Since 1971, UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme has embraced a number of principles that link the political, scientific and academic spheres.

Biosphere Reserves and Sustainable Development Goals 2 is a reminder of the fundamental issues involved in governance. The diversity and multiplicity of stakeholders, and the complexity of the interplay between them, as well as their organization, are decisive factors in the proper management of resources and territories.

The book also presents a number of case studies demonstrating that, between the strong development aspirations of their populations, the impact of human activities and the need to conserve their biological heritage, the biosphere reserves of the southern Mediterranean are facing major issues: agricultural pollution, forest fires, water use in a context of climate change, etc.

Bruno Romagny is an economist and director of research at the French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development (IRD - Institut de recherche pour le développement), Laboratoire populationenvironnement-développement (LPED), France.

Catherine Cibien is director of the French committee of UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme.

Angela Barthes is a professor at the University of Aix-Marseille, France, and specializes in environmental education and rural development.