UNESCO has added 20 sites to its World Network of Biosphere Reserves following a recent meeting of the organization’s governing body in Peru. This latest designation brings the total number of biosphere reserves to 669 across 120 countries.
The newly designated sites include 18 national biosphere reserves and one transboundary reserve shared between Spain and Portugal. UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere Programme has approved new sites annually since the 1970s. Biosphere reserves serve as places for testing and demonstrating approaches to sustainable development, aiming to reconcile biodiversity conservation with the sustainable use of natural resources.
The additions span a wide range of ecosystems and geographic regions. Among them are Lake Bosomtwe in Ghana, the island of Cozumel in Mexico, the Isle of Man in the United Kingdom, a portion of Luzon Island in the Philippines, sections of the Atlas Mountains in Morocco, and Balambagan in East Java. Each of these reserves will contribute to the global network by promoting research, conservation, education, and sustainable economic practices adapted to local conditions.
By integrating conservation and sustainable development objectives, biosphere reserves foster collaboration among governments, local communities, scientists, and other stakeholders. They often include core protected areas, buffer zones for low-impact activities, and transition areas where sustainable resource management and livelihoods are encouraged. This zonation supports biodiversity protection while allowing communities to maintain and enhance their socio-economic well-being.
The inclusion of both national and transboundary reserves highlights UNESCO’s emphasis on international cooperation and landscape-scale approaches to conservation. Transboundary reserves, in particular, facilitate cross-border collaboration on habitat connectivity, species migration corridors, and shared management challenges, strengthening regional conservation outcomes.
These new designations will likely spur local and national initiatives to reinforce conservation measures, promote sustainable tourism, and support community-led development projects. As part of the World Network, the newly added sites will have opportunities to participate in knowledge exchange, capacity-building programs, and joint research with other reserves worldwide.
UNESCO’s ongoing expansion of the biosphere reserve network underscores the global commitment to balancing ecological integrity with human development. As pressures from land-use change, climate change, and resource extraction grow, these reserves play a crucial role in testing solutions that can be replicated elsewhere and in demonstrating how people and nature can coexist sustainably.