HP cold desert now on Unesco's list of biosphere reserves

NEW DELHI: Unesco on Saturday designated India's Cold Desert Biosphere Reserve , located in western Himalayas and spread over 7,770 sq km of windswept plateaus, glacial valley and high-altitude desert in Lahaul and Spiti district of Himachal Pradesh , as one of the biosphere reserves of its global network.

India has a total 18 biosphere reserves, of which 13 are now in the Unesco's world network with the latest addition of the Cold Desert Biosphere Reserve in the list.

The global designation helps these sites adopt comprehensive measures to foster harmony between people and nature for sustainable development. "These globally recognised areas are more than just protected land - they are living laboratories where communities, scientists, and govts collaborate to find sustainable ways of living in harmony with nature," said the UN body while announcing the list of 26 newly designated biosphere reserves from 21 countries.

Established in 2009, the Cold Desert Biosphere Reserve is home to many rare and endangered species including snow leopard, Tibetan antelope and Himalayan wolf. It also has a variety of flora that has been used for medicinal purposes.

This is India's first high-altitude Cold Desert Biosphere Reserve and one of the coldest and driest ecosystems in Unesco's world network of biosphere reserves.