List of biosphere reserves in Europe
On this page, sorted by country, the sites in the continent of Europe are listed that have been recognized by UNESCO as a biosphere reserve as part of the Man and the Biosphere program (MAB) .
The number at the beginning of each line indicates the year the site was recognized as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.
Albania
Bulgaria
- 1977 - Alibotush
- 1977 - Bajuwi Dupki-Djindjiritsa
- 1977 - Bistrischko Branischte
- 1977 - Dupkata
- 1977 - Kamchia
- 1977 - Kupena
- 1977 - Mantariza
- 1977 - Parangaliza
- 1977 - Srebarna (enlarged in 2017)
- 1977 - Tscherwenata Stena (enlarged in 2017)
- 1977 - Tschuprene
- 1977 - Usunbodschak (enlarged in 2017)
- 2017 - Central Balkans (merging of four existing biosphere reserves)
former biosphere reserves in Bulgaria:
- 1977 - Boatin (withdrawn in 2017 and merged to form the Central Balkans )
- 1977 - Dschendema (withdrawn in 2017 and merged to form the Central Balkans )
- 1977 - Steneto (withdrawn in 2017 and merged to form the Central Balkans )
- 1977 - Zaritschina (withdrawn in 2017 and merged to form the Central Balkans )
Denmark
- 2017 - Moen
Germany
- 1979 - Thuringian Forest (extended 1987, 1990, 2018)
- 1979 - Elbe river landscape
- 1990 - Berchtesgadener Land
- 1990 - Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea and Halligen
- 1990 - Schorfheide-Chorin
- 1991 - Rhön
- 1991 - Spreewald
- 1991 - Southeast Rügen
- 1992 - Hamburg Wadden Sea
- 1992 - Lower Saxony Wadden Sea
- 1992 - Palatinate Forest-Vosges du Nord
- 1996 - Upper Lusatian heather and pond landscape
- 2000 - Schaalsee
- 2009 - Bliesgau
- 2009 - Swabian Alb
- 2017 - Black Forest
former biosphere reserves in Germany:
- Bavarian Forest (1981-2007)
Estonia
- 1990 - West Estonian Archipelago
Finland
- 1992 - North Karelia (extension 2009)
- 1994 - marine archipelago
France
- 1977 - Vallée du Fango (expanded in 1990)
- 1977 - Camargue (expanded in 2006)
- 1984 - Cevennes
- 1988 - Iroise
- 1988 - Northern Vosges (since 1998 together with Germany)
- 1990 - Mont Ventoux
- 1997 - Luberon – Lure
- 1998 - Fontainebleau and Gâtinais
- 2012 - Dordogne river landscape
- 2013 - Marais Audomarois
- 2014 - Mont-Viso / Area della Biosfera del Monviso (cross-border with Italy)
- 2015 - Gardon caves
Greece
- 1981 - Samaria Gorge
- 1981 - Olymp
Ireland
- 1981 - North Bull Island
- 1982 - Killarney National Park
Italy
- Collemeluccio-Montedimezzo (1977)
- Circeo (1977)
- Miramare (1979)
- Cilento and Vallo di Diano (1997)
- Somma-Vesuvio and Miglio d'Oro (1997)
- Ticino, Val Grande Verbano (2002, expanded in 2018)
- Tuscan Islands (2003)
- Selve Costiere die Toscana (2004, 2016 enlarged and renamed)
- Monte Viso (2014, cross-border with France)
- Sila (2014)
- Ledroalpen and Giudicariums (2015)
- Po Delta (2015)
- Tuscan-Emilian Apennines (2015)
- Collina Po (2016)
- Tepilora, Rio Posada and Montalbo (2017)
- Monte Peglia (2018)
