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.
A total of 1,02,718 species of fauna and 54,733 species of flora have been documented in the 10 biogeographic zones of the country. For ensuring the protection of flora and fauna within protected areas, management plans are prepared by State Forest Departments which inter alia include a schedule of activities to be take-up over a period of ten years.
The Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Act, 2022 provides for diligence to be taken before approval of any activity is accorded by the state government within a protected area to ensure conservation and protection of biodiversity. 44 Biodiversity Heritage Sites have been notified by sixteen states, as per the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change last year data.
As per Section 37 (1) of the Biological Diversity Act,2002, the State Government may, from time to time in consultation with the local bodies, notify in the official gazette, of areas of biodiversity importance as Biodiversity Heritage Sites.
UNESCO has approved the designation of 11 new biosphere reserves in 11 countries. With these new biosphere reserves covering a total area of Biosphere Reserves now totals 759 sites in 136 countries. Biosphere reserves contribute to helping achieve the targets set by states upon the adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework in December 2022, which include designation 30 per cent of the Earth’s land and marine surface as protected areas and restoring 30 per cent of the planet's degraded ecosystems by 2030, UNESCO website states.
