A biosphere reserve is a protected area designated for the preservation of typical landscapes all over the world. Under its “Man and Biosphere” program the UNESCO to date has designated 564 biosphere reserves in 109 countries around the globe, 15 of them in Germany.
Palatinate Forest/Northern Vosges The German-French biosphere reserve Palatinate Forest/Northern Vosges was recognized by the UNESCO in 1998 and is Germany’s first and so far the only cross-border biosphere reserve.
Stretching over an area of 3,105 km2, 70% of which is covered with forest, the Palatinate Forest and the Northern Vosges together make up the largest continuous woodland in Western Europe.
Protective zoning In a biosphere reserve the protection of nature is not the only issue; humans are integrated in this area on an equal footing and should be able to live and work there. A sustainable interaction of man and nature is the objective of a biosphere reserve.
To achieve this goal, the terrain of a biosphere reserve is divided into three areas: the core zone, the cultivation zone, and the development zone. Each zone has a different protection status permitting specific activities. This allows man and nature to develop without excluding each other.
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