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Lang Biang now UNESCO reserve


The Lang Biang Biosphere Reserve in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong is among 20 new sites which have been added to the World Network of Biosphere Reserves of the International Co-ordinating Council of UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB).
An overview of Lang Biang Biosphere Reserve in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong. Lang Biang has been added to the World Network of Biosphere Reserves under UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere Programme. — Photo dulichdalat.pro

HA NOI (VNS) — The Lang Biang Biosphere Reserve in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong is among 20 new sites which have been added to the World Network of Biosphere Reserves of the International Co-ordinating Council of UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB).

These additions were made by the Council during its 27th session taking place in Paris from June 8 to 12.

Following the announcement, vice chairman of Lam Dong Provincial People's Committee, Pham S, expressed his delight at the new title, while considering UNESCO's recognition as a challenge and force for greater efforts to develop and protect the wildlife reserve.

He also emphasised the need to develop and preserve the site, focusing on international co-operation and human resources, as well as elevating the image of Lam Dong to international friends through tourism activities.

Pham Sanh Chau, general secretary of the Viet Nam National UNESCO Committee, stated it was UNESCO's acknowledgement of Viet Nam's contributions to international treaties on the environment and bio-diversity conservation issues signed by the country.

Relevant agencies are designing a number of action plans, including the establishment of a management board and a technical project supported by the Japanese Government. Lang Biang will strengthen its connections with domestic and international natural reserve networks in a bid to exchange expertise for more effective conservation work.

The Lang Biang Reserve covers an area of 275,439ha to the north of Lam Dong, with its core area of 56,000ha encompassing Bi Dup-Nui Ba National Park. An 86,000ha buffer zone, in which human settlements are permitted, surrounds the reserve.

The area is home to more than 2,000 flora species and nearly 400 fauna species, of which 153 species are named in Viet Nam's Red Book, and 154 are included in the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

The World Wildlife Fund regarded the area as first priority in its preservation programme for the southern part of the Truong Son Mountain Range.

Horses roam: Lang Biang biosphere reserve is home to more than 2,000 flora species and nearly 400 fauna species. — Photo baonhieu.net

General secretary of Viet Nam's National Man and the Biosphere Programme, in a conference to discuss the construction of the Lang Biang Biosphere Reserve last year, said the value of Lang Biang lay in its connection to the culture of the Central Highlands region.

Alongside Lang Biang, the some of the new additions include the Belezma Biosphere Reserve (Algeria), the Patagonia Azul Biosphere Reserve (Argentina), the Hanma Biosphere Reserve (China), the Lake Tana Biosphere Reserve (Ethiopia), Gorges du Gardon Biosphere Reserve (France), the Cacique Lempira and Senor de las Montanas Biosphere Reserves (Honduras), the Bromo Tengger Semeru-Arjuno and the Taka Bonerate-Kepulauan Biosphere Reserves (Indonesia), and the Tang-e-Sayad and Sabzkuh Biosphere Reserves (Iran).

Myanmar had its first biosphere reserve named this year: the Inlay Lake Biosphere Reserve.

With the addition of the 20 new sites, the World Network of Biosphere Reserves currently features 651 sites, including 15 transboundary sites, in 120 countries.

The MAB Programme is an intergovernmental scientific programme set up by UNESCO in the early 1970s with the aim of improving the interaction between people and their natural environment on a global scale. Biosphere reserves are places for learning about sustainable development aimed at reconciling the conservation of biodiversity with the sustainable use of natural resources. New reserves are designated each year by the International Co-ordinating Council of the Programme.

Alongside Lang Biang, Viet Nam currently has eight UNESCO-recognised biosphere reserves, including Can Gio Mangrove, Cat Ba, Cat Tien, Cu Lao Cham-Hoi An, Kien Giang, Cape Ca Mau, the Song Hong (Red River) Delta and Western Nghe An. — VNS

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