The third World Congress on Biosphere Reserves, organized by the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the Spanish Ministry for the Environment, opened on 4 February 2008 in Madrid, Spain, and will finish on 9 February.

Gathering more than 1000 participants, the event will aim to take stock of the current Biosphere Reserves Programme and define an action plan for the five years ahead. Biosphere reserves are sites recognized under UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere Programme, which innovate and demonstrate approaches to conservation and sustainable development. They are also tools to help countries implement the results of the World Summit on Sustainable Development and, in particular, the Convention on Biological Diversity and its Ecosystem Approach. There are 529 sites worldwide in 105 countries.
Links to further information
Congress website
UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere Programme website