Two Russian reserves are included in the list of UNESCO biosphere reserves

The UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves has been replenished with twenty new sites from 21 countries, including two Russian ones.

The International Coordinating Council of the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Program, which met in Abuja from 13 to 17 September, approved the inclusion of new sites in the network along with the expansion or zoning of two existing biosphere reserves.

«From now on, the Network has 727 reserves in 131 countries of the world, including 22 transboundary sites. UNESCO Biosphere Reserves currently cover more than 5% of the Earth's land mass, and on their territory combine biodiversity conservation, environmental education, research and sustainable development,» the UNESCO website says.

This year, two Russian biosphere reserves were included in the list of UNESCO biosphere reserves - the Kuznetsky Alatau ridge, located between the Siberian expanses in the north and the Altai mountains in the south, as well as the Big Bogdo mountain, located between the Volga in the west and the steppes of Kazakhstan in the east. In addition, a transboundary biosphere reserve “Ubsunurskaya Kotlovina” appeared in this series, which united the reserves of Mongolia (“Ubsunur Lake Basin”) and Russia (“Ubsunurskaya Kotlovina”), which were included in the network back in 1997.

UNESCO Biosphere Reserves play an important role in the prevention of biodiversity loss. The network assists states in assessing and protecting the environment.