The National Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Committee is the national focal point for UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere Programme.  This is an inter-governmental programme of interdisciplinary research on Man and the Biosphere, which was established by UNESCO in 1971.  National MAB Committees have been established in many countries, including Sri Lanka.  The Sri Lanka National Committee is appointed every three years with the approval of the Minister of Science and Technology and functions at the National Science Foundation.

• he MAB National Committee is responsible for the activities making up the national contribution of Sri Lanka to the International Programme on Man and the Biosphere (MAB) in the field of biodiversity conservation, sustainable development and capacity building and in particular in promoting the biosphere reserve concept.

• In co-operation with the UNESCO National Commissions, it serves as a liaison between the different institutions and ministries concerned by the MAB Programme and UNESCO (MAB Secretariat, Division of Ecological Sciences and regional offices).

• t ensures the national participation, as a member or as an observer, whenever appropriate, in the sessions of the MAB International Co-ordinating Council.

• be associated with research on and conservation of natural resources at the national level;

• e consulted on the participation of the State as appropriate in other international programmes in the field of ecology (in particular the programmes carried out in collaboration with MAB) and the main Conventions (Ramsar Wetlands Convention, World Heritage Convention and Conventions on Biological Diversity and Desertification) as well as the national contribution to implementing Agenda 21.

Functioning

The MAB National Committee should be in a position to:

• whenever possible, have a budget to provide seed money to national MAB activities and funds for its functioning (meetings of its members, participation in regional and international meetings, publication of research results and diffusion of information);

• rganize periodic meetings and prepare a report on national activities to be addressed to the MAB Secretariat at least every two years;

• ensure exchanges of information and expertise and the development of communication system and databases;

• ensure, whenever possible, participation in regional networks and in the World Network of Biosphere reserves

Sri Lanka’s MAB Committee has, over the years, been very active in carrying out scientific studies of species and ecosystems that are subject to threat through human activity.  It has produced many reports and a considerable volume of useful literature on the fauna and flora of the country.