The National Park Service is proud to steward this world-renowned site. The International Biosphere Reserve Program is a voluntary approach to preserving and protecting the world's biological resources. Each reserve has a core and buffer area. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park, shielded from development, provides a core area. Other public lands serve as the buffer.
Education is the only tool used to promote stewardship among private landowners.
Other International Biosphere Reserves include Yellowstone, Yosemite, and Grand Canyon National Parks. The World Heritage Site designation denotes the park's inventory of Appalachian cultural items from the 19th and early 20th century. Combined with the park's management to maintain cultural landscapes, such as in Cades Cove and Cataloochee, the park is a unique cultural resource. Like biosphere reserves, it is a voluntary program working to preserve earth's resources and history. Other World Heritage Sites include Yellowstone and Mammoth Cave national parks.