The International Coordinating Council of the Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme meeting in Paris has added 23 new sites to the World Network of Biosphere, including four that straddle national boundaries. These additions were made during the MAB Council’s meeting in Paris from 12 to 15 June.
The Council also approved extensions to 11 reserves and the renaming of another, as well as the request by Bulgaria and the United States of America to withdraw some of their reserves from the World Network.
The Bulgarian sites that have been withdrawn are: Doupkata; Kamtchia; Koupena.
Sites that have been withdrawn by the US sites are: Aleutian Islands; Beaver Creek; California Coast Ranges; Carolinian South Atlantic; Central Plains; Coram; Desert; Fraser; H.J. Andrews; Hubbard Brook; Konza Prairie Research Natural Area; Land Between the Lake; Niwot Ridge; Noatak; Stanislas-Tuolumne; Three Sisters; Virgin Islands.
Biosphere Reserves are learning places for sustainable development whose aim is to reconcile biodiversity conservation and the sustainable use of natural resources. New sites are designated every year by the MAB Council which is composed of representatives of 34 elected UNESCO Member.
The following Biosphere Reserves joined the network this year:
- Mono Biosphere Reserve (Benin)
- Mono Transboundary Biosphere Reserve (Benin/Togo)
- Savegre Biosphere Reserve (Costa Rica)
- Moen Biosphere Reserve (Denmark)
- La Selle – Jaragua-Bahoruco-Enriquillo Transboundary Biosphere Reserve (Dominican Republic / Haiti)
- Bosques de Paz Transboundary Biosphere Reserve (Ecuador/Peru)
- Majang Forest Biosphere Reserve (Ethiopia)
- Black Forest Biosphere Reserve (Germany)
- San Marcos de Colón Biosphere Reserve (Honduras)
- Tepilora, Rio Posada and Montalbo Biosphere Reserve (Italy)
- Sobo, Katamuki and Okue Biosphere Reserve (Japan)
- Minakami Biosphere Reserve (Japan)
- Altyn Emel Biosphere Reserve (Kazakhstan)
- Karatau Biosphere Reserve (Kazakhstan)
- Indawgyi Biosphere Reserve (Myanmar)
- Gadabedji Biosphere Reserve (Niger)
- Itaipu Biosphere Reserve (Paraguay)
- Castro Verde Biosphere Reserve (Portugal)
- Khakassky Biosphere Reserve (Russian Federation)
- Kizlyar Bay Biosphere Reserve (Russian Federation)
- Metsola Biosphere Reserve (Russian Federation)
- Great Altay Transboundary Biosphere Reserve (Russian Federation / Republic of Kazakhstan)
- Backo Podunavlje Biosphere Reserve (Serbia)
- Garden Route Biosphere Reserve (South Africa)
- Jebel Al Dair Biosphere Reserve (Sudan)
- Mono Biosphere Reserve (Togo)
The main activities of reserves generally include organic agriculture, stockbreeding and eco-tourism. hunting, fishing, and the collection of non-timber forest products are also practices in some of them. Fitzgerald Biosphere Reserve, Central Balkan Biosphere Reserve (Bulgaria), Uzunbudzhak Biosphere Reserve (Bulgaria), Chervenata Stena Biosphere Reserve (Bulgaria), Srébarna Biosphere Reserve (Bulgaria), Meggido Biosphere Reserve (Israel), Manu Biosphere Reserve (Peru), Masurian Lakes Biosphere Reserve (Poland), Marismas del Odiel Biosphere Reserve (Spain), Lake Manyara Biosphere Reserve (Tanzania), Serengeti-Ngorongoro Biosphere Reserve (Tanzania) and East Usambara Biosphere Reserve (Tanzania) are the ones which has been extended.
