• a conservation function - to contribute to the conservation of landscapes, ecosystems, species and genetic variation;
• a development function - to foster economic and human development which is socio-culturally and ecologically sustainable;
• a logistic function - to provide support for research, monitoring, education and information exchange related to local, national and global issues of conservation and development.

The aim of COSMOS is to provide a toolkit to encourage citizens of all ages to get involved with the integrated local management of all these functions.