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Exploring the Potential and Contribution of UNESCO Biosphere Reserves for Landscape Governance and Management in Africa

Author

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  • Bettina Hedden-Dunkhorst

    (Federal Agency for Nature Conservation, Konstantinstr. 110, 53179 Bonn, Germany)

  • Florian Schmitt

    (German Commission for UNESCO, Martin-Luther-Allee 42, 53175 Bonn, Germany)

Abstract

United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Biosphere Reserves strive for a harmonious interaction between humans and nature. As landscapes provide suitable units to mutually address matters of conservation and sustainable development, this study aims to explore the potential and realized contribution of biosphere reserves for landscape governance and management. We emphasize the role of stakeholder participation and cooperation as an overarching condition for integrated landscape approaches. The regional focus is on Africa, where multiple drivers of global and local change currently significantly impact the landscape. The study’s results are based on a literature review, which is complemented by four case studies from the biosphere reserves in Ghana, Malawi, South Africa, and Benin/Togo. Findings show that in biosphere reserves, stakeholder engagement is crucial to gain community acceptance, foster intersectoral cooperation, and provide management with more legitimacy. To strengthen stakeholders’ capacities to mutually achieve conservation and development outcomes, international partnerships and research and education efforts proved to be successful. The flexible biosphere reserve approach to governance, which allows for integration with other land-management approaches, offers a suitable governance model for a landscape. Moreover, the biosphere reserve zonation concept can provide orientation to manage the “multifunctionality” of a landscape and address the associated trade-offs between different stakeholders’ aspirations.

Suggested Citation

  • Bettina Hedden-Dunkhorst & Florian Schmitt, 2020. "Exploring the Potential and Contribution of UNESCO Biosphere Reserves for Landscape Governance and Management in Africa," Land, MDPI, vol. 9(8), pages 1-27, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:9:y:2020:i:8:p:237-:d:387777
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Milder, Jeffrey C. & Hart, Abigail K. & Dobie, Philip & Minai, Joshua & Zaleski, Christi, 2014. "Integrated Landscape Initiatives for African Agriculture, Development, and Conservation: A Region-Wide Assessment," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 68-80.
    2. Schultz, Lisen & Duit, Andreas & Folke, Carl, 2011. "Participation, Adaptive Co-management, and Management Performance in the World Network of Biosphere Reserves," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 39(4), pages 662-671, April.
    3. Barrett, Christopher B. & Arcese, Peter, 1995. "Are Integrated Conservation-Development Projects (ICDPs) Sustainable? On the conservation of large mammals in sub-Saharan Africa," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 23(7), pages 1073-1084, July.
    4. Pool-Stanvliet, Ruida & Stoll-Kleemann, Susanne & Giliomee, Jan H., 2018. "Criteria for selection and evaluation of biosphere reserves in support of the UNESCO MAB programme in South Africa," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 654-663.
    5. Frost, Peter G.H. & Bond, Ivan, 2008. "The CAMPFIRE programme in Zimbabwe: Payments for wildlife services," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 65(4), pages 776-787, May.
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Aida Mammadova & Christopher D. Smith & Tatiana Yashina, 2021. "Comparative Analysis between the Role of Local Communities in Regional Development inside Japanese and Russian UNESCO’s Biosphere Reserves: Case Studies of Mount Hakusan and Katunskiy Biosphere Reserv," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(18), pages 1-23, September.
    2. Nicola Favretto & Sheona Shackleton & Susannah M. Sallu & Tali Hoffman, 2021. "Editorial for Special Issue: “Collaboration and Multi-Stakeholder Engagement in Landscape Governance and Management in Africa: Lessons from Practice”," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(3), pages 1-5, March.
    3. Robert Peter Ndugwa & Clinton Kubondo Omusula, 2025. "Institutional Frameworks, Policies, and Land Data: Insights from Monitoring Land Governance and Tenure Security in the Context of Sustainable Development Goals in Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, and Zambia," Land, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-24, April.
    4. Anesu D. Gumbo & Evison Kapangaziwiri & Fhumulani I. Mathivha, 2022. "A Systematic Study Site Selection Protocol to Determine Environmental Flows in the Headwater Catchments of the Vhembe Biosphere Reserve," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(10), pages 1-12, May.
    5. Elricke Botha, 2023. "Stakeholder perceptions of sustainability and possible behaviour in a biosphere reserve," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 31(5), pages 3843-3856, October.
    6. Godfred Owusu-Boateng & Akwasi Ampofo-Yeboah & Thomas Kwaku Agyemang & Kofi Sarpong, 2022. "Seasonal Variation In Water Quality Index Of The Lake Bosomtwe Biosphere Reserve," Environment & Ecosystem Science (EES), Zibeline International Publishing, vol. 6(2), pages 46-51, April.

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