Home ACTIVITIES

Transboundary information exchange for revision and functional improvement of zonation in the Lower Morava Biosphere Reserve”

In concord with the Madrid Action Plan, the issue of biosphere reserve zonation was revisited under the MaB Programme to reassess zonation which may not be designed in a way which allows biosphere reserves to fulfil the set tasks and aims.

In accordance with General Statutes, all BRs should comprise one or more core zones, a buffer zone and a transition area which enable them to fulfil all their functions.

a) Core zone – a legally area or several areas designated for long-term conservation

b) Buffer zone(s) – area surrounding or connecting core zones designated for human activities which are in accord with conservation objectives

c) Transition zone(s) – areas of cooperation where sustainable management of natural resources is developed and promoted.

Zonation in our BR is not fully functional and it was therefore necessary to revise the original proposal and see whether the individual zones took into account all facts, conditions and the given areas’ suitability for fulfilling the functions they are designated for. Moreover, the original proposal failed to do an important thing - to discuss the proposed zonation with all its stakeholders.

An international project in which Austrian Institut für Ökologie and Wienerwald Biosphärenpark participate will help improve the zonation of the Lower Morava BR. The duration of the project is 2009 – 2010.

The project was co-funded by the Austrian Academy of Sciences.