The State Department web site below is a permanent electronic archive of information released prior to January 20, 2001.  Please see www.state.gov for material released since President George W. Bush took office on that date.  This site is not updated so external links may no longer function.  Contact us with any questions about finding information. NOTE: External links to other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views contained therein.

U.S. MAB BULLETIN

The United States National Committee for the Man and the Biosphere Program
December 1996 Volume 20, Number 3
ISSN 1078-6295

The U.S. MAB Bulletin is published by the U.S. MAB Secretariat, OES/ETC/MAB, SA-44C, U.S. Department of State, Washington, DC 20522-4401

"The mission of the United States Man and the Biosphere Program (U.S. MAB) is to explore, demonstrate, promote, and encourage harmonious relationships between people and their environments building on the MAB network of Biosphere Reserves and interdisciplinary research. The long-term goal of the U.S. MAB Program is to contribute to achieving a sustainable society early in the 21st Century. The MAB mission and long term goal will be implemented, in the United States and internationally, through public-private partnerships and linkages that sponsor and promote cooperative interdisciplinary research, experimentation, education and information exchange on options by which societies can achieve sustainability." Adopted by the U.S. National Committee for the Man and the Biosphere Program, July 26, 1995.

U.S. MAB is supported by the Agency for International Development; the Department of Agriculture-Forest Service; the Air Force; the Department of Commerce-National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; the Department of Energy; the Department of the Interior-Bureau of Land Management, -National Biological Service, -National Park Service; the Department of State; the Environmental Protection Agency; the National Aeronautics and Space Administration; the National Institutes of Health; the National Science Foundation; the Peace Corps; and the Smithsonian Institution.

The program is organized into six directorates: Biosphere Reserve, High Latitude Ecosystems, Human-Dominated Systems, Marine and Coastal Ecosystems, Temperate Ecosystems, and Tropical Ecosystems.

IN THIS ISSUE

* From U.S. MAB Chair D. Dean Bibles

* From the Executive Director, Roger E. Soles

* MABFlora Introduced at the BRIM Working Group Meeting

* Congressional Hearing on Biosphere Reserves

* Mammoth Cave Area Biosphere Reserve

* MABFauna to Indonesia

* U.S. MAB at the IUCN World Conservation Congress

* International Coordinating Council Meeting

* Flathead Community Celebration

* MABNetAmericas Expands in South America

* Smithsonian Institution/MAB Announces Two Courses

* EuroMAB VI

* Some MAB Related Sites on the WWW

* Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP) International Symposium

* The 8th Global Warming International Conference & Expo

* Publications

FROM U.S. MAB CHAIR D. DEAN BIBLES

As we look into the new year and beyond, it is appropriate to review where we have been and where we should go in the future.

The Man and the Biosphere Program (MAB) was founded in the pendulum swing from the environmental movement of the late 60ís. Many realized that the human component could not be ignored if solid resource protection and management was to take place. MAB was intended to demonstrate what can be accomplished when terrestrial and marine managers apply the findings of the natural, social and economic sciences.

The intervening years have borne fruit. Research resulting from MAB's multi-disciplinary approach has led the way in finding solutions to many of today's complex problems. The equation for success is in combining solid science with local community involvement.

With this rich history understood, we can look at the status quo and begin to prepare our vision for the future.

In my tenure I have encouraged and supported land managers and scientists as they continue to include local people in the projects funded by U.S. MAB. The benefits of cooperation are seen in the biosphere reserve partnerships such as the Colorado Rockies Regional Cooperative, The International Sonoran Desert Alliance, Mammoth Cave Biosphere Reserve Cooperative and the Southern Appalachian Man and the Biosphere Program. Each of these programs have different types of administration and support programs, yet they have all utilized the same basic principles of including the local community in the process. They all have benefited their regions.

In any complex growth and public education process, there are misconceptions and misunderstandings about the programs. An example is a bill which made its way to the floor of the House of Representatives in the last minutes of the last session of Congress. (The bill ultimately failed because of timing issues, however, it won a majority vote.) The proposed legislation would have mandated that all current and proposed biosphere reserve units obtain Congressional approval. This legislation would take the emphasis off the local communities and place it at the national level.

In my opinion, the proposed legislation would significantly hinder the operation of a program that has been involving local communities in issues regarding sustainability of their region. I believe that the legislation would result in procedural steps which would be so overburdened with bureaucratic process that it would effectively kill the program. I also have little doubt that many who voted for this legislation acted in good faith and believed that they were protecting the sovereignty of the United States. In fact, the legislation is counterproductive as it creates a complex system that effectively takes local community voices out of the process.

The legislation is unnecessary. The United States National Committee for MAB put a stringent nomination process in place as a result of the Constable Commission Report of 1994. The report sets out the requirement that there must be positive support for the reserve from appropriate local elected bodies before an area is nominated for status as a biosphere reserve. In addition, the National Committee has approved, in concept, an arrangement which would allow developing cooperative ventures to become U.S. Biosphere Reserves without becoming part of the World Wide Network of biosphere reserves if they so chose.

The positive side of the legislation is that it is borne of the renewed interest in and attention to biosphere reserves. Hopefully such attention can be channeled in the coming years as an opportunity to affirm MAB's objectives and possibly secure needed congressional recognition. Such recognition would help MAB to truly assist the nation in achieving sustainability early in the 21st century.

