International Day for Biosphere Reserves | 04 Nov 2022

Why in News?

From 2022 onwards, 3^rd November will be celebrated as 'The International Day for Biosphere Reserves'.

What are Biosphere Reserves (BR)?

• About:
  • BR is an international designation by (UNESCO) for representative parts of natural and cultural landscapes extending over large areas of terrestrial or coastal/marine ecosystems or a combination of both.
  • BR tries to balance economic and social development and maintenance of associated cultural values along with the preservation of nature.
  • BRs are nominated by national governments and remain under the sovereign jurisdiction of the states where they are located.
  • These are designated under the intergovernmental Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme by the Director-General of UNESCO following the decisions of the MAB International Coordinating Council (MAB ICC).
    • The MAB Programme is an intergovernmental scientific programme that aims to establish a scientific basis for enhancing the relationship between people and their environments.
  • Their status is internationally recognized.
• Three Main Zones:
  • Core Areas: It comprises a strictly protected zone that contributes to the conservation of landscapes, ecosystems, species and genetic variation.
  • Buffer Zones: It surrounds or adjoins the core area(s), and is used for activities compatible with sound ecological practices that can reinforce scientific research, monitoring, training and education.
  • Transition Area: The transition area is where communities foster socio-culturally and ecologically sustainable economic and human activities.

What is the Status of Biosphere Reserves in India/World?

• In India:
  • India at present has 18 notified biosphere reserves spanning 60,000 sq km.
  • The first biosphere reserve in India was the blue mountains of the Nilgiris stretching over Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala.
  • The largest biosphere reserve is the Gulf of Kachchh (Gujarat) and the smallest is Dibru-Saikhowa (Assam).
  • Other bigger biosphere reserves are the Gulf of Mannar (Tamil Nadu), Sunderbans (West Bengal), and Cold Desert (Himachal Pradesh).

• Around the World:
  • About:
    • There are 738 biosphere reserves in 134 countries, including 22 transboundary sites, according to UNESCO.
  • Region-Wise:
    • The highest number of reserves are in Europe and North America followed by Asia and the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa and Arab states.
    • In South Asia, over 30 biosphere reserves have been established. The first one was the Hurulu Biosphere Reserve, in Sri Lanka, with 25,500 hectares of tropical dry evergreen forest.
      • Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Nepal do not have biospheres as yet.
  • Country-Wise:
    • The highest number of such sites are in Spain, Russia and Mexico.
  • World’s First 5-country Biosphere Reserve:
    • Stretching across Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Hungary and Serbia, the world’s first 5-country biosphere reserve, which has been declared by UNESCO in September 2021 covers 700 km of the Mura, Drava and Danube rivers.
    • It is Europe's largest riverine protected area, covering almost 1 million hectares, and known as the 'Amazon of Europe'.

Way Forward

• Land rights of tribals which depend on the forest resources in transition areas must be secured.
• Munnar declaration which suggests that biosphere reserves can be carved out of the desert and Gangetic plain bio-geographic zones should also be implemented.
• As the biosphere reserve concept was aimed at sustainable development, the term, reserve, should be replaced with a suitable word.
• The government must take strict steps against alien species invading various biosphere reserves e.g., Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve.

Source: TH