In 2021, the Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme celebrates its 50 th anniversary as a major UN programme combining nature preservation and sustainable development. MAB is an Intergovernmental Programme governed by the International Co-ordinating Council (MAB-ICC), and meets annually. It guarantees the link between civil society, including all stakeholders, and the governmental authorities which regulate the functioning of UNESCO. From its creation in 1971, the Programme was the first to care

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... about the relationship between nature and human beings. The MAB Programme immediately developed the basis, within the natural and social sciences, for the rational, sustainable use and conservation of the biosphere's resources and for the improvement of the overall relationship between people and their environment. It aims in addition to implement activities that will enable people to better manage natural resources for their own wellbeing as well as for the good of the environment. Just how the Programme works was decided by a series of World Congresses in 1985 in Minsk, 1995 in Seville, 2008 in Madrid, and 2016 in Lima. These congresses elaborated the Statutory Framework and several Action Plans. The most recent Statutory Documents of the Programme are the MAB-Strategy (2015-2025) and the Lima Action Plan (2016-2025), determining how the Programme would function for a decade, and providing a roadmap for the Programme and its World Network of Biosphere Reserves. Today ( 2021 ), there are 727 UNESCO Biosphere Reserves (BRs) in 131 countries, including 22 transboundary sites and 2 intercontinental sites. BRs involve local communities and all interested stakeholders in planning and management. They integrate three main functions: -conservation of biodiversity and cultural diversity; -economic development that is socio-culturally and environmentally sustainable; -logistical support, underpinning development through research, monitoring, education and training.