We begin 1997 with special emphasis on public education regarding the concepts and goals of MAB. In the face of confusion based upon misunderstanding, we must be firm in our education efforts regarding our Program. For the present quality of life to continue in America, the efforts to achieve environmentally sound sustainable economic development must succeed.

FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR ROGER E. SOLES

The Changing Nature of Biosphere Reserves -- and the Challenges Ahead

Views about the nature and functions of biosphere reserves have changed since the days of the mid 1970s. The earliest vision for biosphere reverses focused primarily on protection of nature preserves and their genetic materials. Some viewed biosphere reserves as natural benchmarks or points of reference, to measure mankind's impact upon the environment.

Our rapidly developing technologies have allowed us to have a global vision of the human/ nature relationship. Projection of increased global population levels have added to the concern for sustainability of the global environment for future generations.

Encouraging participation of local communities in conservation has been a relatively recent addition to the biosphere reserve agenda. Ecosystem management for sustainable purposes is now seen as key. Work needs to be done to create open, participatory and consultative administrative mechanisms in our biosphere reserves to accommodate this expanded mission.

Unfortunately some proponents, as well as critics, make claims about biosphere reserves which are totally inappropriate and unauthorized, such as hunting or construction restrictions, or zoning regulations.

Recently there have been a number of outright false statements about biosphere reserves regarding threats to private property rights, and international conspiracies involving the United Nations. The views of a number of critics and supporters of biosphere reserves presented at a recent congressional hearing are summarized in this Bulletin.

It is obvious that we all have a great deal of work to do. U.S. Biosphere Reserves need to increase their efforts to meaningfully involve local communities, elected officials and all of the stakeholders in developing the biosphere reserve program. If we are to manage an ecosystem, it is most likely to come through science, education and rational discourse of all concerned.

The U.S. National Committee is reviewing draft guidelines for the nomination and designation of biosphere reserves in the U.S. Our intent is that these guidelines, which will be published in various official registers, etc. will not only help to set the record straight but also provide guidance to both advocate and critic about the nature and purposes of U.S. Biosphere Reserves.

The U.S. MAB Secretariat has materials which are made freely available to anyone interested in the facts concerning biosphere reserves. If you question rumors you have heard about biosphere reserves, please call or write us for information. Or, if you are into the Information Superhighway elsewhere in this Bulletin you will find World Wide Web addressees concerning MAB and biosphere reserves. We invite you to check it/them out.

MABFlora INTRODUCED AT THE BRIM WORKING GROUP MEETING

The BRIM (Biosphere Reserves Integrated Monitoring) working group met November 18 and 19, 1996 at the French Ministry of the Environment in Paris.

Ms. Keelin Kuipers, BRIM coordinator, introduced MABFlora. MABFlora is a database which lists the occurrence of vascular plant species and provides metadata on the status of species, the sources and reliability of the information, and the level and form of documentation. Currently, there are two versions of MABFlora. One is for use by Canadian and U.S. Biosphere Reserves and uses the PLANTS database as its master list. The other is for Europe and uses a database version of Flora Europaea as its master list.

A great deal of thanks goes to Dr. Richard Pankhurst of the Royal Botanical Garden, Edinburgh and Dr. Vernon Heywood of the UNEP Global Biodiversity Assessment Program for providing the Flora Europaea database. Dr. John Kartesz of the Biota of North America Program is also to be thanked for providing the PLANTS Database.

In other business, the group agreed on a draft standardized peer review form to be used for BRIM endorsement of inventory and monitoring projects. The form will be distributed to all EuroMAB country national MAB committees for comments or revision. The form will be presented at the EuroMAB VI meeting in September 1997 for discussion and approval.

On behalf of BRIM, representatives from France and Germany will host a workshop on integrated monitoring at EuroMAB VI.

CONGRESSIONAL HEARING ON BIOSPHERE RESERVES

H. R. 3752 "The American Land Sovereignty Protection Act of 1996," was the subject of a hearing before the U.S. House of Representatives' Committee on Resources, on September 12, 1996. H.R. 3752 provides for termination of all current UNESCO designated U.S. Biosphere Reserves by December 31, 1999 unless each is specifically authorized by a law enacted before that date. The bill proposed that no federal official would be able to nominate any lands in the United States for designation as a biosphere reserve under the MAB program of UNESCO. The bill called for any new proposals of world heritage sites to be submitted by the Secretary of the Interior to the Speaker of the House and President of the Senate for authorizing legislation.

Another provision of the bill would require, the Secretary of State for biosphere reserves and the Secretary of the Interior for world heritage sites, to submit an annual report on each site within the U.S. These reports would contain an accounting of all money and federal employee hours expended on management; an explanation of all non-governmental organizations contributing to the management; and a summary and an account of the disposition of the complaints received related to each site.

Of the 44 members of the Committee on Resources, eight were in attendance at the September 12 hearing. Don Young, Chairman (R-Alaska), James Hansen (R-Utah), Helen Chenoweth (R-Idaho), Richard Pombo (R-California), Wes Cooley (R-Oregon), Wayne Allard (R-Colorado), Barbara Cubin (R-Wyoming), and John Duncan (R-Tennessee).

On September 18 the bill was amended in full Committee to exempt RAMSAR sites and ordered favorably reported to the House of Representatives by a roll call vote of 18-8. H.R. 3752 had 27 cosponsors.

On September 26, 1996, H.R. 3752 was debated and rejected by the U.S. House of Representatives. The final vote was 246 yeas in favor of H.R. 3752, 178 nays, and 9 not voting. The resultant House vote would have passed in a simple majority vote, but fell short of the two-thirds majority required for passage under the suspension of rules by which it was brought to the floor. (Congressional Record H11273-H11280, H11354, September 26, 1996.)

