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Thefollowingsitejoinedthenetworkthisyear:
MontsdeTlemcen(Algeria)The98,532hareserveissituatedintheProvinceofTlemcen,an
areaofgreatbiodiversity,whichalsohasmajorarchaeologicalsites,culturallandscapesand
cavesandcoversthesameareaastheTlemcenNationalPark.
BeaverHills(Canada)LocatedintheprovinceofAlbertainwesternCanada,thismorainic
landscapedevelopeditscharacteristicBorealzonefeaturesofabundantwetlands,shallowlakes
androckformationsduringtheprogressiveretreatofglacierssome12,000yearsago.Today,the
reservecomprisesamixtureoflandsmodifiedbyagriculturalactivity,mixedwoodforests,
grasslandsandwetlands.Thediversityofforestanduplandhabitatsprovidedoptimalconditions
forbison,deer,elkandmoose,aswellasdiverseandabundantwaterfowl,andanabundant
beaverpopulation.Thirtysixplantsandsixplantcommunitieswithinthemoraineareconsidered
sensitiveduetolowdistributionwithintheprovince.Agricultureprovidesalivelihoodtomostof
thebiospheres12,000permanentinhabitants
TsTu(Canada)LocatedinCanadasNorthwestTerritories,theareaisthehomelandofthe
Sahttoine(TheBearLakePeople).ItincludesGreatBearLake,thelastpristinearcticlake,and
partofitswatershed.TheTaigathatcoversmuchofthesiteisimportanttowildlifespecies
includingthemuskox,generalmooseandcaribou.Theonlyhumanresidentsinthesitearethe
traditionalFirstNationDeneDline(whosenamemeanswherethewaterflows).Their
communityof600isestablishedonthewesternshoreofthelake,wheretheyliveoffharvesting
andlimitedtourismactivity.
LakeBosomtwe(Ghana)SituatedintheAshantiregionofGhana,Bosomtwecomprisesone
ofsixmeteoriticlakesintheworld.Thesouthernmostsectionofthesiteoverlapswiththe
northernsectionoftheBosomtweRangeForestReservecreatingacombinationofforest,
wetlandandmountainecosystems.Thebiospherereservesustains35treespecies,including
someusedfortimber.Thesiteisalsohometoagreatdiversityofwildlifeandtoahuman
populationofover50,000inhabitantswhosemaineconomicactivitiesarefarming,fishingand
tourismasthelakeisamajornationaltouristdestination.Theareaiswidelyusedforresearch
focusingprimarilyonclimatechange,aswellasenvironmentaleducationforschoolsand
universities.
LaHotte(Haiti)Locatedinthesoutheastofthecountrythebiospherereserveencompasses
bothterrestrialandmarineareas.Theregionisconsideredabiodiversityhotspotduetoitswide
climaterange:fromhumidtosubtropicaldry.Thereservecoverssixmountainpeaksculminating
at2,347m,aswellasacoastalandmarineecosysteminthenorth(IlesCayemites)andsouth
(IleVache).Itishometomorethan850,000inhabitants,whosemaineconomicactivitiesare
farming,agroforestry,fishing,commerce,andhandcrafts.
Agasthyamala(India)LocatedintheWesternGhats,inthesouthofthecountry,thebiosphere
reserveincludespeaksreaching1,868mabovesealevel.Consistingmostlyoftropicalforests,
thesiteishometo2,254speciesofhigherplantsincludingabout400thatareendemic.Itisalso
auniquegeneticreservoirofcultivatedplantsespeciallycardamom,jamune,nutmeg,pepper
andplantain.Threewildlifesanctuaries,Shendurney,Peppara,NeyyarandKalakad
MundanthuraiTigerreserveareincludedinthesite.Anumberoftribalsettlementswithatotal
populationof3,000arelocatedinthebiospherereserve.Theylargelyrelyonbiological
resourcesfortheirsustenanceandrecentprojectshavebeensetupsuccessfullytoreducetheir
dependenceontheforests.
