The Berchtesgaden Biosphere Reserve
UNESCO first created biospheres in 1968 within the framework of a program entitled Man and the Biosphere (MAB). Its aim is to place certain areas throughout the world under protection that display either a special habitat or an ecological or cultural particularity. Biosphere reserves are model regions in which the coexistence of humans and nature develops in an exemplary way and is the subject of experimentation. In this case, environmental protection is not first and foremost, but rather the preservation and development of cultural landscapes, nature research, sustainable regional development and concrete examples for education and science.The Berchtesgaden Biosphere Reserve has existed since 1990. Biosphere reserves are also subdivided into core, transition, buffer and development zones. Berchtesgaden National Park represents the core area and the development zone of the biosphere reserve, whereas the National Park’s fore-field is the so-called transition zone. Protection and preservation of the natural landscapes are the principle aims within the National Park’s core area; whereas the transition zone is the object of preservation and development of the cultural landscape.
Additional information about biosphere reserves at:
Additional information about the Berchtesgaden Biosphere Reserve can be obtained from the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Berchtesgaden’s administrative offices at Landratsamt Berchtesgadener Land