During the September 12 hearing, remarks by Representatives Young, Hutchinson, and Chenoweth indicated their concerns about the biosphere reserve and world heritage site designations. All three called for congressional oversight of these programs so as to guard against alleged interference by an international organization (the United Nations) in management or control over U.S. public and private lands.

Thirteen witnesses submitted testimony. The following issues with statements of opposition and support are drawn from the testimony and are intended to give the basic message of the witnesses. For a complete text of the hearing and H.R. 3752 contact: Committee on Resources, 1324 Longworth House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515-6201 ATTN.: Cathy Crook, Tel. (202) 225-2761, Fax. (202) 225-5929.

Testimony was submitted by:

Fred T. Alvarez, Eddy County Commissioner, Carlsbad, New Mexico; D. Dean Bibles, Chairman, U.S. National Committee for the Man and the Biosphere Program; Ray E. Cunio, President, Citizens for Private Property Rights, Sullivan, Missouri; Myron Ebell, Policy Director of the Frontiers of Freedom Institute; George T. Frampton, Jr., Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks, Department of the Interior; Rob Gordon, Executive Director, National Wilderness Institute; Kathleen P. Jachowski, Park County Multiple Use Association of Park County, Wyoming; Paul C. Jones, Executive Director, Minerals Exploration Coalition; George McGowen, Councilman, Town of Lake George, New York; Rafe Pomerance, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs; Jeremy A. Rabkin, Professor, Department of Government, Cornell University; Nina Sibal, Director UNESCO Offices, New York/ Washington, DC; and Fawn A. Tantillo, Ulster County Legislature, New Paltz, New York.

Issue: Public participation in biosphere reserves

Mr. Alvarez, Mr. Cunio, Mr. Ebell, and Mr. McGowen said that local people in their areas had not been informed about the proposed biosphere reserve or world heritage site or its management plans. McGowen further stated that in some instances closed meetings were held and citizens were actually barred from attending.

Mr. Gordon suggested that all world heritage or biosphere reserve designations should be removed; but, if these designations continue, specific property rights protection should be added to legislation regarding them, written permission of each landowner should be required, there should be complete public access to all information regarding them, and there should be clear lines of management responsibility.

Mr. Bibles spoke on this issue by saying, "In the past decade there has been a steady evolution toward greater local community involvement and accountability. The Statutory Framework for the World Network of Biosphere Reserves (a non-legally binding guideline for the world network) encourages this evolution of the program. Article 4, on the criteria for biosphere reserves states, Organizational arrangements should include inter alia public authorities, local communities and private interests in the design and carrying out the functions of a biosphere reserve. Similarly, the recent Seville Strategy for Biosphere Reserves, which was adopted by the International Coordinating Council for MAB emphasizes this local involvement. Finally, the U.S. National Committee for MAB also requires that the proponents of any U.S. Biosphere Reserve seek the concurrence of the relevant local governments in the nomination of the new reserve."

Issue: Concern about international interference in local property rights

Ms. Jachowski and Mr. Jones spoke of their concern that international designations are used to restrict land use and stop economic development. Jones further noted that the December 1995 determination by the World Heritage Committee that Yellowstone National Park was a "World Heritage Site in Danger" is an example of meddling in U.S. domestic land use policy issues by an international body which has no obligation to the citizens of the U.S.; and this type of activity is a threat to the regulatory process in place under U.S. law.

In testimony submitted for the record, Mr. Pomerance noted that important foreign policy objectives are met through U.S. participation in the World Heritage, Biosphere Reserve, and Ramsar Programs. Concerns about threats to national sovereignty are unfounded in the actual functioning of the programs.

Mr. Frampton stated that, "International site recognitions such as world heritage and biosphere reserve are not a threat to U.S. sovereignty, but rather an enhancement to areas already protected under domestic law and a benefit to communities which are fortunate enough to be recognized internationally." Participation in the programs is voluntary. No private landowner can be included in the legally protected area without his/her specific request. The designations have been used to bring communities together to resolve complex conservation and development issues.

Ms. Sibal emphasized that biosphere reserves and world heritage sites remain entirely under local, state and national jurisdiction. The national MAB Committees and UNESCO provide general guidelines, but have no authority to set regulations on these areas.

Issue: Concerns with the buffer zone

Mr. Alvarez and Ms. Jachowski asserted that increased regulations regarding buffer zones would have significant negative economic effects on the use of private and public lands by the local citizens of the area. Buffer zones, Jachowski alleged, "...dislocate people, destroy economic foundations, achieve ethnic cleansing of politically incorrect cultures and put citizens at the mercy of agendas with which they have nothing in common."

Mr. Bibles explained that in a model biosphere reserve, the core (protected area) and the area of managed use (buffer zone) must have legal conservation protection. He said, "In the U.S., adequate legal protection for these areas is provided for by the legislation creating the National Park or Forest, or in state or local laws. In the case of privately owned areas, certain restrictions are placed voluntarily on their lands by the private landowner or conservation organization which owns the land. ...All legal protection of the core and buffer areas of biosphere reserves are in place before they are designated."

