Over the past ten years, three research projects („Forschungs- und Entwicklungs-Projekt“) have aimed to record the implementation status of the MAB zoning concept in German biosphere reserves and to develop recommendations for designation, management and further development. The three types of zones, core area(s), buffer zone(s), and transition area(s) were each investigated and processed in a separate project. The studies concerning core areas and transition zones, respectively, were carried out between 2013 and 2019, whereas the recent project provides the corresponding cognitions for buffer zones. The results of the three studies are being incorporated into a position paper by the German MAB National Committee on the zonation of biosphere reserves.
The current project aims to examine the status of compliance with national and international requirements, analyze the current ecological status of buffer zones, and evaluate the management practices applied. Based on this, recommendations for measures to meet national and international requirements and for the development of management should be made. Specifically, the effectiveness of the various functions of buffer zones, (e.g. for biodiversity conservation, as ecological buffers for core zones, for habitat connectivity, for the provision of ecological services, for the promotion of sustainable management practices, for research and monitoring, and education for sustainable development ESD) is to be worked out. The analyses had to be carried out with a focus on the permanently increasing challenges due to the climate crisis.
The project report is available for download at www.bfn.de/publikationen.