The issue of urban sustainability is considered within the context of the metropolis of Rome, the capital of Italy. The aim is pursued through an Urban Biosphere Reserve proposal, drawn up by an interdisciplinary group of experts comprising landscape ecologists, geologists, plant ecologists, zoologists, geographers, city planners and environmental psychologists. The potential applicability of this project on an international level is discussed, with particular focus on its importance as (i) one of the first proposals of an Urban Biosphere Reserve encompassing the whole municipality of a large city, (ii) an original approach to urban ecosystem investigations within the framework of landscape ecology principles, and (iii) a good example of cooperation between scientists and local decision-makers to preserve the cultural and landscape identity in an urban and periurban context
The UNESCO-MAB Programme, and in particular the Biosphere Reserve Network, is described within the context of international strategies aimed at ecological sustainability in cities. An innovative acceptation of Biosphere Reserves for urban areas, based on the landscape ecology principle of the integration of natural, social, economic and cultural knowledge, is proposed. The interdisciplinary definition of structure and functions for Urban Biosphere Reserves envisages: (i) the inclusion of the whole metropolitan territory within the Reserve's boundaries; (ii) specific criteria for the delimitation of core areas and buffer zones in urban and periurban contexts; (iii) special focus on transition area requirements; (iv) the improvement in living conditions and a solution to the conflict between humans and the environment by enhancing and harmonizing the overall natural, economic, social and cultural qualities of cities; and (v) support for sustainable planning strategies on a local scale rather than the imposition of new conservation ties
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