The Man and Biosphere (MAB) Committee met with Prime Minister Wescot-Williams on March 21, 2014 to discuss the benefits of a biosphere reserve designation, and the proposed sites for St. Maarten.  The Man of War Shoal Marine Park and Mullet Pond were selected by the MAB committee as sites that will be nominated for a UNESCO biosphere reserve.

The members of the Man and Biosphere Committee are: Tadzio Bervoets, Rueben Thompson, Fleur Hermanides, Claire Hooft Graafland and Marcellia Henry.

Biosphere reserves are areas of terrestrial and coastal ecosystems promoting solutions to reconcile the conservation of biodiversity with its sustainable use. They are internationally recognized, nominated by national governments and remain under sovereign jurisdiction of the states where they are located. Biosphere reserves serve in some ways as ‘living laboratories’ for testing out and demonstrating integrated management of land, water and biodiversity. Collectively, biosphere reserves form a world network: the World Network of Biosphere Reserves (WNBR). Within this network, exchanges of information, experience and personnel are facilitated. There are over 500 biosphere reserves in over 100 countries.

Each biosphere reserve is intended to fulfill 3 basic functions, which are complementary and mutually reinforcing:

• a conservation function – to contribute to the conservation of landscapes, ecosystems, species and genetic variation;
• a development function – to foster economic and human development which is socio-culturally and ecologically sustainable;
• a logistic function – to provide support for research, monitoring, education and information exchange related to local, national and global issues of conservation and development.

http://www.unesco.org/new/en/natural-sciences/environment/ecological-sciences/man-and-biosphere-programme/