Issue: Need for congressional oversight to protect citizensí rights

Mr. Ebell, Dr. Rabkin, and Ms. Tantillo all felt that Congress should be involved in the approval of designating areas as world heritage sites and biosphere reserves, and should have continued oversight of the management of these sites. Dr. Rabkin said that biosphere reserves need oversight especially because the program is based on recommendations of a United Nations agency, is not the result of a formal treaty or convention, and has no definition in U.S. law. Legislation such as H.R. 3752 is needed to protect private property interests.

Mr. Frampton said that in the view of the Department of the Interior, "...this legislation [H.R. 3752] would impose inappropriate and unwise restrictions on the ability of federal agencies to work cooperatively with states and other levels of government to achieve the benefits of international recognition for U.S. conservation sites, and that it would, if enacted, significantly reduce the recognized leadership and influence in global conservation which our nation has earned in the eyes of the world."

Mr. Pomerance stated in his written testimony, "The Department of State opposes the American Land Sovereignty Protection Act of 1996. The provisions of the bill address concerns related to national sovereignty that are not grounded in the actual provisions and implementation of these well-functioning agreements or programs. As a consequence, the bill would impose a level of political and bureaucratic regulation that is unnecessary and runs counter to the U.S. role in global environmental cooperation."

Mr. Bibles was, "...concerned that the passage of H.R. 3752 would legislate into existence another governmental program requiring a multitude of procedural steps and bureaucracy. ...The beauty of the biosphere reserve concept, as it is implemented in the United States, is that it is truly a "ground up" program that is started voluntarily by local people to deal with regional issues. ...While the elevation of the process to congressional action may sound good, it may lead to the local folks getting left behind when the whole process becomes national in scope."

Issue: Additional concerns

Mr. Cunio and Mr. Gordon expressed the strong feeling that local citizens should be in complete control of management of their region, not the federal government. Mr. Ebell and Dr. Rabkin took this idea further with their opinion that local landowners need to be protected from the federal government. Ms. Jachowski was concerned that although the Biodiversity Treaty has not been ratified by the U.S. Congress, the World Heritage and Biosphere Reserves Programs seek to integrate its objectives at every opportunity.

In his testimony, Mr. Bibles stressed that biosphere reserves are a focus for scientific study, environmental education, and regional cooperation on common environmental issues. In no case have new or additional laws been enacted because of biosphere reserve status. Biosphere reserves bring together private landowners, corporations, and local, state and federal government representatives to discuss management of local resources so as to receive economic return at a sustainable, environmentally compatible rate.

In summary, the congressional hearing emphasized the fact that an enormous amount of misinformation has been generated about biosphere reserves. Much of this information originates with groups who apparently view international environmental agreements and programs as encouraging the United Nations to control national decisions and impinge upon national sovereignty.

One group produced a lengthy (500 + pages) "background document." In it statements were taken out of context from Agenda 21 (from the United National Conference on the Environment and Development "UNCED"), and the Convention on Biological Diversity. Language from these two documents and other non-MAB related sources was woven together and cited as proof of the attack on U.S. sovereignty by biosphere reserve and world heritage site designations.

The large vote in favor of H.R. 3752 pointed out the need for all those interested in promoting biosphere reserve concepts to take appropriate action and better inform their members of Congress and local officials.

Another challenge is to more successfully inform all of the stakeholders of the true merits and potential of their biosphere reserve. Better informed and more active supporters of environmental conservation and sustainable economic development are needed for a thriving U.S. Biosphere Reserves Program.

MAMMOTH CAVE AREA BIOSPHERE RESERVE MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN GROUNDWATER PROTECTION

By Jeff Bradybaugh

The Mammoth Cave Area Biosphere Reserve (MCABR) was designated by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 1990. It includes Mammoth Cave National Park and its primary groundwater recharge basins, an area totaling 44,700 hectares (110,453 acres). The park is the protected core area, and the basins outside the national park are designated the zone of cooperative use. Located in south-central Kentucky, the area is a karst landscape typified by numerous sinking streams and sinkholes, complex underground watercourses, and a multilayered cave system (longest in the world) with unique fauna and mineralization features. The karst landscape efficiently transports precipitation runoff (and any incorporated contaminants from surface land use) to subsurface streams, posing constant concern for area water quality degradation.

At the suggestion of the National Park Service and others, the Barren River Area Development District (BRADD) selected the UNESCO biosphere reserve model as the tool to address regional water quality issues. Chartered by the Commonwealth of Kentucky, BRADD is responsible for regional planning within the 10_county area surrounding Mammoth Cave National Park. With the biosphere reserve administered through BRADD, whose board of directors consists of locally elected officials, the biosphere program is viewed as a locally managed effort rather than a federal undertaking. As nearly all the land outside of the park is in private ownership, this organizational structure has proven critical to initiating and carrying out biosphere reserve programs.

The Barren River Area Development District established a biosphere reserve council to coordinate resource management activities. The council is comprised of technical specialists from: Western Kentucky University, USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture) Forest Service, USDA Combined Farm Services Agency, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Tennessee Valley Authority, U.S. Economic Development Administration, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, agencies of the Kentucky natural resources cabinet, the Resources Conservation and Development District, the Caveland Sanitation Authority, and the National Park Service.

Implementation of the Biosphere Reserve Program

Several noteworthy programs and projects have been initiated or enhanced through the collective efforts of the governments and agencies cooperating under the Mammoth Cave Area Biosphere Reserve umbrella.

