[ad_1]
"Preserving biodiversity and managing natural resources in these ecosystems is a prerequisite for sustainable development," said Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO
among other things, biosphere reserves reconcile conservation of biodiversity and human activity. the use of sustainable natural resources.
"These sites are laboratories of harmonious interaction between people and nature, enabling advances in science and traditional knowledge," Azoulay said. "They facilitate the sharing of knowledge, promote the interaction between science and society and contribute to concrete improvements in the lives of local people."
UNESCO / Guoyong Dong
Mount Huangshan Biosphere Reserve, China. [19659007]
With the new designations, a multitude of valuable areas representing several different terrains – as well as ecosystems that encompass marine, swampy, peaty and freshwater environments – are now preserved. Reserves are particularly important for biodiversity hotspots with vulnerable ecosystems such as coral reefs, dunes, swamps, mangroves and forests.
While the Republic of Moldova and Mozambique receive for the first time biosphere reserves the designated sites are Burkina Faso, China, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea – commonly known as North Korea; Ecuador; and India
These sites are laboratories of harmonious interaction between humans and nature, allowing advances in science and traditional knowledge – Audrey Azoulay, head of the UNESCO
Three new sites in Indonesia and two in Italy and Kazakhstan; and Iran, Madagascar, the Netherlands, the Republic of Korea (South Korea), the Russian Federation, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, the United Arab Emirates and the United Republic of Tanzania are also represented. Reserve covers a mosaic of water, grassland and forest ecosystems. Agriculture provides 90% of the inhabitants' income.
Located in northern Mozambique, the newly designated Quirimbas consist of 11 islands with 3,000 floral species, of which 1,000 are endemic; 23 species of reptiles; 447 species of birds; 46 terrestrial mammal species, including four of the "Big Five" – elephants, lions, buffaloes and leopards – and eight species of marine mammals, including whales and dolphins.
Ecosystems support not only a number of activities of global importance, including fishing, agriculture, livestock and tourism, but also provide habitats for migratory birds, rare animals and endangered species.
UNESCO / A. Yakovlev
Big Stone River, Ural Mountains Biosphere Reserve, Russian Federation.
These natural resources allow activities that are compatible with sustainable development and the protection of ancestral traditions.
According to UNESCO, biosphere reserves in Germany and Italy were expanded with name changes, five in Australia, one in the Netherlands and one in the United States, were removed from the network at the request of the countries.
Each year, the International Coordinating Council of the UNESCO Program on Man and the Biosphere adds new sites.
Source link
Tags accelerates biosphere designating development reserves sustainable UNESCO
