests, deal with the interaction of the local indigineous people with their environment. These sites aim to protect and restore the natural environment while also preserving and enhancing the livelihood of local inhabitants. Balancing these two aims is particularly important in Vietnam where:
- Over-population, agriculture and war have led to widespread deforestation and environmental degradation;
- The indigineous culture is so rich and diverse and warrants considerable preservation efforts (eg: Vietnam has over 50 ethnic minority populations, each with their own distinct cultures);
- Many rural people live in poverty and restricting their access to natural resources within protected ares can further impoverish them. They may therefore need assistance to sustain their livelihood through alternative means.

A site that I am currently working on is the Pu Mat National Park which is within the Western Nghe An Province, some 400km south-west of Hanoi (a 9 hour drive!). The park is large and has diverse flora and fauna (and many endangered species) as well as a number of villages of ethnic minority people. (Click here for more info)

I visited Pu Mat in mid December to attend a series of interesting workshops with representatives of the Pu Mat Management Board and chiefs of two villages located in the reserve. The aim of the workshops was to raise the local people's awareness and participation in forest and natural resource conservation. We were also training the Management Board in community participation with a focus on culturally appropriate livelihood development, e.g. suiting the individual needs of each ethnic minority group.

Recommendations so far include allocating new land for particular communities, establishing new intensive farming practices, developing handicraft jobs and expanding tourism activities in the area. The study is planned to be completed in May 2009. More details then, I hope...