941 



56 



The impacts of a U.S. withdrawal from UNESCO can be examined on a 

 short- and long-term basis. In the short term, there would probably be 

 minimal disturbance or effect on MAB activities — many of these are 

 national projects or are being carried out through bilateral arrange- 

 ments. The serious problem in this case is securing national support 

 and funding continuity. In the long term, however, the problems are 

 potentially serious. First, the United States would lose its ability 

 to provide a vice-president on the international MAB Bureau as well as 

 its position on the Coordinating Council. This means that the United 

 States loses its leadership role in guiding and overseeing the inter- 

 national MAB program. Second, the United States would lose its 

 official ability to interact with other MAB mational committees 

 although the UNESCO MAB secretariat might well continue to facilitate 

 informal collaborative efforts. Even so, the extensive U.S. efforts, 

 which have often involved substantial cooperation with other countries 

 and significant direct support from UNESCO, could be endangered. Third, 

 the official designation by UNESCO of biosphere reserves (there are some 

 40 reserves in the United States) could be compromised in the long term. 

 It is possible that the extensive state and local, as well as national, 

 resources currently provided these activities could be put in competi- 

 tion with other needs and that the commitment to maintain these reserves 

 for long-term research purposes would be diminished. Certainly, coop- 

 erative interactions with other countries would become more complicated. 

 Fourth, the United States would lose the international MAB mechanism to 

 examine, promote, and assist the implementation of new observational 

 programs. It would be hoped that the UNESCO MAB secretariat would 

 facilitate USMAB involvement in longer-term programs. Finally, there 

 is the reverse question concerning the effect on the UNESCO MAB program 

 of a U.S. withdrawal. In the short term, U.S. scientists might be 

 invited in their personal capacity to continue to provide leadership 

 and guidance t6 specific MAB projects by the UNESCO secretariat. How- 

 ever, in the long term, the lack of official U.S. participation and 

 provision of scientific leadership could seriously cripple interna- 

 tional MAB unless suitable alternative means are found to involve the 

 U.S. scientific community. 



Alternatives 



Taking into account the current level of U.S. contributions to 

 UNESCO programs and the nature of multinational activities, an overall 

 international program on the order of $2 million per year provides the 

 basis for considering alternatives. This international program is 

 distinct and above support requirements for a U.S. national program 

 that has been proposed at about the ^ame order of magnitude. 



For the reasons noted above, there is no real alternative to UNESCO 

 for administering the MAB program in the sense of designating another 

 governmental or nongovernmental organization. There are over 100 

 nations participating in international MAB activities through UNESCO; 

 the question of charging UNEP or an ICSU body to administer MAB would 

 have had to be addressed at the time of establishing MAB. Therefore, 



