An integrated approach to better define the concept and functions of Urban Biosphere Reserves

The UNESCO-MAB Programme, and in particular the Biosphere Reserve Network, is described within the context of international strategies aimed at ecological sustainability in cities. An innovative acceptation of Biosphere Reserves for urban areas, based on the landscape ecology principle of the integration of natural, social, economic and cultural knowledge, is proposed. The interdisciplinary definition of structure and functions for Urban Biosphere Reserves envisages: (i) the inclusion of the whole metropolitan territory within the Reserve's boundaries; (ii) specific criteria for the delimitation of core areas and buffer zones in urban and periurban contexts; (iii) special focus on transition area requirements; (iv) the improvement in living conditions and a solution to the conflict between humans and the environment by enhancing and harmonizing the overall natural, economic, social and cultural qualities of cities; and (v) support for sustainable planning strategies on a local scale rather than the imposition of new conservation ties.