Mammoth Cave Area Water Quality Project

To protect the Mammoth Cave watershed, a partnership was established with farmers, universities, and agencies to protect aquatic resources by promoting sustainable agriculture and on-the-farm best management practices (BMPs). Since 1990, the USDA has made available $950,000 on a cost-sharing basis with local farmers for the design and installation of animal waste BMPs for feedlots and dairies. Agencies, including the National Park Service, have invested $330,000 in groundwater and aquatic community monitoring to assess the effectiveness of BMPs. An Environmental Protection Agency grant has been secured to continue this project over the next four years.

Regional GIS/GPS and Development of a Geospatial Data Center

Members of the biosphere reserve council have pooled their resources to enhance data sharing and data analysis capabilities. A GIS (Geographic Information System) was established at BRADD to supplement and interact with partner systems. Agencies contributed to purchase a GPS (global positioning satellite) base station that has been used in developing groundwater hazard maps where interstate highways and railroads cross the groundwater basins. The series of maps allows emergency responders to identify sites where hazardous spills from road or rail accidents could enter sinks or otherwise be injected into the aquifer, and allows them to quickly formulate a containment strategy. With support from the Mammoth Cave Area Biosphere Reserve and park assistance via the NPS Lower Mississippi Delta Initiative, the GPS system is being used to map features of a local civil war battlefield, assisting community efforts for its protection. Through a grant from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the biosphere reserve has established a geospatial data center at Western Kentucky University, as a node of the nationwide USGS system.

Economic Development and Impact Studies

The Economic Development Administration funded a MCABR study to assess the potential for compatible industrial development along Interstate 65 within the reserve. Existing and potential environmental risks and identification of suitable and unsuitable development locations were analyzed. Through the Barren River Area Development District, this information has been made available to the affected communities to assist in economic and infrastructure planning.

The National Biological Service, Michigan State University, and Southern Illinois University are nearing completion of a visitor use and economic impact study for the park and local area. Data will be used to assess the impact of tourism expenditures locally and to formulate regional plans for sustainable tourism currently under development by the West Kentucky Corporation.

Environmental Education

Plans for a nonprofit institute, as part of the biosphere reserve, are being developed to extend and enhance the education and research programs available to local residents and resource managers, including environmental and cultural resource management, sustainability, and heritage appreciation.

To keep the public informed of ongoing water resource management efforts in the biosphere reserve, an educational video was produced through Kentucky Educational Television. It describes the broad concerns of stakeholders, how consensus planning was used to focus on common goals, and the actions taken to enhance water quality. The video emphasizes the progress made through cooperation between businesses, landowners, and agencies working within the reserve.

Mammoth Cave Resources Conservation and Development Area

With the intense focus on water quality in the karst aquifer and the need to remedy related agricultural impacts, agency managers and local officials petitioned the Secretary of Agriculture to designate an area in south-central Kentucky including the biosphere reserve as a resources conservation and development area (RC&D). Established in 1991 and represented on the biosphere council, the RC&D uses its resources to meet goals common to both programs. The RC&D receives USDA funding each year, available for matching grants, to accomplish projects relating to solid waste management, non-point source pollution control, conservation education, and rural infrastructure. While most projects are relatively small in size, they provide rural communities with opportunities to address long-standing problems and to become participants in regional conservation efforts.

What the Future Holds

The Mammoth Cave Area Biosphere Reserve, with the national park as the core area, has brought national attention to local conservation issues, including additional financial resources not available previously. Landowners and communities have derived tangible benefits and received recognition for working together to protect resource values. The park benefits in that external resource threats and issues are being addressed and a forum exists to discuss long-term resource protection policies with local officials.

In August, the U.S. MAB National Committee approved expanding the biosphere reserve to 368,000 hectares (909,328 acres). Within the expanded reserve, an opportunity exists to develop greater involvement of rural and small-town residents, to work with commercial natural resource users, and to partner with people interested in conservation of historic resources and the cultural traditions of the region. These opportunities reflect the continuing growth of the biosphere reserve program. In addition to providing a larger land area, the expanded biosphere reserve also continues the focus on areas of critical environmental concern--especially the Mammoth Cave groundwater basins.

Jeff Bradybaugh is Chief, Science and Resources Management Division at Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky. Contact him at Mammoth Cave National Park; Mammoth Cave; KY 42259; (502) 758-2251.

MABFauna to INDONESIA

Dr. John Sheerin, U.S. Department of State, introduced MABFauna to 20 biosphere reserve representatives from Indonesia, Mongolia, Philippines, and Thailand.

Dr. Sheerin conducted the MABFauna training as part of a Conservation International/UNESCO workshop on Strengthening Institutional Capacity, Technology Transfer, and Networking for the Biosphere Reserves, Asia and the Pacific Region. The workshop was conducted at the Cipodas Biosphere Reserve, Indonesia November 11-22.

The participants were enthusiastic about MABFauna and spent part of the training session entering faunal lists from their biosphere reserves. John had with him the "Quick Start Tutorial" instructions in Bahasa and wrote keywords for the students in Chinese, Thai, English, and Bahasa.

U.S. MAB at the IUCN WORLD CONSERVATION CONGRESS

The IUCN World Conservation Congress, "Caring for the Earth," was held at Montreal, Quebec, Canada from October 17-21, 1996. More than 3,000 delegates, observers and workshop participants from 130 countries attended this event. An IUCN Congress is held every 3 years to bring together the world's conservation scientists and practitioners, politicians and business leaders to debate global environment and development issues with a view to fostering the sustainable use of resources.

Chairman D. Dean Bibles, Roger E. Soles, Brian C. Bock, and T. J. BeMent represented U.S. MAB at this Congress.

