Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve included in the UNESCO’s World Network of Biosphere Reserves

MoU Signed Between M/O Tourism and Ecotourism Society of India

Question: Recently, the International Coordinating Council of the Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has added how many sites to the World Network of Biosphere Reserves?
(a) 25
(b) 18
(c) 12
(d) 20
Reference:

Ans (d)

  • The International Co-ordinating Council of the Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme of UNESCO added 20 sites to the World Network of Biosphere Reserves during its meeting in the capital of Peru on 18 and 19 March.
  • The International Co-ordinating Council added the new sites during a two-day meeting in Lima, capital of Peru, bringing the total number of biosphere reserves to 669 sites in 120 countries, including 16 transboundary sites.
  • The newly adopted sites include 18 national site and one transboundary site shared between Spain and Portugal.
  • India’s “unique” Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve in the Western Ghats is among 20 new sites added by the UN’s top cultural body UNESCO to its World Network of Biosphere Reserves.
  • There are 18 biosphere reserves in India out of which only ten had been included in the network.
  • The other 9 included in UNESCO Biosphere Reserve are:
  1. Nilgiri (Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka)
  2. Gulf of Mannar (Tamil Nadu)
  3. Sunderban (West Bengal)
  4. Nanda Devi (Uttarakhand
  5. Nokrek (Meghalaya)
  6. Pachmarhi (Madhya Pradesh)
  7. Similipal (Odisha)
  8. Achanakmar-Amarkantak (Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh)
  9. Great Nicobar (Andaman and Nicobar Islands)
  • The “Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve” is situated at the southern-most end of the Western Ghats and spread over Kerala and Tamil Nadu and covers an area of 3,500 sq km at an altitude ranging from 100 metres to 1,868 metres above the Mean Sea Level.
  • The site is home to 2,254 species of higher plants including about 400 that are endemic.
  • Three wildlife sanctuaries, Shendurney, Peppara, Neyyar and Kalakad Mundanthurai Tiger reserve are included in the site.
  • A number of tribal settlements with a total population of 3,000 are located in the biosphere reserve.
  • The Agasthyamalai Biosphere Reserve (ABR) was established in 2001 and is spread across the two states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
  • Others sites added by the UN’s top cultural body UNESCO to its World Network of Biosphere Reserves includes Monts de Tlemcen (Algeria), Beaver Hills (Canada), Tsá Tué (Canada), Lake Bosomtwe (Ghana), La Hotte (Haiti), Balambangan (Indonesia), Hamoun (Iran), Collina Po (Italy), Barsakelmes (Kazakhstan), Belo-sur-Mer—Kirindy-Mitea (Madagascar) and Isla Cozumel (Mexico).
  • It also includes Atlas Cedar (Morocco), Gran Pajatén (Peru), Albay (Philippines), Fajãs de São Jorge (Portugal), Tejo/Tajo (Portugal and Spain), Jozani-Chwaka Bay (Tanzania) and Isle of Man (United Kingdom).
  • UNESCO gave extensions to existing 9 biosphere reserves.
  • Biosphere reserves are places for learning about sustainable development aiming to reconcile the conservation of biodiversity with the sustainable use of natural resources.
  • New reserves are designated each year by the International Coordinating Council of the Programme, which brings together elected representatives of 34 UNESCO Member States.

Reference:
http://www.unesco.org/new/en/media-services/single-view/news/20_sites_added_to_unescos_world_network_of_biosphere_reserve/#.VvnebOJ97IU
http://ptinews.com/news/7243741_Agasthyamala-among-20-world-biosphere-reserves-
http://www.moef.nic.in/sites/default/files/BR%20List.pdf