Today - November 3rd, 2022, the International Day of Biosphere Parks will be marked for the first time. The day commemorates the 50th anniversary of the launch of UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Program and the contribution by biosphere parks globally to sustainable development.

Today, the World Network includes 724 biosphere parks, in a total of 131 countries, of which 21 are transboundary. Over 260 million people live on the territory of a biosphere park. In total, these parks protect about 5% of the Earth’s surface.

Bulgaria also has contributed to the development of this global network. In 1977, 17 sites were announced in the country that met the criteria at the time. After revising the boundaries, function, and management of part of these territories and taking into account the modern vision and requirements of the Man and the Biosphere Program, in 2017 four biosphere parks of a new generation were announced - Srebarna, Uzunbudzhak, Central Balkan and Chervenata Stena.

Bulgaria’s membership in the World Network of Biosphere Parks is an international recognition that the respective territory is managed in an expedient and sustainable way according to national legislation and generally accepted principles of good governance.

The Man and the Biosphere Program was announced in 1971 and is UNESCO’s oldest intergovernmental scientific program. For its decade-long history, biosphere reserves have undergone development from strictly protected areas and places with little human influence to a model for sustainable territorial development, where people live in harmony with nature and effectively protect biological diversity.

By decision of the 41st session of the UNESCO General Assembly, November 3rd was chosen as the International Day of Biosphere Parks. The aim is to give prominence globally to a feasible model for achieving sustainable development and to highlight the role that the World Network of Biosphere Parks plays in this respect.