Unesco announces biospheres in 21 states

Abuja: Unesco on Wednesday added 20 new sites in 21 countries to its global network of biosphere reserves, the UN agency’s designation for specially protected regions.

New biosphere reserves are designated each year to promote sustainable development, protect terrestrial, marine and coastal ecosystems and encourage conservation. For the first time, Lesotho, Libya and Saudi Arabia joined the list.

In Lesotho, the Matseng Biosphere Reserve covers an area of 112,033 hectares in the northern highlands, sometimes called the Kingdom in the Sky, according to Unesco. "The site is an endemic bird area of high priority, with species such as the Drakensberg siskin."

In Libya, the 83,060 hectares Ashaafean Biosphere Reserve is located in the north-eastern part of the Nafusa Mountain. With "dry woodlands and steppe grasslands to the north and hyper-arid southern zones in the Sahara Desert", the area is home to endangered species, such as the Striped hyena and the Land tortoise.

Finally in Saudi Arabia, the Juzur Farasan Biosphere Reserve is an 820,000 hectares archipelago located at the extreme southwest of the country near the Yemeni border. The islands are home to threatened red mangrove Rhizophora mucronate, the largest population of Idmi gazelle in the country and various species of seabirds, marine species and reptiles.