Context: India’s Cold Desert Biosphere Reserve, located in Himachal Pradesh, has been officially designated as part of UNESCO’s World Network of Biosphere Reserves (WNBR).
More on News:
- Announced on September 27, 2025, during the 37th session of UNESCO’s International Coordinating Council of the Man and the Biosphere (MAB) in Paris.
- India’s Cold Desert Biosphere Reserve, perched high in the trans-Himalayan region, is among the 26 new biosphere reserves across across 21 countries — the highest number in 20 years.
- With this addition, India now has 13 biospheres listed in UNESCO’s World Network of Biosphere Reserves (WNBR) out of total 18 Biosphere Reserves in the country.
- 13 biospheres listed in UNESCO’s WNBR:
- Nilgiri (Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka), Nanda Devi (Uttarakhand), Nokrek (Meghalaya), Gulf of Mannar (Tamil Nadu), Sunderbans (West Bengal), Great Nicobar (Andaman and Nicobar Islands), Simlipal (Odisha), Pachmarhi (Madhya Pradesh), Khangchendzonga (Sikkim), Agasthyamalai (Kerala, Tamil Nadu), Achanakmar-Amarkantak (Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh), Panna (Madhya Pradesh), Cold Desert (Himachal Pradesh).
- The news comes just a day after India added two new Ramsar sites from Bihar (Gokul Jalashay (448 ha) in Buxar district and Udaipur Jheel (319 ha) in West Champaran district) increasing total number of Ramsar sites to 93.
About Cold Desert Biosphere Reserve
Global Scenario:
- The World Network of Biosphere Reserves now includes 785 sites in 142 countries.
- This year, six countries such as Angola, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Iceland, Oman, and Tajikistan were designated with their first-ever biosphere reserve.
- São Tomé and Príncipe becomes the first nation to have its entire territory designated as a biosphere reserve.
- The World Network of Biosphere Reserves has reached a significant milestone of safeguarding 5% of the Earth’s surface.
