World Network of Biosphere Reserves in Europe and North America

Under UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere Programme, there are 329 biosphere reserves recognized as part of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves in Europe and North America (as of September 2025). These are distributed across 43 countries in the region.[1][2]

Biosphere reserves operating under the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Programme aim to achieve three mandate management objectives of conservation, sustainable socio-economic development, and logistic support.[3]

Network

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Below is the list of biosphere reserves in Europe and North America, organized by country/territory, along with the year these were designated as part of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves.

The list does not include the Intercontinental Biosphere Reserve of the Mediterranean, a biosphere reserve shared between Morocco and Spain, which has been classified as part of the Arab States region.

Albania

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Andorra

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Austria

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Großwalsertal, Austria
  • (Gossenköllesee (1977) - withdrawn in 2014)
  • (Gurgler Kamm (1977) - withdrawn in 2014)
  • (Lobau (1977) - withdrawn in 2016)
  • (Neusiedler See (1977) - withdrawn in 2016)
  • Großwalsertal (since 2000)
  • Wienerwald (since 2005)
  • Salzburger Lungau & Kärntner Nockberge (since 2012)

Belarus

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Bulgaria

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Canada

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Croatia

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Czechia

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Czechia and Poland

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Denmark

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Estonia

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Finland

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France

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France and Germany

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France and Italy

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Georgia

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Germany

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Greece

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Hungary

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Ireland

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Israel

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Italy

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Kazakhstan

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Latvia

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Lithuania

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Luxembourg

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  • Minett (2020)

Montenegro

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Netherlands

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North Macedonia

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Norway

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Poland

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Portugal

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Portugal and Spain

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Republic of Moldova

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Romania

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Romania and Ukraine

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Russian Federation

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Serbia

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Slovakia

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Tatra Mountains, Slovakia

Slovenia

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Spain

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Sweden

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Switzerland

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Türkiye

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Ukraine

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Carpathian Biosphere Reserve, Ukraine

United Kingdom

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United States

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Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska

The US Biosphere Network (USBN) consists of 28 internationally recognized biosphere regions across the continental United States, the US Caribbean, Alaska, and Hawai’i.[12] In 2021, the USBN adopted the term biosphere regions instead of biosphere reserves.[13] The mission of the USBN is to foster national and international connections among biosphere regions, to facilitate their sharing of best practices, and to support their work toward connecting people and nature.[14]

Sites withdrawn[15]

References

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  1. "Europe & North America". Ecological Sciences for Sustainable Development. UNESCO.
  2. "Biosphere reserves withdrawn from the World Network of Biosphere reserves". Ecological Sciences for Sustainable Development. UNESCO. Retrieved 26 May 2016.
  3. Van, Cuong, Chu; Peter, Dart; Marc, Hockings (2017). "Using Enhancing our heritage toolkit for assessing management effectiveness of the Kien Giang Biosphere Reserve". International Journal of UNESCO Biosphere Reserves. 1 (2): 56–76. doi:10.25316/ir-77.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "23 new sites added to UNESCO's World Network of Biosphere Reserves". UNESCO. 14 June 2017.
  5. "Howe Sound Biosphere Region Initiative".
  6. 1 2 3 4 UNESCO (26 July 2018). "Twenty-four new sites join UNESCO's World Network of Biosphere Reserves 26 July 2018". Retrieved 5 September 2018.
  7. "Europe & North America: 292 biosphere reserves in 37 countries". Retrieved 5 September 2018.
  8. "Ribeira Sacra E Serras Do Oribio E Courel - Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB)". www.unesco.org. Retrieved 2025-08-05.
  9. "Biosfärområde Kristianstads Vattenrike – Bra för natur och människa" (in Swedish). Biosfärkontoret Kristianstads Vattenrike. May 4, 2022. Retrieved May 16, 2022.
  10. "Vänerskärgården med Kinnekulle" (in Swedish). Biosfärområde Vänerskärgården med Kinnekulle. May 11, 2022. Retrieved May 16, 2022.
  11. "Välkommen till Biosfärområde Blekinge Arkipelag!" (in Swedish). Biosfärområde Blekinge Arkipelag. September 8, 2020. Retrieved May 16, 2022.
  12. "United States Biosphere Network". Center For Large Landscape Conservation. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  13. "Biosphere Regions". George Wright Society. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  14. "FAQs About Biosphere Regions". Center For Large Landscape Conservation. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  15. "Biosphere reserves in Europe & North America". UNESCO. Retrieved 9 May 2023.

Further reading

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