Journal of Global Resources
Volume 6 (01)August 2019-January 2020
Page 71-75
UGC–CARE Listed Journal in Group DISSN: 2395-3160 (Print), 2455-2445 (Online)

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STRATEGIC PLANNING FOR SUSTAINABLE BIOSPHERE RESERVES MANAGEMENT
THROUGH CBMS PROGRAM
Mahmood Yekeh Yazdandoost
Department of Environment (DoE), IranEmail: yazdandoost3000@gmail.com
Abstract: The program focuses on developing and implementing models for Sustainable
Biosphere Reserves Management (SBRM) through collaboration and participation ofstakeholders including local communities and indigenous people based on Community- BasedManagement System (CBMS) model. The biosphere reserves would be protected to serve as
monitoring and learning sites for environmental professionals, decision makers, scientificsocieties, management practitioners and stakeholder communities to work together to decode
global principles and complexities of sustainable development into locally relevant andacceptable activities.
Key words: Sustainable Biosphere Reserve Management, Capacity Building, Mainstreaming
Introduction
Community-Based Management System (CBMS) is to protect human health and to safeguard
the natural environment like; air, water and land upon which life depends. CBMS is one
approach that can help the National Environment Committee (NEC) to fulfill this mission. TheCBMS approach emphasizing comprehensive community-based solutions, like; reducing healthand environmental risks, maximizing public participation and strengthening partnerships.
UNESCO Biosphere Reserves are currently defined as “living laboratories for sustainabledevelopment” and are the only sites under the United Nations system that call for conservationand sustainable development to proceed along mutually supportive paths (Meijaard,2010).Each Biosphere Reserve Intend to Fulfill Three Complementary Functions (UNESCO,2011):
1. A conservation function, to preserve genetic resources, species, ecosystems andlandscapes;
2. A development function, to foster sustainable social and economic development; and,3. A logistic support function, to support demonstration programs, environmental research,monitoring, education and training, national and global issues of conservation andsustainable development.
In sum, biosphere reserves should preserve and generate natural, indigenous and culturalvalues, through integrated management that is scientifically appropriate, culturally creative andoperationally sustainable. Engagement processes and practices in which a wide range ofpeople work together to achieve a shared goal guided by a commitment to a common set ofvalues, principles and criteria (Aslin and Brown, 2004). To cooperate within a process is tohave each party contribute what they can in order to best serve their needs in a mutually
beneficial way (Benaim, et al., 2008). The program focuses on developing and implementing
models for Sustainable Biosphere Reserves Management (SBRM) through collaboration andparticipation of stakeholders including local communities and indigenous people based on
Community-Based Management System (CBMS) model.
The key focal persons or groups on biosphere reserves’ management should be thecatalyst for this process, supported by the national coordinating mechanism on biospherereserves. Stakeholders are rural people, civil society, private sectors, national academia,
research institutions, media and government ministries and departments. The various roles foreach participant groups should be clarified by stakeholder analysis approach throughcollaborative management and coordinated agreement. Strategies should identify specificpolicies on biosphere reserves and also examine how biosphere reserves are addressed
through other national policies, programs and national budgets. This involves assessing how
far biosphere reserves are being mainstreamed and looking at how this could be taken forward.
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The focus for bottom-up approach should then be decided upon. The CBMS model expected tofirmly promote: Biosphere reserves integration into conservation planning and programming; Better harmonization and integration among the different biosphere reserves zones;
 Knowledge of the interactions between humans and the biosphere; and,
 Mainstreaming local environmental management into Poverty Reduction Strategy
Papers(PRSP)
Active community engagement would foster local ownership and common purpose, enhanceprotected areas acceptance, and facilitate the emergence of cooperative, adaptive,accountable and consensual conservation management (Stoll-Kleemann, et al., 2010).
The CBMS Advantages
 It is responsive to unique community characteristics. CBMS addresses problems
where they arise and where the so Mainstreaming local environmental management into
Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSP) established; Pools stakeholder resources. Rather than having a dozen separate organizations pursue
distinct environmental goals, CBMS brings those organizations together, to pool resourcesto achieve common goals.
 Minimizes duplicate efforts. CBMS brings multi environmental programs together inplaces of work, to find comprehensive solutions for problems.
 Builds infrastructure for problem solving. CBMS helps build a sense of stewardship andcommunity infrastructure for environmental problem solving.
