118 * Technologies To Maintain Biological Diversity 



is an example of the second approach to multi- 

 ple use, in which protected areas are managed 

 primarily as distinct parcels with different pri- 

 mary uses. The conservation area is broken into 

 different land units and classified according 

 to the level of human activity allowed in each. 

 Research areas, wilderness areas, areas of crit- 

 ical environmental concern, areas of geologic 

 or archeologic significance, and critical habitats 

 of endangered or sensitive plant or animal spe- 

 cies are mapped and sometimes identified by 

 markers posted at the sites. The rest of the land 

 is classified for various levels of use ranging 

 from restricted to extensive human use and al- 

 teration. Management of the area evolves as 

 human needs for resources of the California 

 Desert change. 



The biosphere reserve concept is another ex- 

 ample of multiple-use based on buffer zones that 

 would moderate the extent that activities affect 

 the core. The UNESCO Man and the Biosphere 

 Program (see also ch. 10) champions this idea. 

 An idealized scheme includes three areas: 



1. The core areas strictly protect ecological 

 samples of natural ecosystems that can 

 serve as benchmarks for measuring long- 

 term changes in ecosystems. 



2. The buffer zones have land-use controls, 

 which allow only activities compatible 

 with protection of the core area, such as 

 research, environmental education, recre- 

 ation, and tourism. 



3. The transition areas surround the core and 

 buffer zone and are usually not strictly de- 

 lineated. In these areas, researchers, man- 

 agers, and the local population are to co- 

 operate in rehabilitation, traditional use, 

 development, and experimental research 

 on natural resources (30). 



The areas should facilitate management by re- 

 ducing conflicts, because the more incompati- 

 ble uses would be physically distant from one 

 another. And effectiveness of protection should 

 be enhanced, because conflicting uses could 

 be detected before they spread into the core (see 

 box 5-C). 



This approach has not yet been implemented 

 sufficiently to assess its worldwide effect, but 



Box 5-C. — Cluster Concept for 

 Biosphere Reserves 



In the United States, a promising develop- 

 ment of biosphere reserves is the cluster con- 

 cept. The approach is intended to link com- 

 plementary areas administered by different 

 agencies so they can cooperate in monitoring 

 research, educational, and management ac- 

 tivities. 



A particularly promising multiple-unit bio- 

 sphere reserve is emerging in the Southern Ap- 

 palachians. Efforts are underway to link the 

 existing Great Smoky Mountains National 

 Park, the Forest Service's Coweeta Hydrologi- 

 cal Station, the Department of Energy's Oak 

 Ridge National Environmental Research Park, 

 and other nearby State and Federal agencies 

 managing natural resources to form a South- 

 ern Appalachian Biosphere Reserve. The ex- 

 istence of a permanent association of Federal 

 agencies and regional universities has served 

 as a useful mechanism to help coordinate re- 

 gional research and management activities in- 

 volving the biosphere reserve. 



Another promising example is on St. )ohn, 

 the Virgin Islands, where the National Park 

 Service manages the V.I. National Park. A co- 

 operative effort involving agencies and re- 

 search institutions from Puerto Rico, the U.S. 

 Virgin Islands, and the British Virgin Islands 

 has coordinated a major research program fo- 

 cused on developing a biosphere reserve on 

 St. )ohn. As the only U.S. national park in a 

 developing region, the area provides oppor- 

 tunities in the transfer of research and re- 

 source management technologies suitable for 

 small islands of the region. 



plans for such development now exist and await 

 political commitment and implementation in 

 several nations. One example is the develop- 

 ment plan for the San Lorenzo Canyon area in 

 Mexico (60). Multiple-use development is in- 

 dicated for a 225,000-acre chaparral and des- 

 ert area where watershed protection is a pri- 

 mary objective. The plan delineates four zones: 



1 . a core scientific area to be used for research 

 and watershed protection. 



