Welcoming 26 new Biosphere Reserves to the MAB family

UNESCO announced the designation of 26 new Biosphere Reserves at the World Congress of Biosphere Reserves, bringing the total number to 784 across 142 countries.  

We warmly welcome the new Biospheres, in particular the second whole jurisdiction biosphere, with the designation of Ilha de São Tomé Biosphere Reserve making São Tomé and Príncipe the first sovereign state to have its entire territory reach this status.  

Here are some key highlights: 

• Six countries - including Angola, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Iceland, Oman and Tajikistan - have their first ever Biosphere Reserve. 
• Other new Reserves have been designated in nations such as France, India, Indonesia, Sweden, Malaysia, and more. 
• Since 2018, UNESCO has brought an additional one million km² of natural areas under protection via the Biosphere Reserves network - roughly the size of Bolivia.  
• Collectively, the network now safeguards more than eight million km² of land and sea - around 5% of Earth’s surface.

Biospheres promote transformational change, with the aim to safeguard biodiversity, support local communities and culture, and create a healthy balance between humans and the rest of nature.  

This expansion of the world network is very encouraging, showing the global ambition of UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere programme, and a commitment to fostering environmental stewardship.  

We look forward to sharing in this growing international community of Biosphere Reserves, as we all learn from each other and work together for a sustainable future.  

To find out more and see the full list of newly designated Biospheres, see this page.