D. Dean Bibles served as the Chairman for an all day symposium, "Biosphere Reserves -- Myth or Reality?" The workshop was attended by more than 300 persons and focused on a review of biosphere reserve activities since the establishment of the Seville Action Plan in 1995. The 12 presentation topics ranged from bio-regional management of shared ecosystems in Central Europe to the economic reality of local community participation in biosphere reserves.

At this symposium, Drs. Soles and Bock spoke on the current development of the cooperative electronic networking among biosphere reserves being promoted by U.S. MAB. The networks include MABNetAmericas, EuroMAB, NAFTAMAB, EABRNet and other similar efforts in Africa and Asia. They also presented the standardized meta data protocols of MABFauna and MABFlora.

Dr. Francisco Dallmeier of the Smithsonian Institution MAB Program presented the BioMon Program to the Symposium's participants. BioMon, the Biodiversity Monitoring Database Program, is used worldwide for managing data and preparing detailed reports of tree species. Currently 150 sites are using the BioMon program in 35 countries.

Dr. Bock, with the assistance of T. J. BeMent, conducted three training sessions on MABFauna. Participants in these sessions represented all of the continents of the world. The scientists from non-biosphere reserve sites were enthusiastic about adopting the standardized protocols of MABFauna and MABFlora and being included in the emerging MAB networks. A benefit to MABFauna was the contacts made with scientists from institutions which are developing a master faunal species list for Africa.

U.S. MAB organized and staffed a booth in the Exhibit hall of the Congress which demonstrated the MAB networks on-line. Several hundred people at the Congress signed up at the booth to receive additional information about the MAB Programs, the electronic networks and MABFauna/MABFlora.

INTERNATIONAL COORDINATING COUNCIL for the MAN and the BIOSPHERE PROGRAMME

The fourteenth session of the International Co-ordinating Council of the Man and the Biosphere Programme was held at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, November 19-22, 1996. Discussion focused on progress and future direction of implementation of the Seville Strategy for Biosphere Reserves and the Statutory Framework of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves.

The Council meeting placed specific emphasis on improving education, public awareness of and involvement in biosphere reserves. The following officers were elected by acclamation: Chairperson, Mr. Peter Bridgewater (Australia); Vice-chairpersons, Mr. Mohamed Abdel Gawad Ayyad (Egypt), Mr. Wilson Torres Espinosa (Ecuador), Mrs. Josefine Heinz (Germany), Mr. Istvan Lang (Hungary), H.E. Mr. Lambert Messan (Niger).

Dr. Pierre Lasserre, Director of the Man and the Biosphere Programme Secretariat, gave his annual report to the Council. A priority of the Secretariat has been strengthening the Internet communication of UNESCO MAB, MABNet, and assisting regional networks such as EABRN (East Asian Biosphere Reserve Network). Dr. Lasserre announced the creation of the AfriMAB and ArabMAB networks. AfriMAB was launched by the Dakar (Senegal) Conference on Biosphere Reserve in October 1996. It is a joint effort of the MAB Secretariat in Paris and Senegal, WWF (the World Wildlife Fund) and IUCN (the World Conservation Union). ArabMAB network is the subject of a December 1996 workshop in Damascus, Syria.

D. Dean Bibles led the discussion in the session titled, People and Biosphere Reserves. Mr. Bibles attended the Council as an observer from U.S. MAB.

For further information on the documents issued from the meeting please contact: UNESCO MAB, 7, place de Fontenoy, 75352 Paris 07 SP France. Fax. (33) 1 45 67 16 90 or visit the web site at http://www.unesco.org/mab/theMabnet.html

FLATHEAD COMMUNITY CELEBRATION

--LIVING in the LANDSCAPE

Coram Experimental Forest, which has been a biosphere reserve since 1976, will celebrate its 50th year of continuous research in 1998. Miller Creek Demonstration Forest, a nearby study area, marks its 30th year of research in 1997. These sites plus Glacier National Park, a biosphere reserve since 1976, and other long-term study areas have become the object for a celebration of research and other community sponsored activities in the upper Flathead River valley.

The celebration will focus on ways research helps us understand how our natural environment, society, and economy function, and how their many threads weave together to form and define us.

A research conference will be featured during the Celebration inviting scientists and local students who have conducted research within this area to summarize their results. The conference will be designed to appeal to a broad segment of Flathead residents rather than only the research community and resource managers.

In the fall of 1996 students in area schools began individual research projects. Teamed with mentors from various public and private partners, the student researchers are receiving expert guidance and advice, as well as access to necessary equipment and supplies. Awards and scholarships will be given for the best projects, and students will have an opportunity to share their findings with the public through poster displays at public buildings and businesses and at special events. Some of the better papers may be published. Tours of research activities and sites will be conducted during the spring and summer of 1998. Months of preparation for the students began in the spring of 1996 to develop information packets and instructional plans presented at area teacher workshops.

Special lecture and discussion series are being planned at the Flathead Valley Community College on the theme of how research has helped preserve the area's unique qualities.

A Celebration book is planned which will be an anthology of residents' reflections on their environment and community.

Musical and dramatic performances, and art and craft displays reflecting the artists' interpretation of "Living in the Landscape" are scheduled.

Other activities still being planned are special walking tours through areas of particular environmental or historic interest, placement of interpretative signs at forestry demonstration sites, production of a video documenting the Celebration's progress and achievements, and special programs at meetings of area clubs and organizations.

