As a UNESCO member state, Austria participated in the development of the Man and the Biosphere, or MAB, programme. The Austrian Academy of Sciences hosts the MAB National Committee and brought together representatives from science and politics to form a panel which is responsible for the implementation of the UNESCO research programme in Austria.

The MAB National Committee has, amongst other things, brought out national guidelines which are compulsory for the identification of new UNESCO sites and which must be fulfilled within a transition period of five years for existing biosphere reserves. The national criteria are orientated towards the “Seville Strategy” adopted by UNESCO in 1995 which refers in particular to the inclusion of regional interest groups.

In addition, the National Committee approves applications for biosphere parks. These are evaluated by the International Advisory Committee for Biosphere Reserves and passed on to the International Coordinating Council of the MAB Programme (ICC) which makes the final decision on acceptance. With successful nomination the member states undertake to continue to fulfil the criteria and to report on the current status of the biosphere reserve every ten years.

More information on the national criteria and National Committee:
http://www.biosphaerenparks.at/biosphaerenparks/