Balambangan(Indonesia)ThebiospherereserveintheprovinceofEastJavaencompasses
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threenationalparks(AlasPurwo,BaluranandMeru)andonenaturereserve(KawahIjen)with
terrestrialandmarineecosystemsfeaturingkarstlandscapes,savannah,andforeststhatare
alpine/subalpine,upper,dryandlowermontane(mountain),lowland,coastalandmangrove.The
sitealsofeaturesseagrassbeds,andcoralreefs.Foodcropsandhorticulturalareamongthe
maineconomicactivitiesofthebiospherereservealongsideagroforestry(teakandmahogany).
Hamoun(Iran)Locatedinthesoutheastofthecountry,thebiospherereserveincludes
terrestrialandwetlandecosystemswithatotalofsevenhabitattypes,includingdesertandsemi
desertareas,aswellasHamounLake,withitsmarshlandsandwatersheds.Thethreewetlands
ofthebiospherereservearethemostimportantintheregion.Theareaisahotspotformigratory
birds(183species)andhometo30mammalspecies,and55plantspecies.Thesiteisalso
valuableculturallyduetothepresenceofimportanthistoricalmonumentsandancienttemples
suchasMountKoohKhajehandShahreSoukhteh.
CollinaPo(Italy)ThebiospherereserveislocatedinthenorthItalianPiedmontRegionand
coversthewholeTurinstretchoftheRiverPowithitsmaintributariesandtheCollinaTorinese
hillside.TheriverPoisthemainreservoirofbiodiversityintheTurinplain,partlyduetothe
numerouswetlandsalongitscourse.Itsphysicalandgeologicalcharacteristicshaveledtothe
formationofnumerousgravellyshores,oxbowsandriparianwoodshostingvariousspecies.
Thesenaturalfeaturesareparticularlyvaluableinadenselypopulatedenvironmentclosetothe
cityofTurinwithits900,000inhabitantsandothertownsnearby.
Barsakelmes(Kazakhstan)ThebiospherereserveissituatedintheSaharaGobiDesertzone
oftheAralSeabasin.TheAralSearegionisapriorityareaforwetlandconservationandseveral
birdmigrationroutesconvergeovertheregion.Theterritoryoftheproposedbiospherereserveis
avaluablesitetopreservethebiodiversityoftheAralSea.Itnumbersapproximately2,000
speciesofinvertebrates,30mammalspecies,178birdspecies,and20reptilespecies.The
reservealsoincludesfournomadicKazakhsmedievalarchaeologicalsitesthatwerepartofthe
SilkRoads.
BelosurMerKirindyMitea(Madagascar)Situatedonthewesterncoastoftheisland,the
siteincludeswatershedupstreamandmarineandcoastalecosystemsdownstream.Itpresentsa
mosaicofrichbutfragileecosystemssuchasdryforests,thickets,thornforests,savannahs,
saltyswampydepressionsknownastannes,mangrovesandcoralreefs.Thereefisafeeding
areaofspectacularmarinemegafaunaofwhales(humpback),dolphins,dugongsandmarine
turtles.Peopleinthearearelyonthesenaturalresourcesfortheirlivelihoodandincome.The
sitesmarinebiodiversity,islandsandtwosacredsaltedlakesthatarehometotheLesser
Flamingo(Phoenicopterusminor),arevaluableassetsfortourism.Aquaculture,pelagicfishing
andsaltproductioncomplementthedevelopmentpotentialofthebiospherereserve.
IslaCozumel(Mexico)Situatedoffthesoutheasterncoastofthecountry,CozumelIsland
encompassesdiversemarineandterrestrialecosystemsrichinamphibianandreptilespecies.
Themainterrestrialecosystemsaremediumsemideciduousforestsandmangroves.The
biospherereserveformspartofthesecondlargestreefsystemintheworld,theMesoamerican
Reef,whichishometo1,192marinespecies.Nearly80,000peopleliveinthebiospherereserve,
mainlyinthecityofSanMiguel.Tourismisthemostdevelopedsectorontheisland,which
numberscloseto40Mayanarchaeologicalsites.
