PARIS, France, November 12, 2002 (ENS) - Rare and endangered ecosystems unique to Algeria's Atlas Mountains, five new sites in the Russian Federation, and all the remnants of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest are among the areas newly designated for protection by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Eighteen new sites in 12 countries have been added to UNESCO's World Network of Biosphere Reserves while five existing biosphere reserves have been extended. One extension creates the first transboundary biosphere reserve in Africa.

Giraffes in Niger are protected by the first transboundary biosphere reserve in Africa. (Photo courtesy Embassy of Niger)

"Biosphere reserves," says Peter Bridgewater, secretary of UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere Programme, "represent real, on-ground action with these ideas." A key aspect is that local populations work together with all other concerned parties to achieve these aims.

All new sites and extensions were proposed by the countries concerned. Membership in the World Network of Biosphere Reserves entails official United Nations recognition of local and national efforts to meet global concerns on environmental sustainability.

It represents a "label of excellence," says Bridgewater, which helps secure funding and promote tourism and the local economy. Membership in a structured network facilitates the exchange of experience on how to make conservation of these unique areas work.

At the World Summit on Sustainable Development, countries called for action to reduce extreme poverty and hunger and ensure environmental sustainability - goals that can be achieved through protection of these regions in the World Network of Biosphere Reserves.

The new reserves differ in size, population density, ecological features, land use and challenges.

ALGERIA: The Chréa Biosphere Reserve is located 50 kilometers (30 miles) southwest of the capital Algiers, along the northern and southern ridges of the Blida section of the Atlas Mountains. This site serves as a water reservoir for large cities like Algiers, Blida and Medea. Its rare and endangered ecosystems are specific to the northern Atlas Mountains.

ARGENTINA: Las Yungas Biosphere Reserve in the high Andes of northern Argentina has a great variety of landscapes, ranging from abundant sub-tropical mountain forest with high biodiversity to cloud-swept montane grasslands. The rich culture of local people has marked the landscape.

AUSTRALIA: Mornington Pensinsula and Western Port Biosphere Reserve, located in a coastal region close to Melbourne, is the country's first new nomination since the 1970s. Port facilities, small farms, and nature reserves - some of international importance for bird life - co-exist, raising the challenges of promoting sustainable development in an urban-coastal area by involving the numerous stakeholders from the public and private sectors.

BENIN, BURKINA FASO and NIGER: The "W" Region Transboundary Biosphere Reserve covers more than 1,000,000 hectares (3,861 square miles) in Benin, Burkina Faso and Niger. These three countries created the first transboundary biosphere reserve in Africa after a long process of study and consultation. This site will serve as a model to experiment with different strategies for sustainable development involving the participation of local communities. It will mark the first concrete action by the Environment Initiative launched by NEPAD - the New Partnership for Africa's Development - at this summer's World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg.

Part of Brazil's Atlantic forest (Photo courtesy U. Maryland Institute for Ecological Economics)

CANADA: Canada's 12th biosphere reserve, Thousand Islands - Frontenac Arch, takes its name from a geological ridge formation and the islands formed where Lake Ontario spills over its eroded hilltops and valleys into the St. Lawrence River.

CHINA: The Dalai Lake Biosphere Reserve in China's far northeast covers grassland ecosystems and wetlands which are considered as internationally important for migratory birds under the Ramsar Wetland Convention. This region is thought to be one of the places where traditional Mongolian culture originated. The lakes in the region supply water to some 300,000 people and 2.5 million animals.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: Jaragua-Bahoruco-Enriquillo Biosphere Reserve is the country's first biosphere reserve. It covers almost 500,000 hectares (1930 square miles) in the southwest of the country. This complex mosaic of ecosystems ranges from marine and coastal areas to various forest types and summits up to 2,300 meters (7,546 feet) as well as a unique lake lying below sea level.

ECUADOR: Sumaco Biosphere Reserve, situated in the tropical rain forest of the northeastern Cordillera de los Andes, has now been extended, following a request from the local population.

GUINEA: The Upper Niger Biosphere Reserve plays an important role in the protection of the Sudano-Guinean forest ecosystem of the catchment basin of the Niger River.

Mount Badiar in Guinea (Photo credit unknown)

ITALY: The Valle del Ticino Biosphere Reserve consists of a riverscape along the Ticino River in the north of the country, the meeting place of the regions of Lombardy and Piedmont, with a rich cultural identity.

MONGOLIA: The Hustai Nuruu Biosphere Reserve lies about 100 kilometers (62 miles) southwest of Ulanbaatar, the country's capital. It contains threatened steppe and forest steppe ecosystems, which, elsewhere, have been destroyed by over-exploitation. The site is noted for its successful reintroduction of the endemic Przewalski horse.

REPUBLIC OF (South) KOREA: Jeju Island Biosphere Reserve covers the central part and small marine areas of the island, lying to the south of the mainland. The area contains high biological diversity in the core areas, the buffer zones play an important role in environmental education, and the transition area focuses on environmentally friendly primary industries. The biosphere reserve concept could be extended to the whole island, UNESCO says.

RUSSIAN FEDERATION: Five new biosphere reserves in the Russian Federation come as a follow up to a national workshop held in 2001 to examine how the biosphere reserve concept could help in associating nature protection and new enterprises in forestry, agriculture and tourism, while benefiting local communities in rural areas.

The new sites are Darvinskiy, a peninsula of the Rybinsky Reservoir on the Volga River; Nijegorodskoe Zavoljye in the middle section of the River Volga focusing on restoration and protection of forests; Smolensk Lakeland in the extreme west of the country where ecotourism is a major feature; Ugra, conserving natural and cultural landscapes on the Ugra, Zhizdra and Oka rivers; and the Commander Islands in the Bering Sea, with their marine fauna and birdlife of Asian and American origin, and traditional use by local communities.

SPAIN: Las Dehesas de Sierra Morena Biosphere Reserve covers 424,400 hectares (1,638 square miles) in the North of Andalusia in Spain on the border with Portugal, including three national parks with Mediterranean evergreen forests. It is also noted for the prime examples of the ancient dehesas agro-pastoral systems of Southern Spain, which have proven their worth as a means for the sustainable use of natural resources.

La Palma, one of Spain's Canary Islands (Photo courtesy Guide U)

The Terras do Miño Biosphere Reserve in the northwest Atlantic region of Spain, in the Province of Galicia. This is a traditional cultural landscape with many highly important natural habitats. It plays an essential role in regulating the water supply for the surrounding larger region.

UNITED KINGDOM: The Braunton Burrows site in North Devon, first designated in 1977, has been completely revised and extended by a consultation process among the local communities and the conservation and development authorities. It is now renamed the Bideford Bay Biosphere Reserve.

More on UNESCO's Biosphere Reserves is online at: http://www.unesco.org/mab/nutshell.htm