Investment role in any given CBMS effort may range from education to technical assistance orotherwise to a leadership and banking system support. The following interests drive the degreeof National involvement in CBMS efforts:
 Statutory requirement. CBMS promotes communities to meet their regulatory
requirements;
 Ecological and human health risks. If a community faces exceptional ecological or
human health risks or if a community has natural resources of national significance,
National Environmental Committee (NEC) may become involved in a CBMS effort toaddress the underlying environmental problems and to protect natural resources.
 Community needs and desires. NEC may respond to a community's request forassistance and involvement in a CBMS effort.
CBMS Vision
CBMS vision is to support communities' efforts to use, protect and restore natural resources,like; land, air, water and biodiversity in ways that help ensure long-term ecological, economic,social and human health benefits for current and future generations.
Methodology
Facilitators with sufficient experience of participatory approach should be identified. Poor andmarginalized communities should be selected for participation. For achievement the program
should be followed by:
 Strengthening legal frameworks and the capacity of partners;
 Providing opportunities for interaction, training, education and scientific research;
 Enhancing delivery of the capacity building initiatives to local communities;
 Implementing the international agreed goals on Biosphere Reserves
Management(BRM) to registered areas
The requirements for the above achievement are:
 Well defined community involvement; Links between conservation, health and development; and,
 International collaboration and investment
To move from primary conservation to greater environmental integration, increasing cooperation among all stakeholders would be necessary.

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Results and Discussion
The Community-Based Management System (CBMS) is an important approach because theeconomic and social impacts are inextricably linked to the environmental impacts, thus needs
understanding and investment. The result indicates this approach needs a number of programs
and initiatives that support the place-based and community driven efforts to addressenvironmental issues:
 National training programs on environmental laws, including local training for trainers
and workshops for provincial environmental experts;
 Country dialogues and implementation plans for community-level strategies to reducethe vulnerability of the indigenous people living in biosphere reserves areas; Workshops to provide technical support to environmental managers and experts intesting the ecosystem approaches on a National and local levels as strategic tools for
integrated policy development; Capacity building workshops for civil society partners on development andimplementation of National institutional frameworks for environmentally and sociallysound green development mechanism programs;
 Pilot projects to develop and test adaptation models and institutional arrangements forincreasing protection in biosphere reserves;
 Substantive inputs to mainstreaming of gender issues;
 Implementation of the processes in integrating the ecosystem components into Poverty
Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSP); Seed funds to support sustainable development solutions; Assistance to communities that are disproportionately affected by environmental threatsor do not have equal access to environmental benefits; and,
 Watershed approach as the geographic unit for harvesting and conservation.
Thus it is an integrating tool which can help to create greater solidarity and collaboration amongindividuals and nations of the world. Initially CBMS can be more time-consuming; in the longrun it can be more effective, more efficient and yield more enduring sustainable solutions foraddressing our more challenging environmental problems than a strictly regulatory approach.
Moreover investment on CBMS is cost-effective. While NEC may play any combination of roles,depending on the specific situation in a community, it is more likely to take a leadership role if acommunity requests NEC assistance with an ongoing effort. Also NEC must work with allpartners in each community to determine appropriate roles. The following strategy suggests
ways NEC can improve and maximize capacity building when it assumes less direct roles thanbeing a full stakeholder in a community:
 NEC should build capacity in those organizations, groups, and individuals who can andwill engage the CBMS approach in places. Because CBMS activities often are bottomup endeavors, these external parties include citizens, community groups, nonprofitorganizations, associations, business and industries, as well as local and provincialgovernments; and,
 NEC capacity building tools should reflect and promote the CBMS principles in order tomaximize their potential benefit to communities. NEC shall use three broad tools to build
external capacity:
1. Data and information;
2. Training and technical assistance; and,3. Grants
The NEC should assemble and deliver data and information in ways that effectively inform thecommunity-based decision-making processes, motivate the NEC constituencies to protect theenvironment and support performer measurement. NEC must work to arm the public withinformation about their local environment and possible changes which may occur. NEC should
work directly with stakeholders in designated priority places. For the purpose of this framework,"working directly with stakeholders" implies hands-on involvement by NEC:
1. as a leader among stakeholders; or,
2. as an active but equal stakeholder within a place, during the planning andimplementation of a CBMS effort
In either role, NEC may provide direct and substantial assistance (e.g., providing fund,technical assistance and/or data and information) to other stakeholders within a place.
Performance measures must indicate of measuring progress toward NEC-CBMS goals as well73

as achievement of the goals. As a result: NEC must strive to answer three basic questions
about CBMS performances:
1. How much progress is NEC making in coordinating and integrating programs andactivities to increase its effectiveness in supporting community environmental decision
making?
