T
ransition areas are areas in which the local population lives, works and plays. They explicitly include settlement areas and serve as a “test bench” for sustainable business activities. Innovative pilot projects are designed to have a positive impact on the entire region. The social dimension of a biosphere reserve is most apparent in its development zones. Ideally, realistic uses for the region are jointly developed by all affected actors, such as representatives of local administrations, land owners, conservation associations, scientists, entrepreneurs, farmers, forestry enterprises and hunters. The most important principles on which the model nature of a biosphere reserve is based are the full involvement of the population and the integration of traditional knowledge in the use of existing resources in ecological, economic and social development strategies.