Tuesday, November 3 is the International Day for Biosphere Reserves.
A biosphere reserve is a site designated under UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme that recognizes the efforts and involvement of communities to live and work in harmony with nature for positive economic, social, and environmental benefits.
There are 19 biosphere reserves in Canada including the Frontenac Arch Biosphere Network which stretches 2,700 kilometres from Brockville to Kingston along the St. Lawrence River and north to Westport and forms a critical ecological connection between Algonquin Park and the Adirondack Mountains in New York State.
Designated as an official biosphere by UNESCO in 2022, it is a vital ecological corridor for hundreds of migratory and wide-ranging species through a network of connected conservation lands.
The region includes thousands of lakes and wetlands, five forest regions, globally significant wildlife habitat, rural and urban communities and public and private lands.
In general, Biosphere Regions integrate three main “functions”:
- Conservation of biodiversity and cultural diversity
- Economic development that is socio-culturally and environmentally sustainable
- Logistic support, underpinning development through research, monitoring, education and training
UNESCO calls the International Day for Biosphere Reserves an invitation to take inspiration from the solutions already implemented in these spaces to build genuinely sustainable development everywhere, with full respect for nature and for the living world.
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