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Furthermore, the loss of traditional land use and fishery practices
leads to over-fishing, erosion and loss of coastal land. In islands,
the loss of species can greatly alter patterns of human settlement,
employment, agriculture, fisheries, and tourism. This section presents
a few of UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere Programme projects to related
to these issues.
Coastal marine biosphere reserves: reference sites for monitoring
coastal and marine biodiversity Marine protected areas are essential
for:
- observing and measuring human impacts on the coastal/marine
habitats
- developing more rigorous and innovative guidelines for their
conservation and sustainable management
Biosphere reserves are sites of excellence
recognized under UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere Programme. They
offer privileged arenas for melding science and society. Their system
of zoning allows targeted management, with different requirements
for protection, scientific research and human use. A great number
encompass coastal and marine areas.
Integrated Biodiversity Strategies for Islands and Coastal Areas
(IBSICA)
The IBSICA project (1996-2002) was implemented by UNESCO's Division
of Ecological Sciences and by the Government of Germany (Ministry
for Economic Co-operation, BMZ). It notably focused on:
- improving living conditions for the inhabitants of biosphere
reserves in islands and/or coastal zones, with special attention
to rational use of biodiversity
- strengthening and increasing capacities for carrying out management,
research and training in the islands and coastal zones
- establishing REDBIOS, a network between existing
island biosphere reserves
- encouraging new biosphere reserves on islands and/or coastal
zones Read more on the IBSICA project
Asia-Pacific Co-operation for the Sustainable Use of Renewable
Natural Resources in Biosphere Reserves and Similar Managed Areas
(ASPACO)
The focus of this project is on:
- assisting UNESCO Member States in implementing the recommendations
of the World Conference on Science (1999)
- identifying national strategies for biodiversity protection
with special emphasis on coastal areas, small islands and mangroves
- South-South technology transfer and intensive training for
the management of renewable natural resources
Read more on the ASPACO project
Regional seas partnership on marine and coastal protected areas
The complete name of this initiative is the UNESCO-UNEP (United
Nations Environment Programme) Regional Seas- CBD (Convention on
Biological Diversity) - Partnership on Marine and Coastal Protected
Areas. It is designed to coordinate information related to marine
and coastal protected areas in United Nations and other international
processes. The aim is to contribute to establishing representative
networks of marine protected areas by 2012, as agreed at the World
Summit on Sustainable Development.
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