AtlasCedar(Morocco)SituatedinthecentralAtlasMountains,thebiospherereserveishome
to75%oftheworldsmajesticAtlascedartreepopulation.ThispartoftheAtlasMountainsisrich
inecosystemsanditspeaks,reachingupto3,700metres,providetheregionwithcritically
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importantwaterresources.Fruitplantations,modernagricultureandtouristactivities,whichhave
replacedseminomadicpastoraltraditions,aretakingtheirtollonscarcewaterresources.The
richlocalBerbercultureisparticularlystronginthisarea.
GranPajatn(Peru)LocatedintheCentralCordillera,thebiospherereserveischaracterized
byhighaltitudesandapristineecosystem.ItencompassestheNationalParkdelRoAbiseo,a
UNESCOWorldHeritagesite.Thereserveishometofaunaandfloraofrainforestscharacteristic
ofthispartoftheAndesandhasahighlevelofendemism.Itistheonlyplaceonearthwherethe
yellowtailedwoollymonkey,previouslythoughtextinct,istobefound.GranPajatnalsolends
itsnametoanarchaeologicalsiteintheAndeancloudforestsofPeru,whichprovidesinsightinto
preIncasociety.Morethan170,000peopleliveinthebiospherereservewhosemaineconomic
activitiesareagriculture(cacao,coffee),livestockandmining.
Albay(Philippines)LocatedatthesouthernendoftheLuzonIsland,thebiospherecovers
some250,000hectares.Theterrestrialelevationofthesiteculminatesat2,462metresandits
marinepartreachesadepthof223metresbelowsealevel.Thesiteshighconservationvalueis
constitutednotablybyits182terrestrialplantspecies,46ofwhichareendemic.Itsmarineand
coastalecosystemsnumber12speciesofmangrove,40speciesofseaweedormacroalgae,
and10speciesofseagrass.Fiveoftheworldssevenspeciesofmarineturtlesaretobefound
inAlbay.Agricultureisthemainsourceofincomeinthisarea.
FajsdeSoJorge(Portugal)ThebiospherereservecoverstheentireIslandofSoJorge,
thefourthlargestintheAzoresArchipelago.At1,053m,thePicodaEsperanaisislandshighest
elevation.Thesitesruggedcoastalcliffsformauniquelandscapeofhighlandmeadows,peat
bogsandscrubs.Thecombinationofhighaltitudeandcoastalecosystemshasresultedina
wealthofendemicterrestrialflora.Itisalsothehabitatofdiverseinvertebrate,terrestrial
arthropod,molluscandbirdspecies.Closeto9,000peopleliveontheIsland.
Tejo/Tajo(PortugalandSpain)Thebiospherereserveislocatedinthewesternpartofthe
IberianPeninsulasharedbetweenSpainandPortugalwiththeTajoRiverasitsmainaxis.Itis
characterizedbylowaltitudeandsharprelief.Vegetationinthesiteconsistslargelyofcorkoak
formationsandpatchesofscrub,aswellascultivatedareasandpastures.Thefaunaistypically
Mediterraneanandincludesmanyrarespecies.MostimportantamongthemaretheEuropean
imperialeagle,Bonelliseagle,theblackstork,theblackvultureandtheotter.Livestockand
forestryarethemainsourcesofincomefortheIslandssmallpopulation.
JozaniChwakaBay(Tanzania)Thebiospherereserveencompassestheonlynationalpark
ontheislandofZanzibar.Itslandscapeconsistsofmosaicsofmangroves,tropicalforestsand
coralrugforestsaswellasgroundwater,saltmarshes,andbothagriculturalandresidential
areas.Thesiteisabiodiversityhotspotareaincludinginteraliareeffishspecies,dolphins,the
Zanzibarleopard(Pantherpardusadersi),168speciesofbirdsincluding30ofglobaland
regionalrelevance.Thesites291knownplantspeciesinclude21consideredtobethreatened.
