The periodic review reports of the biosphere reserves of the MaB Programme. Case study: Biosphere Reserve Sierras de Cazorla, Segura and las Villas

Abstract

Biosphere Reserves are areas of territory recognized for their environmental and social particularities which belong to UNESCO's "Man and Biosphere" Programme. Every 10 years, the responsible agency for the management of the Reserve must prepare a Periodic Review Report for the International Coordination Council of the Programme to evaluate the level of fulfilment of designation criteria, determining, where appropriate, its permanence in the World Network of Biosphere Reserves. This article describes the process that gives rise to these reports, by means of the analyses of a type case, the preparation for the third Periodic Review Report of the Biosphere Reserve Sierras de Cazorla, Segura and las Villas, Spain: design, application, and identification of the key aspects of its elaboration process, sources, and tools used for the collection, analysis, and validation of the information and data included in the report. In addition, the factors that could contribute to improve the evaluation’s capacity of these reports are highlighted.