New Delhi:International Day for Biosphere Reserves is celebrated on November 3 annually worldwide to highlight the importance of biosphere reserves in protecting the environment and raising awareness about sustainable development.
According to the UNESCO website, the International Day for Biosphere Reserves is an invitation to take inspiration from the solutions already implemented in these spaces to build genuinely sustainable development everywhere, with full respect for nature and for the living world. It was proclaimed by the UNESCO General Conference in its 41st session.
With each passing year, the urgency of tackling environmental issues becomes clearer: we only have one planet, and it is in danger. Our relationship with nature and with other living beings needs a radical rethink in order to address these issues - we need to design and create a truly shared world. Biosphere reserves have shown that it is possible to live in this world while also establishing a sustainable and harmonious relationship with nature, UNESCO states on its website.
In India, the Centre has taken several steps for the conservation of biodiversity which includes survey, inventorisation, taxonomic validation and threat assessment of floral and faunal resources, assessment to develop an accurate database for planning and monitoring as well as conservation and protection of forests, establishment of a protected area network of National Parks, Wildlife Sanctuaries, conservation and community reserves; designating Biosphere Reserves for conservation of representative ecosystems, undertaking of species oriented programmes, like Project Tiger, Project Elephant, Project Dolphin; complemented with ex-situ conservation efforts, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change earlier said.