For further information please call or write the Celebration Committee, c/o the Flathead Economic Policy Center, 15 Depot Park, Kalispell, MT 59901. Tel. (406) 756-8548.

MABNetAmericas EXPANDS in SOUTH AMERICA

Dr. Brian Bock, the new MABNetAmericas Coordinator, participated in an international Conservation International-UNESCO workshop in Brazil where he established contacts with biologists representing 11 biosphere reserves and other protected areas from eight South American countries. Several biologists arrived at the workshop with species lists to contribute. Dr. Bock visited Bolivia, Ecuador, and Colombia to promote the MABNetAmericas initiative. The MABNetAmericas initiative, which grew out of the Miami Summit of the Americas, has as its goals 1) to increase access to scientific, social, and economic data obtained at biosphere reserves, 2) to promote the use of common data standards for reporting species inventories and biological monitoring, and 3) to facilitate sharing between reserves of management experiences for sustainable development. The U.S. MAB Program has been active in promoting this initiative both at home and abroad.

The U.S. MAB Program has developed a prototype MABNetAmericas web page (http://ice.ucdavis.edu/MAB/) which currently lists all biosphere reserves for each MABNetAmericas country. This site will soon contain 77 faunal inventories from 34 biosphere reserves representing eight countries. Forty more species lists are currently under review by the U.S. National Park Service and should be posted soon. Dr. Bock, has been working to increase the representation on this site of all MABNetAmericas countries.

In September, a questionnaire was mailed to every MAB National Contact and biosphere reserve in Latin America. It included a request for information on whether faunal species inventories exist for these reserves. To date, 14 biosphere reserves have responded to the questionnaire indicating they have faunal inventories they are willing to share.

To further facilitate the networking of scientific information, U.S. MAB has supported the development of MABFauna, a computer program for managing species inventories and metadata on the status of species in biosphere reserves. This program is now available for downloading from the MABNetAmericas web site and copies will soon be mailed (with manuals in English, French, Portuguese, or Spanish) to every biosphere reserve in the hemisphere. The companion program, MABFlora, will be ready for distribution in early 1997.

SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION/MAB ANNOUNCES TWO COURSES

Smithsonian/MAB has announced two upcoming courses. Both are to be held at the Smithsonian's Conservation and Research Center, 60 miles west of Washington, DC.

"Smithsonian Environmental Leadership Course," will be given March 2-21, 1997. The course is designed to assist participants in becoming creative leaders who can plan, solve problems, communicate effectively and establish rapport. The participants will practice effective leadership skills; explore and enrich personal leadership styles; enhance effectiveness in communication and management; recognize and address thinking and personal styles; understand and manage beliefs and belief systems; surmount cultural presuppositions, organizational ecology, and other systematic issues; and give effective feedback.

"Measuring and Monitoring Biodiversity for Conservation Science and Adaptive Management," will be given May 11-June 13, 1997. On completion of the course the participant will be able to construct a multi-taxa monitoring and biodiversity training program tailored for his own country needs. The course will include, training manuals; practical experience in biodiversity assessment; BioMon, Biodiversity Monitoring Database Program; MABFauna and MABFlora, software programs which establish databases of the occurrence of vertebrate and plant species and provide metadata on the species; invitation to become part of the International Network of Biodiversity Sites; access to a support network of trained experts involved in measuring and monitoring projects; and new ideas and experiences with an international group of people of similar interests.

For further information please contact SI/MAB Biodiversity Program, Smithsonian Institution, S. Dillon Ripley Center, 1100 Jefferson Drive, SW. MRC 705, Washington, DC 20560. Tel. (202) 357-4792, Fax. (202) 786-2557, E-Mail. ic.simab@ic.si.edu

EuroMAB VI

The EuroMAB VI meeting will be held in Minsk, Belarus September 1997. The purpose of the meeting will be further implementation of the Seville Strategy for Biosphere Reserves.

MAB France and MAB Germany, in cooperation with UNESCO MAB, are planning a scientific workshop as part of the meeting. The workshop will test the ability of biosphere reserves to provide relevant data to implement social and ecological monitoring models and to demonstrate integrated monitoring models which can be applied at a number of keystone biosphere reserves within EuroMAB geographic area.

MAB RELATED SITES on the WWW

Information about U.S. MAB can be found on the following Internet web sites.

For MABFauna and MABFlora information try http://endeavor.des.ucdavis.edu/mab/

For U.S. MAB publications and facts try /www/global/oes/envir.html

For links to National Parks with biosphere reserve designations and national parks in general try http://www.nps.gov/index.html

For program description and course information of the Smithsonian Institution/MAB Biological Diversity Program in English and Spanish try http://www.si.edu/organiza/museums/ripley/simab/start.htm

For contact information for 128 MAB national programs, the Seville Strategy, Statutory Framework, and other UNESCO/MAB documents try http://www.unesco.org/mab/theMabnet.html

ARCTIC MONITORING and ASSESSMENT PROGRAMME (AMAP) INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM

The AMAP International Symposium on Environmental Pollution of the Arctic and the Third International Conference on Environmental Radioactivity in the Arctic, will be held June 1-5, 1997 in Tromso, Norway.

Working sessions will discuss particular types of contaminants and pollution issues such as radioactivity, heavy metals, acidification, oil, climate change, health of indigenous peoples and combined pollution effects. Several sessions will be devoted to pollution issues in specific geographical sub-regions.