- Valle Camonica - Alto Sebino (2018)
- Julian Alps (2019)
- Po Grande (2019)
Croatia
- Velebit (1977)
- Mur-Drava-Danube (2012, together with Hungary)
Latvia
- North Vidzeme (1997)
Lithuania
- Žuvintas (2011)
Moldova
- Lower Pruth (2018)
Montenegro
- Tara River Basin (1976)
Netherlands
- Maasheggen (2018)
former biosphere reserve in the Netherlands:
- Wadden Sea (1986-2018)
North Macedonia
Norway
- North Hordland (2019)
former biosphere reserve in Norway:
- Northeast Svalbard (1976–1997)
Austria
- Great Walsertal (2000)
- Vienna Woods (2005)
- Salzburg Lungau & Carinthian Nockberge (2012)
- Lower Mur Valley (2019)
former biosphere reserves in Austria:
- Gossenköllesee (1977-2014)
- Gurgler Kamm (1977-2014)
- Neusiedler See (1977-2016)
- Lower Lobau (1977-2016)
Poland
- Babia Gora (1976, expanded 1997 and 2001)
- Bialowieza (1976, expanded 2005)
- Masurian Lakes (1976, enlarged and renamed in 2017, previously Luknajno )
- Slowinski (1976)
- Karkonosze / Giant Mountains (1992, together with the Czech Republic)
- Tatra Mountains (1992, together with Slovakia)
- Eastern Carpathians (1998, together with Slovakia and Ukraine)
- Puszcza Kampinoska (2000)
- Tucheler Heide (2010)
- Western Poland (2012, together with Belarus and Ukraine)
- Roztocze (2019)
Portugal
- Paúl do Boquilobo (1981)
- Corvo Island (2007)
- Graciosa Island (2007)
- Flores Island (2009)
- Gerês (2009, together with the Galician Xurés )
- Berlengas archipelago (2011)
- Santana (Madeira) (2011)
- Iberica plateau (2015, together with Spain)
- Fajãs de São Jorge (2016)
- Tejo / Tajo (2016 together with Spain)
- Castro Verde (2017)
Romania
- Pietrosul Mare (1979)
- Retezat National Park (1979)
- Danube Delta (1992, since 1998 together with Ukraine)
Russia
- Oka (1978, up to 2000 including the Oka Terrace Nature Reserve ; Okski )
- Central Black Earth Nature Reserve (1978; Zentralnotschernosemny )
- Astrakhan (1984; Astrakhansky )
- Lapland (1984; Laplandski )
- Pechora-Ilychski (1984; Pechora-Ilychski )
- Voronezh (1984; Voronezhsky )
- Central Forest Nature Reserve (1985; Central Nolesnoi )
- Chornye Semli (1993)
- Oka-Terrassen-NR (2000 as an independent outsourced, since 1978 as part of the Oka Biosphere Reserve ; Prioksko-Terrasny )
- Nerussa-Desna-Polessje (2001; Nerusso-Desnjanskoje Polessje )
- Wodlosero (2001; Wodloserski )
- Darwin (2002; Darwinski )
- Nischegorodskoye Savolschye (2002)
- Smolenskoye Poosjorje (2002)
- Ugra (2002)
- Kenosero (2004; Kenoserski )
- Waldai (2004; Waldaiski )
- Middle Volga (2006; Srednewolschski )
- Volga-Kama (2007, parts of the Raifa Forest and Sarali - land between the rivers since 2005; Bolshoi Wolschsko-Kamski )
- Rostov (2008; Rostowski )
- Volga-Akhtuba floodplain landscape (2011)
- Kizlyar Bay (2017)
- Metsola (2017)
- Ural Mountains (2018)
- Eltonsee (2019)
Note: If different, the transcription of the respective Russian name is given in brackets after the year of establishment.
