UNESCO adds new sites to biosphere reserves network

New York, 18 Jul – (ANA) - The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) today added 20 new sites to its global list of biosphere reserves, bringing the total to 599 in 117 countries. The International Coordinating Council of UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere  Programme (MAB), meeting in Paris, France, added sites in Haiti, Kazakhstan and Sao Tome and Principe for the first time to the World Network of Biosphere Reserves. Biosphere reserves are places recognized by MAB where local communities are actively involved in governance and management, research, education, training and monitoring at the service of both socio-economic development and biodiversity conservation. (ANA)

FA/ANA/18 July 2012----------