The UNESCO MaB Programme and the Euganean Hills Biosphere Reserve: a Case Study

This thesis examines UNESCO’s Man and Biosphere (MaB) programme in the context of increasing evidence of global environmental unsustainability, with particular attention to the impacts of tourism on natural ecosystems. The MaB programme encourages a balanced relationship between humans and nature through the establishment of the Biosphere Reserve (BR), which aims to reconcile biodiversity conservation with sustainable development. As a case study, this research focuses on the candidacy of the Euganean Hills (Padova, Italy) as a Biosphere Reserve. This study investigates how the proposed BR, its governance and its potential impacts on the local territory are perceived by local stakeholders. Adopting a bottom-up approach, it seeks to collect their opinions, priorities and criticism. This research adopts a qualitative approach based on semi-structured interviews to three different categories of local stakeholders: respectively, environmental associations, tourism and rural sectors. In addition, the analysis is based on experiences gained during a curricular internship at the Regional Park of the Euganean Hills. The findings revealed a discrepancy in perceptions between the different stakeholders’ categories, reflecting the specific interests and priorities of each sector. Despite these differences, participants shared the expectation that UNESCO recognition will produce tangible benefits for the local territory. This research contributes to a better understanding of the functioning of BRs, highlighting both their opportunities and their inherent complexities. It also offers insights in how local stakeholders perceive the MaB programme and discusses the broader implication of these perceptions for the future development of BRs worldwide.