International Day for Biosphere Reserve- November 3rd

• World Biosphere Reserve Day is celebrated on November 3 each year to raise awareness of the importance of biosphere reserves and to promote their conservation and sustainable use.
• In the year 2022 at the 41st Session of UNESCO’s general Conference, it was decided that November 3 would be celebrated worldwide as the International Day for Biosphere Reserves.
• Biosphere Reserves are protected areas, meant for the conservation of plants and animals. Not just the flora and fauna, but human beings also depend on these protected areas for their livelihood activities.
• A BR tries to balance economic and social development and maintenance of associated cultural values along with the preservation of nature.
• BRs are nominated by national governments and remain under the sovereign jurisdiction of the states where they are located.
• These are designated under the intergovernmental Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme by the Director-General of UNESCO following the decisions of the MAB International Coordinating Council (MAB ICC).
• The MAB Programme is an intergovernmental scientific programme that aims to establish a scientific basis for enhancing the relationship between people and their environments.

STATS

• According to UNESCO, there are currently 748 biosphere reserves across 134 countries, including 22 transboundary sites, enhancing the friendly cooperation between neighbouring countries.
• They impact the lives of more than 250 million people in 134 countries; 12 sites can be found in India alone.