© Environment News Service (ENS) 2001
September 29, 2001

PARIS, France, September 29, 2001 (ENS) - Eighteen new sites in 13 countries have been added to the United Nations World Network of Biosphere Reserves, and two existing biosphere reserves have been extended. The reserves provide a framework for the study and conservation of the environment and for the sustainable use of natural resources.

A key aspect of the World Network, which now consists of 411 sites in 94 countries, is that local populations work together with all other concerned parties to achieve these aims.

The new sites and extensions were approved by the Bureau of the International Co-ordinating Council of UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme at its meeting on September 19 to 21 at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris.

The new biosphere reserves are widely varied. They differ in size, population density, ecological features, land use and conservation challenges.

In Argentina, Laguna Oca del Rio Paraguay has been designated as a biosphere reserve, a vast systems of oxbow lakes and meanders in the huge flood plain of the Paraguay and Paraná rivers, near the city of Formosa.

Two sites in Brazil have been set aside. First is the Central Amazon west of Manaus which is renowned for its tropical rainforests, consisting of a complex grouping of protected areas and major research sites. An extension has been listed for an existing area - the Cerrado Biosphere Reserve in the savannahs of central Brazil.

Next is Caatinga, in the poor, arid region of northeast Brazil, where there is a need to reconcile traditional agriculture with a growing need for irrigated fruit production, and to link up remaining natural areas, many of them protected as private reserves.

A biosphere reserve has been established in southwest Nova Scotia, Canada where a long consultation process with local communities, private companies and federal and provincial authorities has led to agreement on a collective approach to conservation and wise utilization of forest and water resources.

Two sites in China are now biosphere reserves. One is Baotianman in Heinan Province in the headwaters of the Yangze, Huaihe and Yellow rivers. UNESCO says that biologically, this is one of the richest sites in the country where numerous plant and animal species are raised, notably for food and traditional medicine.

The second Chinese reserve is Saihan Wula in the province of Inner Mongolia, along the border of Mongolia - a transition area between forest, grassland and desert. The challenge here is to fight poverty by improving the system of livestock grazing and encouraging non-polluting small industries, UNESCO says.

India has two new reserves - the Gulf of Mannar on the southern tip of the Indian sub-continent facing Sri Lanka with its many islands, coral reefs and highly diverse marine resources.

Also in India a reserve has been established for the Sunderban mangroves in the vast Delta of the Ganges, where a balance needs to be found between the development needs of local communities and the conservation of biological riches, including the increasingly rare Bengal tigers.

In the Central Asian country of Kyrgyzstan, the Issyk Kul Biosphere Reserve has been designated. It will be a focus for the management of livestock grazing and the prevention of soil erosion as well as conservation of the fish in Lake Issyk Kul.

On the African island of Madagascar, the biosphere reserve concept is used for demonstration projects to alleviate poverty while conserving the country's unique plants and animals. Here the new reserve is Sahamalaza-Iles Radama, a complex of coral islands and reefs in the extreme northwest that is facing pressures from traditional and international fishing interests.

Three new reserves have been recognized in the Russian Federation which is promoting the integration of local economies and social interests with environmental protection. The sites are Visimskiy in the forests of the central Ural Mountains, Nerusso-Desnianskoe-Polesie in the wetlands on the Ukrainian border, and Vodolozerskiy in the boreal forests of the extreme northwest of the country.

In South Africa, the Central Lowveld area has been designated a biosphere reserve. The Kruger to Canyons Biosphere project includes the world famous Kruger National Park, where local communities and government authorities have joined under the biosphere reserve framework to promote ecotourism and the maintenance of cultural values.

Redes in Spain is the third biosphere reserve in the Province of Asturias. It is characterized by great biological and cultural diversity and is part of the effort to create a Gran Cantabrican biosphere reserve - the first biosphere reserve in Europe to cover an entire ecoregion.

Switzerland has proposed and UNESCO has accepted the Entelbuch Biosphere Reserve. Here the local community will be enabled to promote ecologically friendly economic growth.

In Vietnam, a biosphere reserve has been designated for Cat Tien, Vietnam's last remaining sizeable tropical forest. Its great diversity of species has yet to be studied fully and is under great pressure to meet the needs of local communities.

Golija-Studenica in Yugoslavia with its great biological diversity and Studenica Monastery, a cultural World Heritage site, is now on the list of UNESCO biosphere reserves.

In Poland, a reserve extension has been listed for Babia Gora in the Western Carpathian mountains.

The sites were proposed by the countries concerned. Membership in the World Network of Biosphere Reserves entails official UN recognition of local and national efforts to meet global concerns on environmental protection.

The status represents a label of excellence which helps secure funding and promote tourism and the local economy. Membership in this structured network facilitates the exchange of experiences on integrating human needs with environmental conservation.

The emphasis of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves on maximizing the "harmony and concord between conserving unique natural environments and human populations" was acclaimed by the award on September 5 of the Prince of Asturias Prize for Concord 2001.

The prestigious prize of the Prince of Asturias Foundation in Spain aims to recognize and reward "scientific, technical, cultural, social and humanistic work performed by individuals, groups or institutions worldwide." Error: Unable to read footer file.