UNESCO marks semi-centennial anniversary of biosphere preservation

“This is truly a programme for the people, due to the fact that radical are portion of nature…so they are incorporated successful quality extortion but besides successful sustainable usage of earthy resources”, said Miguel Clusener Godt, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) MAB Programme Secretary.

Where we stand

Today 727 biosphere reserves integrate quality conservation and sustainable improvement successful 131 countries, including 22 transboundary sites.

In Africa determination are 86 sites in 31 countries; Arab States, 35 sites in 14 countries; Asia and the Pacific, 168 sites in 40 countries; Europe and North America 306 sites in 24 countries; and 132 sites in 24 Latin American and the Caribbean countries.

If bioreserves worldwide were to beryllium enactment together, Mr. Godt said that they would beryllium equivalent to astir 5 per cent of the world’s surface, spanning  6,812,000 km² or “around the size of Australia”.  

Africa

The divers vegetation and unsocial fauna successful Tanzania’s Gombe Masito Ugalla Biosphere Reserve is besides location to the largest chimpanzee assemblage successful the state and includes the Gombe National Park, wood onshore reserves and portion of Lake Tanganyika.

Faunal taxon successful the country see African elephants, ornate frogs and 8 primate species.

Flora determination includes a taxon discovered in, and named after, Gombe, portion the biodiversity of Lake Tanganyika encompasses implicit 300 food species, 250 vertebrate species, and reptiles, specified arsenic the h2o cobra and the Tanganyika h2o snake. 

© UNESCO

The halfway country of the Gombe Masito Ugalla Biosphere Reserve successful Tanzania is endowed with natural, scenic, taste and societal attributes, including the largest chimpanzee assemblage successful the country.

Asia and the Pacific

The Maolan successful China was listed arsenic a biosphere reserve successful 1996. It lies successful the Qiannan Buyi and Miao Autonomous Prefecture successful Guizhou Province and covers an country of 20,000 hectares, with a wood sum of 88.61 per cent.

Renowned for its “hugging trees” which cling tenaciously to the rocks of the upland landscape, the affluent biodiversity besides includes pheasants, orchids and magnolias.

The section Yao, Buyi and Shui indigenous peoples worth their region’s situation and cohabit harmoniously with nature. As the trees supply them with captious resources, for implicit 1,000 years section communities person performed ceremonial practices and rituals to attraction for the trees. 

Arab States

Located connected the occidental slopes of the Mount Lebanon scope and overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, the 6,500-hectare biosphere reserve of Jabal Moussa encompasses the ‘Mount of Moses’ – an important tract to Christian pilgrims – and its 7 villages.

Jabal Moussa’s landscape, preserved passim centuries, conceals the markings of a portion astatine the gathering constituent of civilizations, which archaeologists are inactive unearthing.

Only 40 km to the north-east of Beirut, the biosphere reserve is 3 times arsenic ample arsenic the city, and unneurotic with the Shouf and Jabal Rihane biosphere reserves forms an ecological corridor moving on Lebanon’s mountainous backbone.

Latin America and the Caribbean

Located successful south-east Uruguay, Bañados del Este harbours a singular analyzable of ecosystems, including achromatic soil beaches, dunes and lagoons on the Atlantic seashore and is location to divers wildlife that remains astir intact some connected onshore and astatine sea.

The biosphere reserve covers 12,500 km² of Uruguay’s eastbound seashore and is besides location to the State’s highest summit, Cerro Catedral.

Hidden among the dunes, this tourer destination is among the astir fashionable successful the biosphere reserve and the cleanable spot to link with nature. Due to its remoteness, determination is nary transportation to the section grid oregon landlines, but the section colonisation is capable to entree mobile networks and the internet.

Europe

In Spain, transitioning to cleanable vigor astatine the El Hierro Biosphere Reserve exemplifies ongoing efforts to unrecorded successful harmony with nature.

The biosphere reserve covers the full land and immoderate of its waters, with 60 per cent of the land integrated into the halfway portion and buffer areas.

El Hierro is aiming to nutrient 100 per cent of its energy from renewables.

Meanwhile, astatine slightest 2,604 taxon of flora and fauna person been recorded connected the island, and the reserve is simply a safe-haven for taxon of affable sea-faring mammals.

© UNESCO

El Hierro, a volcanic land successful Spain, has an incredibly divers scenery and a large assortment of works and carnal life.