UNESCO, Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB)

Cloud forests represent a rare and fragile ecosystem that is under threat in many parts of the world. These rich mountain forests make up no more than 2.5 per cent of the world's tropical forests but contain a disproportionately large number of the world's species. The Cloud Forest Agenda report aims to stimulate new initiatives and partnerships for the conservation and restoration of tropical montane cloud forests around the world.

Assesses the role of the MAB Programme in promoting biodiversity conservation and sustainable development, based on the outcome of a workshop held at the 1st World Conservation Congress, 1996. Included are several key papers which demonstrate experiences from around the world. The workshop illustrates that although there is no single formula by which the biosphere reserves concept can be successfully translated from theory into practice, it is an increasingly important concept