Inhabitantsmainlylivefromactivitiesrelatingtotourism,fishing,beekeeping,butterflyrearing
andcrabfattening
IsleofMan(UnitedKingdom)LocatedintheIrishSea,theIslandishometomorethan
80,000people.Itscoastlinefeaturescliffs,stacks,islets,andlongbeaches.Thehillshold
importantpeatreservesandaredeeplycutbywoodedglensintheeast.Thecoastalplaininthe
northiscoveredbygrasslands,poolsandwetlands.Thesitesmarineenvironmentisrichin
biodiversityandharboursimportantpopulationsofEuropeaneel,Atlanticcodandbasking
sharks,amongothers.Inthecountryside,farmingactivitiescentreonsheepandcattlelivestock,
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aswellasarableareas.Theseaisharvestedforshellfish.TheIslandhasbeenapopulartourist
destinationsincethelate19thcenturyandhasexperiencedanotabledevelopmentinitsservices
andmanufacturingsectorsoverrecentdecades.
Extensionstoexistingbiospherereserves:
TrifinioFraternidad(Honduras)TheextensionconcernstheHonduranpartoftheTrinational
TrifinioFraternidadBiosphereReservebetweenElSalvador,GuatemalaandHonduras.It
containsanimportantwatercatchmentsharedbythethreecountriesandcoversasurfacearea
of278,762haincludingsixnationalprotectedareas.
Toscana(Italy)Designatedin2004astheSelvePisanaBiosphereReserve,thesiteissituated
alongtheMediterraneancoastofItaly,westofPisa.Theadditionofmorethan43,000ha,
comprisestwoplainzones,ahillyareaandlandsinMontePisani.Theextensionshouldpavethe
wayfortheimplementationofsustainableactivitiesinagriculture,sylvicultureandtourism.
MountHakusan(Japan)Theextensionrepresentsafourfoldincreaseofthesite,whichwas
designatedasabiospherereservein1980andcomprisesalpine,subalpine,andmontanezones
aroundthe2,700metrehighMountHakusan.TheextendedreservenowincludestheHistoric
VillagesofShirakawagoandGokayamaWorldHeritagesite.Seventeenthousandpeoplelivein
thebiospherereserve.
YakushimaandKuchinoerabuJima(Japan)Designatedin1980underthenameof
Yakushima,thebiospherereserve,60kmsouthoftheIslandofKyushu,isknownforitsYaku
cedarprimevalforest.ItencompassestheareainscribedontheWorldHeritageList,alsounder
thenameofYakushima,andnowcoverstheentireisland,aswellastheislandofKuchinoerabu
andthemarineareasurroundingboth.
MountOdaigahara,MountOmineandOsugidaniBiosphereReserve(Japan)Designated
asMountOdaigaharaandMountOmineBiosphereReservein1980,thesiteintheKiiPeninsula
ofHonshuIslandisamountainousareainwhichforestryismoredevelopedthanagriculture.The
extensionincreasesthesurfaceareaofthesiteto120,000ha,comparedtoitsinitial36,000ha.
NoroesteAmotapesManglares(Peru)Thebiospherereserve,offthenortherncoastof
Peruwasdesignatedin1977underthenameofNoroesteBisophereReserve.Itnowincludes
theCerrosdeAmotapeNationalPark,CotoElAngoloandTumbesMangrovesProtectedArea.
Theextensioncoversasurfaceareaof1,115,947ha.
MontSorak(RepublicofKorea)Designatedin1982,thereserveislocatedinthecentreof
theBaekdudaeganMountainRange,whichincludesthehighestpeakinthecountry.Withits
extension,thebiospherereservecoversanareaof76,000haandnowencompassesinhabited
areas,forests,andagriculturallandsaroundMountSorakNationalPark.
ShinanDadohae(RepublicofKorea)Onethousandislandshavebeenaddedtothe
archipelagobiospherereserve,situatedinthesouthwestofthecountry,whichwasdesignatedin
2009.Theextensioncomprisestidalflatsandothernaturalprotectedareas.
WesterRoss(UnitedKingdom)FormerlyknownasBeinnEighe,thesite,situatedinthe
northwestofScotland,wasdesignatedin1976.Withtheadditionof530,000ha,thesitenow
includesLochMaree,whichisofinternationalimportanceduetoitsblackthroateddiver
population.

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