BREMi—A New Tool for the Evaluation of UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Management Effectiveness: Case-study in the Arab Man and Biosphere (ArabMAB) Regional Network

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dc.contributor.authorMatar, Diane A.
dc.contributor.authorAnthony, Brandon P.
dc.contributor.unitDepartment of Environmental Sciences and Policy
dc.date.accessioned2023-06-16T14:43:23Z
dc.date.available2023-06-16T14:43:23Z
dc.date.issued2022
dc.description.abstractScholars and practitioners have been striving to develop straightforward and effective tools to measure protected area management effectiveness (PAME). UNESCO Biosphere Reserves (BR), with their unique functional and zonation schemes are monitored according to their compulsory 10-year Periodic Review (PR), which is useful for UNESCO’s evaluation purposes but lacks comprehensiveness and utility for adaptive management. Based on existing PAME methodologies, we develop and propose the first quantitative tool for the evaluation of BR management effectiveness, that would enhance and complement the currently used qualitative PR report, and serve the rapid evaluation needed for BR managers to monitor, evaluate, and adapt their management approach to achieve the three functions of BRs. The tool consists of 65 indicators, embodied within the 6 elements of the World Commission on Protected Areas Framework. We then tested this tool, named Biosphere Reserve Effectiveness of Management index (BREMi) to evaluate management effectiveness across the Arab Man and the Biosphere Reserve network involving 17 BRs spanning 8 countries of the Middle East and North Africa. BREMi scores ranged from 4.43 to 8.65 (on a scale between 0 and 10), with a mean of 6.31 ± 1.040. All indicators were considered valuable measures of progress by our respondents, as well as by independent experts. We discuss our findings in light of available literature concerning the Arab region and through the conceptual frames of adaptive management and resilience. Finally, we discuss where the BREMi tool would be most useful for BR management authorities in the iterative process of evaluation and adaptive management.
dc.description.versionPublished version
dc.identifier.doi10.1007/s00267-022-01711-x
dc.identifier.issn0364-152X, 1432-1009
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14018/13932
dc.identifier.urlhttps://link.springer.com/10.1007/s00267-022-01711-x
dc.language.isoeng
dc.publisherSpringer
dc.rightsCC BY 4.0
dc.rights.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.source.epage745
dc.source.issue5
dc.source.journalabbrevEnvironmental Management
dc.source.journaltitleEnvironmental Management
dc.source.spage730
dc.source.volume70
dc.titleBREMi—A New Tool for the Evaluation of UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Management Effectiveness: Case-study in the Arab Man and Biosphere (ArabMAB) Regional Network
dc.typeJournal article
dspace.entity.typePublication
refterms.dateFOA2023-06-16T14:43:23Z
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