Participatory and integrated management of biosphere reserves - Lessons from case studies and a global survey

This article investigates if the recommendations provided in the statutory documents of the UNESCO MAB (Man and Biosphere) Programme introducing the World Network of Biosphere Reserves to follow a participatory management approach are implemented in practice. We discuss the results of two different empirical data sets: First, in a global setting we show how and why conservation professionals and managers of biosphere reserves regard participation as one of the most important success factors for management. Second, these findings are amplified by results from a comparative case study analysis of three biosphere reserves in Finland, Estonia, and Germany. Biosphere reserve centres have the potential of becoming parallel learning organisations fostering participatory management across all relevant sectors at the specific sites. Training and capacity building are necessary prerequisites for the successful application of participatory methods. Several innovative tools can be applied to involve even larger numbers of people.