Mentawai Bay opportunity
A UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Reserve
The opportunity
Part of UNESCO’s global Man and the Biosphere Programme, Siberut demonstrates how communities can prosper while protecting nature.
Established by UNESCO in 1971, the Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB) is a global scientific initiative that advances a more balanced relationship between people and nature. Through its World Network of Biosphere Reserves, the programme connects conservation, research, learning and sustainable development.
Siberut’s biosphere reserve context gives Mentawai Bay a clear responsibility: protect the island’s forests, reefs, endemic species and indigenous knowledge while supporting durable local livelihoods and community benefit. Development must strengthen, rather than diminish, the living systems and communities that make the island exceptional.