THE SAMAB RESERVE

The Southern Appalachian Man and the Biosphere Reserve was designated by UNESCO in 1988 as a multi-unit regional biosphere reserve. UNESCO designated it based solely on its unique characteristics (geological, biological, and cultural) and plays no role in its management. Its “zone of cooperation” covers the Appalachian parts of six states: Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and Virginia.

UNESCO has given special recognition to six management units within the SAMAB Reserve, as follows:

• Coweeta Hydrological Laboratory (managed by the U.S. Forest Service)
• Grandfather Mountain (privately owned with protected easements provided to The Nature Conservancy)
• Great Smoky Mountains National Park (managed by the National Park Service)
• Mount Mitchell State Park (managed by the State of North Carolina's Department of Health, Environment and Natural Resources)
• Oak Ridge National Environmental Research Park (managed by a private contractor for the U.S. Department of Energy)
• Tennessee River Gorge (near Chattanooga, Tennessee and managed by a non-profit organization