2. How NEC helping communities to develop the tools and capacity necessary to be
stewards of the human and natural resources?
3. Does CBMS achieving environmental results consistent with NEC's mission and baseprogram goals?
Some NEC-CBMS Performance Measurement Includes
 Number of national laws and regulations developed, strengthened or integrated; The development of environmental law through participation of stakeholders
implemented;
 The number of national policies and development strategies that incorporate thebiosphere reserves sustainable development promoted;
 The number of national policies and sustainable development strategies developed; The number of GOs and NGOs that effectively participate at the national level in policy
development increased; and,
 Inclusion of biosphere reserves objectives in resolutions, decisions, policy strategies,
guidelines increased.
CBMS National Implementation Strategies
NEC will try to realize goals for CBMS by employing three principle strategies:
1. Reorient environmental programs to better support CBMS;
2. Build external capacities; and,3. Work directly with stakeholders in places.
The effort should strive to make the NEC more responsive to the needs of specific geographic
areas, and capacity building should include helping communities navigate the regulatory
processes, as well as making non-regulatory tools available. Perhaps most important is a fullrange of stakeholders involvement in helping NEC policies and CBMS activities.
NEC should improve staff skills and expertise through More training in areas of social sciences, such as group facilitation and building
consensus, cultural sensitivity, systems thinking, economics, goal settings andcommunicating ecological issues;
 Hiring new local staffs, developing new career tracks and obtaining greater access to
outside experts, like; economists, sociologists, cultural anthropologists, biologists,
Geographic Information System (GIS) specialists, and risk assessors and mediators.
In the CBMS approach, public organizations, private agencies and citizens monitor andevaluate environmental, social and economic conditions holistically on various geographicscales. These groups need to generate specific data and information, criteria and benchmarks,
guidance materials, training and other technical tools to make sound environmental decisions
which affect their communities. New tools and models that can integrate diverse amount of dataand information (e.g., population, income levels, landscape cover, land use, biological diversity,
multi-chemical exposure, comparative risk) and stimulate the results of community planningscenarios are required. In addition, tools and information are needed to identify, target and plan
work in priority places. Communities also need measures and indicators of environmental,social and economic conditions to evaluate progress toward meeting their human health andecological objectives.
Recommendation
 When applicable, include projects to strengthen and develop biosphere reserves into
programs that to be initiated and funded under the convention of Biological Diversity andother multilateral conventions; Develop incentives for the conservation and sustainable use of natural resources anddevelop alternative means of livelihoods for local populations, when existing activities arelimited or prohibited within the biosphere reserve;
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Ensure that each biosphere reserves has an effective management policy andprogramming and the appropriate authority or mechanism to implement it;
Develop a functional system of data management for rational use in research andmonitoring within the premises of biosphere reserves;
Mobilize international and private funds from businesses, NGOs and foundations, for the
benefit of biosphere reserves; and,
Build local capacity for the management of biosphere reserves, through environmental
education and multi-media outreach to the wider community

Conclusion
The biosphere reserves would be protected to serve as monitoring and learning sites forenvironmental professionals, decision makers, scientific societies, management practitioners
and stakeholder communities to work together to decode global principles and complexities ofsustainable development into locally relevant and acceptable activities. Bottom up participatory
approaches bring communities and stakeholders willingly together, in order to make this model
feasible and promotes comprehensive learning and sharing of information. This generates
knowledge for policy makers, supports action and promotes public awareness. In doing so,
policies and programs are improved. Governance is enhanced, as social capital developed andpeople motivated, to organize and advocate for improvements of their own environmental
policies, health and protection. Such an approach will enable:
 broadening investment on policies and programs relevant to information sources ( in depth
qualitative data to complement quantitative data ); priority setting of policies and programs that reflect the interests of the primary stakeholders
and beneficiaries; and, opportunities for marginalized participants, in analyzing and articulating their situations withother stakeholders
These programs will promote partnerships of work for realistic change and achievement.
Acknowledgement
All scientific literatures released by IUCN, UNESCO, UNEP, CBD and other agencies including
Department of Environment that have been used in this research article are highly appreciated.
References
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A PRACTICAL TOOLKIT. Canberra: Murray-Darling Basin Commission.
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3. Meijaard Erik, (2010) Lessons from Biosphere Reserves in the Asia-Pacific Region, And aWay Forward. Prepared for UNESCO Office, Jakarta.
4. Stoll-Kleeman S., A.C. De La Vega-Leinert and L. Schultz. (2010) The role of community
participation in the effectiveness of UNESCO Biosphere Reserve management: evidence
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