Sweden
- Kristianstads Vattenrike (2005)
- Archipelago in Lake Vänern (2010)
- Blekinge Archipelago (2011)
- Nedre Dalälven River Landscape (2011)
- Vättersee (2012)
- Vindelälven-Juhtatdahka (2019)
- Voxnadalen (2019)
former biosphere reserves in Sweden:
- Torneträsk (1986-2010)
Switzerland
- Swiss National Park (1979)
- Entlebuch (2001)
Serbia
- Golija-Studenica (2001)
- Backo Podunavlje (2017)
Slovakia
- Slovenský Kras (1977)
- Polana (1977)
- Tatra Mountains (1992, together with Poland)
- Eastern Carpathians (1992, together with Poland, 1998 also with Ukraine)
Slovenia
- Julian Alps (2003)
- Karst (Southern Europe) (2004)
- Kozjansko and Obsotelje (2010)
- Mur (2018)
Spain
- Grazalema (1977)
- Ordesa-Viñamala (1977)
- Montseny (1978, enlarged 2014)
- Doñana (1980)
- Mancha Húmeda (1980, enlarged 2014)
- Sierras de Cazorla, Segura y Las Villas (1983)
- Marismas del Odiel (1983)
- Urdaibai (1984)
- Sierra Nevada (1986)
- Cuenca Alta del Río Manzanares (expanded 1992, 2019)
- Menorca (1993, zoning change in 2004, extended in 2019)
- Sierra de las Nieves y su Entorno (1995)
- Cape Gata-Nijar (1997)
- Bardenas Reales (2000)
- Muniellos (2000, expanded 2003, part of Gran Cantábrica)
- Somiedo (2000)
- Speeches (2001)
- Sierra Morena pasture landscape (2002)
- Terras do Miño (2002)
- Valle de Laciana (2003, part of Gran Cantábrica)
- Picos de Europa (2003, part of Gran Cantábrica)
- Monfragüe (2003)
- Valle de Jubera, Leza, Cidacos and Alhama (2003)
- Babia (2004, part of Gran Cantábrica)
- Área de Allariz (2005)
- Sierra del Rincon (2005)
- Los Valles de Omaña y Luna (expanded in 2005, 2019, part of Gran Cantábrica)
- Alto de Bernesga (2005, part of Gran Cantábrica)
- Los Argüellos (2005, part of Gran Cantábrica)
- Os Ancares Lucenses y Montes de Cervantes, Navia y Becerrea (2006, part of Gran Cantábrica)
- Los Ancares Leoneses (2006, part of Gran Cantábrica)
- Las Sierras de Béjar y Francia (2006)
- Intercontinental Mediterranean Biosphere Reserve (2006, together with Morocco)
- Rio Eo, Oscos y Terras Buron (2007)
- Gerês / Xurés (2009, together with Portugal)
- Las Ubinas – La Mesa (2012)
- Mariñas Coruñesas e Terras do Mande (2013)
- Terres de l'Ebre (2013)
- San Ildefonso – El Espinar (2013)
- Anaga Mountains (2015)
- Iberica plateau (2015, together with Portugal)
- Tajo / Tejo (2016, together with Portugal)
- Ponga (2018)
- Alto Turia (2019)
- La Siberia (2019)
- Valle del Cabriel (2019)
Czech Republic
- Křivoklátsko (1977)
- Třeboňsko (1977)
- Lower March (founded as Pálava in 1986, expanded and renamed in 2003)
- Šumava (1990)
- Krkonoše / Karkonosze (1992, together with Poland)
- Bílé Karpaty (1996)
Ukraine
- Askanija-Nowa (1985)
- Desna (2009)
- Danube Delta (1998, together with Romania)
- Carpathian Mountains (1992)
- Eastern Carpathians (1998, together with Poland and Slovakia)
- Schazk National Park (2002)
- Black Sea (1984)
- Rostochchya (2011)
- Pribuzhskoye Polesie (2012, together with Poland and Belarus)
Hungary
- Aggtelek (1979)
- Fertő (1979)
- Hortobágy (1979)
- Kiskunság (1979)
- Pilis (1980)
- Mur-Drava-Danube (2012, together with Croatia)
United Kingdom
- Wester Ross (1976, extension by Beinn Eighe 2016)
- Braunton Burrows-North Devon (1976, expanded 2002)
- Biosffer Dyfi (1976, expanded and renamed 2009)
- Galloway and southern Ayrshire (2012)
- Brighton and Lewes Downs (2014)
- Isle of Man (2016)
- Isle of Wight (2019)
former UK biosphere reserves:
- Caerlaverock (1976-2002)
- Rùm Island (1976-2002)
- St. Kilda (1976-2002)
- Claish Moss (1977-2002)
- Taynish (1977-2010)
- Moor House-Upper Teesdale (1976-2012)
- Loch Druidibeag (1976-2013)
- North Norfolk Coast (1976-2014)
Belarus
- Bjaresinsky (1978)
- Belaveskaya Pushcha (1993)
- Pribuzhskoye Polesie (2004)
- Pribuzhskoye Polesie (2012, together with Poland and Ukraine)
Web links
- Directory of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves (WNBR) on the UNESCO website
- The list of UNESCO biosphere reserves on the website of the German UNESCO Commission