New biosphere reserves have been designated in Albania, Algeria, Aruba, Azerbaijan, Cameroon, Canada, Islamic Republic of Iran, Mongolia, Montenegro, Paraguay, Philippines, Portugal, Timor-Leste, and Viet Nam. Territorial extensions were also approved for five existing biosphere reserves in China, Italy, and Spain.
This year, for the first time, a whole city has been designated as a biosphere reserve, Québec City. Three countries welcome their first biosphere reserves: Montenegro, Timor-Leste, and Aruba becomes the second country to have its entire territory designated as such.
Biosphere reserves prove every day that protecting nature and improving human lives are not competing goals. This year's designations span every continent showing the full range of what it means to live in harmony with nature. UNESCO will continue to work with governments, communities and scientists to ensure these living laboratories remain at the forefront of the world's response to the climate and biodiversity crises.
Khaled El-EnanyUNESCO Director-General
Environmental action depends on reliable information
Also on World Environment Day, UNESCO and the OSCE are launching Reporting the Environment: A Practical Manual for Journalists. At a time when misinformation and disinformation increasingly affect many of today's most urgent global challenges, reliable reporting on nature, climate and environmental issues has never been more important. Written by journalists for journalists and enriched by contributions from leading journalism organizations - including Covering Climate Now, EIF, Fondation Hirondelle, NICHE, Pulitzer Center and the Reuters Institute - the manual offers practical tools for covering environmental stories accurately and safely, from navigating climate misinformation and AI-generated content to investigating environmental harm and accountability.
About the biosphere reserves:
UNESCO biosphere reserves are territories of outstanding ecological value where people and nature grow harmoniously alongside each other, conserving biological and cultural diversity, advancing sustainable development, and connecting communities across a global network.
Since 1971, biosphere reserves have played a central role in UNESCO's environmental mission. Alongside natural World Heritage sites and Global Geoparks, they contribute to protecting more than 13 million km² of terrestrial and marine ecosystems under UNESCO's umbrella, advancing the global Kunming-Montreal target of conserving 30% of land and sea by 2030.
The newly designated biosphere reserves are (full descriptions of the sites available here):
Albania - Shkodër Lake
Algeria - Theniet El Had
Aruba - Aruba Island
Azerbaijan - Great Caucasus
Cameroon - Takamanda - Cross River Gorilla
Canada - Québec City
Islamic Republic of Iran - Dalankuh - Qamishlou
Mongolia - Tost Toson Bumbiin Nuruu
Montenegro - Skadar Lake Watershed
Paraguay - Sur del Alto Paraná
Philippines - Matibay na Bayan ng Sablayan
Portugal - Serra da Estrela
Timor-Leste - Nino Konis Santana
Viet Nam - Phong Nha - Ke Bang
