Promotion of biosphere reserves: How to build awareness of their importance for sustainable development?

Abstract The biosphere reserves are hybrid territories united protected and non-protected areas with the soft economic and social activities. They bring unique opportunities for local people, businesses and other relevant stakeholders. However, because of low public awareness the potential of some biosphere reserves, is not adequately utilized. This article addresses the research gap related to the identification of the importance of promoting the sustainable development of biosphere reserves and the possibilities of exploiting and enhancing their spatial development. The aim of the research was to clarify the role and importance of promotion for the sustainable development of biosphere reserves. It was focused on investigating the importance of promotion tools in terms of creating awareness of biosphere reserves. The research took place in two Slovak biosphere reserves – Poľana and the Tatras. This article identifies and analyzes the use of promotional tools in these two selected biosphere reserves through secondary sources (websites, profiles on social networks) and in-depth interviews with the managers of these biosphere reserves. The awareness of biosphere reserves was researched with the use of a questionnaire survey in both biosphere reserves. This article defines the problem areas and opportunities, which may contribute to the development of awareness about biosphere reserves which is inevitable for their further sustainable development. The research results confirmed that their promotion influenced the sustainable development of the biosphere reserves. Thanks to their accurate promotion, entrepreneurs and residents can better evaluate the impact of their activities on the sustainability of a biosphere reserve. This contributes to reducing the conflicts that arise between nature protection and economic and social profit.