Big Bend Biosphere Region Geography

 

Biosphere Regions are places where people live and work and contain protected areas and private and public lands. Together, the Big Bend Biosphere Region and adjacent Maderas del Carmen Biosphere Reserve create one of the geographically largest binational areas of protected land in the world, spanning 3 million acres, composed of the following:

United States of America

• Big Bend National Park
• The Rio Grande Wild & Scenic River
• Black Gap Wildlife Management Area
• Big Bend Ranch State Park

Mexico

• Monumento Natural Rio Brave Del Norte
• Maderas del Carmen Reserva Biosfera
• Ocampo Área de Protección de Flora y Fauna
• Cañón de Santa Elena Área de Protección de Flora y Fauna.

 

The Big Bend Biosphere Region is delineated into three main areas which each serve different functions:

Core Areas

are areas of high conservation importance that are strictly protected to serve as a refugium for plant and animal communities. Core areas conserve landscapes, ecosystems, species and genetic variation. The North Chisos Mountains and Burro Mesa are designated as BBBR’s core areas, due to the high ecological diversity and presence of endangered and rare plant and animal species. The Mexican UNESCO Biosphere Region and protected area, Maderas Del Carmen, also serves as a core area due to its variety of natural environments, function as a refuge for migratory species, and biodiversity.

Managed use areas

surround or adjoin core areas and are used for beneficial activities such as ecotourism, experiential education, research, monitoring, and recreation. These activities support the economies of local communities in a sustainable way and serve to motivate public support for conservation efforts worldwide. Big Bend National Park serves as the main managed use area in the BBBR.

Partnership and cooperation areas

are where communities foster ecologically and socio-culturally sustainable economic and human activities. These areas serve as important examples of how socio-economic development can exist simultaneously alongside conservation efforts - providing inspiration for a healthier future for both people and nature. These areas in BBBR span across multiple counties, municipalities and even international borders and are home to agriculture, industry, outdoor recreation and tourism, heritage tourism, local business, and private property use.

 

Big Bend National Park works alongside partners such as Texas Parks and Wildlife and Mexico’s Federal Agency, “El Comisión Nacional de Áreas Naturales Protegidas (CONANP)” to collaboratively manage cultural and natural resources. Indigenous, local and scientific knowledge is highly valued when considering the management of natural and cultural resources within a Biosphere Region.

A goal for the BBBR is to develop a working group with diverse representation to improve community well-being and sustain natural and cultural resources through collaboration and partnership.