Paper abstracts (ca. 300 words) must be submitted by December 31, 1996. Registration and requests for information should be addressed to AMAP Secretariat, P.O. Box 8100 dep, N-0032 Oslo, Norway Fax. +47 22 67 67 06.

THE 8th GLOBAL WARMING INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE & EXPO

The conference and expo will be held May 25-28, 1997, in New York, New York. Registration deadline is March 1, 1997. Sessions will be focused on: global warming and climate change, global surveillance, education, global warming and public health, energy and natural resource management, international law and policy making, state and local government actions, executive workshop on industrial technology and greenhouse gas emission. The Conference hotline is Fax. 1-630-910-1561.

PUBLICATIONS

To order publications from the U.S. MAB Secretariat, OES/ETC/MAB, SA-44C, Department of State, Washington, DC 20522-4401, please include self-addressed mailing labels.

NEW PUBLICATIONS

from U.S. MAB:

MABFauna version 2.0, PC Disks are available for the EuroMAB (Europe, Canada and the U.S.) and the MABNetAmericas ( all of the Western Hemisphere) editions. A Handbook for Users of the MAB Biological Inventory System, and a Quick Start Tutorial are also available. MABFauna is a computer program which is designed to allow users to efficiently input, edit, retrieve, and create checklists and reports of vertebrate inventory data. Included is the program OBSERVE which permits the input of records of field observations of vertebrates into a computerized database for storage, manipulation, and retrieval. Data which have been entered into MABFauna and OBSERVE may be exported to a flat file for use in any dBaseIII+ compatible data management software. The program and manual are available in English only. The Quick Start Tutorial is currently available in English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Bahasa, and Russian. (2 disks, manual 51pp., Quick Start 10pp.)

U.S. Biosphere Reserves, a brochure which briefly describes the U.S. Biosphere Reserve Program. 1996. 1p.

The United States Man and the Biosphere Program, a pamphlet which outlines the U.S. MAB program and its activities. rev. 1996. (26pp.)

from others:

South-South Perspectives: A Newsletter of the South-South Cooperation Programme on Environmentally Sound Socio-Economic Development in the Humid Tropics is published annually through UNESCO in English, French, Spanish, and Chinese. The current issue is Number 3, June 1996. South-South Cooperation Program has also published the following working papers. No. 15, 1996 Resource-Use Patterns: The Case of Coconut-Based Agrosystems in the Coastal Zones of Kerala, India, and Alagoas, Brazil by Vinicius Nobre Lages; No. 16, 1996 The Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve: a Review of Conservation Status with Recommendations for a Holistic Approach to Management India by R. J. Ranjit Daniels; and No. 17, 1996 Kinabalu Park and the Surrounding Indigenous Communities Malaysia by Jamili Nais. All available from UNESCO, Division of Ecological Sciences, Programme de Cooperation Sud-Sud, 7 Place de Fontenoy, 75 700 Paris, France.

Co-Operative Scientific Study of East Asian Biosphere Reserves, a report of the third meeting of the co-operative scientific study of East Asian Biosphere Reserves, a regional workshop for establishing a biosphere reserve network in Asia and the Pacific, and the evaluation of the Mt. Sorak Biosphere Reserve which were held in Seoul, Republic of Korea, May 29-June 2, 1995. All three events were hosted by the UNESCO National Commission of the Republic of Korea, under the sponsorship of the Ministry of Environment, Republic of Korea, and UNESCO Office, Jakarta. 1996. (69pp.) A limited number of copies of this report is available upon written request from: The Director, UNESCO Office, Jakarta, Jalan M.H. Thamrin 14, Tromolpos 1273/JKT, Jakarta 10002, Indonesia.

Communities and Forest Management with Recommendations to the Intergovernmental Panel on Forests, addresses the issues of effective community participation in resource management. Published by The World Conservation Union IUCN Working Group on Community Involvement in Forest Management. 1996. (44pp.) Available from IUCN Publications Services Unit, 219c Huntington Rd, Cambridge CB3ODL, UK Tel. (44) 223-277894, Fax. (44) 223-277175.

The Keystone National Policy Dialogue on Ecosystem Management, Final Report, was developed by a group of individuals with diverse views on land management and ecological issues. The Report, which synthesizes the Dialogue members' investigation of ecosystem management as a new resource management approach, may be of special interest to those who wish to examine the concept of greater involvement in the management of natural resources. 1996. (99pp) Copies may be obtained from Caroline Brendel, The Keystone Center, Tel. (970) 468-5822, for $15. Group and student discounts are available.

Another publication mentioned in Vol. 20, No. 2, p.7 of this Bulletin, Policy Hits the Ground: Participation and Equity in Environmental Policy-Making by Aaron Zazueta published by WRI also discusses and makes recommendations for community involvement in ecosystem management.

STILL AVAILABLE

from U.S. MAB:

ACCESS 1996: A Directory of Permanent Plots Which Monitor Flora, Fauna, Climate, Hydrology, Soil, Geology, and the Effects of Anthropogenic Changes at 132 Biosphere Reserves in 27 Countries is a directory of updated information on biosphere reserves in Europe, Canada and the United States which reported permanent plot information. This is the second product of the Biosphere Reserves Integrated Monitoring Program (BRIM) developed by EuroMAB. 1996. (392pp)

[end of document]

Return to the DOSFAN Home Page.
This is an official U.S. Government source for information on the World Wide Web. Inclusion of non-U.S. Government links does not imply endorsement of contents.