Editing Man and the Biosphere Programme (section)

=== IUCN classification ===
The first biosphere reserves were designated in 1976 in several countries including the US, UK, Uruguay, Thailand, Iran and Poland.<ref name=UB /><ref>[https://npshistory.com/publications/mab/index.htm  National Park Service History website, ''UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Program'', article dated 9 October 2023]</ref>

In 1996, the [[IUCN]] and MAB published a guideline for how to assess UNESCO biosphere reserves in the [[IUCN protected area categories|IUCN classification system]]. The IUCN distinguishes between the biosphere core area, buffer zones, transition zones, and each individual biosphere reserve. Biosphere core zones were in IUCN category I; either Ia ([[strict nature reserve]]) or Ib ([[wilderness area]]). Biosphere buffer zones would fall into categories IV, V or VI, and transition zones would be categorized as either V or VI, if possible.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://www.iucn.org/content/biosphere-reserves-and-iucn-system-protected-area-management-categories|title=Biosphere reserves and the IUCN system of protected area management categories|publisher=IUCN Man and the Biosphere Programme, World Conservation Union and Australian Nature Conservation Agency|date=1996|access-date=11 September 2019|archive-date=26 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201026133159/https://www.iucn.org/content/biosphere-reserves-and-iucn-system-protected-area-management-categories|url-status=dead}}</ref> In the 2020s, the zones are categorized as follows: core (category I-IV), buffer (category V-VI), transition (uncategorized).<ref>[https://portals.iucn.org/library/sites/library/files/documents/pag-021.pdf  IUCN website, ''Guidelines for Applying Protected Area Management Categories'', edited by Nigel Dudley (2013)]</ref>