Agricultural engineer Joseph Emmanuel Philippe, Coordinator of the Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB) Program and Director of the Integrated Management of Watersheds, Coastal and Marine Areas, participates from (23 to 28 July 2018) in the 30th meeting of the International MAB Council of UNESCO.

This participation comes after Haiti has been elected (for the second time https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-4182-haiti-environment-haiti-elected-to-the-committee-man-and-the-biosphere-of-the-unesco.html ) member of the Board in November 2017, for a period of 4 years (2018-2021), on the occasion of the 39th General Conference of UNESCO https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-22711-haiti-environnement-haiti-elected-member-of-the-international-council-of-the-unesco-mab-program.html . It should be noted that MAB is an intergovernmental scientific program aimed at establishing a scientific basis for improving relations between people and their natural environment at the global level. Launched in the early 1970s, MAB materializes through biosphere reserves, or geographically defined protected areas, in which activities aim or are in harmony with the protection of the environment.

In 2016, there were 669 biosphere reserves worldwide, including 16 cross-border biosphere reserves in 120 countries (2016). Haiti has two: La Selle biosphere reserve (South-East) created in 2012 with an area of 377,221 hectares https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-21247-haiti-environment-unesco-adds-new-biosphere-reserve-in-haiti.html and the La Hotte (Southwest) biosphere reserve created in 2016 with an area of more than 435,000 hectares https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-16923-haiti-environment-the-natural-reserve-of-la-hotte-selected-by-unesco.html .

In June 2017, La Selle Reserve was declared a transboundary reserve with the Jaragua-Bahoruco-Enriquillo Reserve of the Dominican Republic. Twenty-four new reserves were declared during this 30th session, bringing the total number in the world to 693.

Recall that the International Coordinating Council of MAB is composed of 34 Member States elected by UNESCO's biennial General Conference. This committee is called upon to ensure the proper functioning of the world network of biosphere reserves. In Haiti, the Ministry of the Environment, which coordinates the MAB National Committee, is responsible for appointing representatives of Haiti to this body with the Ministry of National Education.

See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-22711-haiti-environnement-haiti-elected-member-of-the-international-council-of-the-unesco-mab-program.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-21247-haiti-environment-unesco-adds-new-biosphere-reserve-in-haiti.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-21202-haiti-environment-nature-reserve-in-haiti-to-the-unesco-agenda.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-16923-haiti-environment-the-natural-reserve-of-la-hotte-selected-by-unesco.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-4182-haiti-environment-haiti-elected-to-the-committee-man-and-the-biosphere-of-the-unesco.html

HL/ HaitiLibre