聯合國在6月30日新增了18個地點到生物圈保護區名單中，使名單中保護區的總數達到581個，共分佈在114個國家之中。生物圈保護區是由聯合國教科文組織下的「人與生物圈計畫」所認定，具有高度價值，而且當地社區對社會經濟發展與生物多樣性保育有積極的參與。
教科文組織「人與生物圈計畫」國際協調會議在德雷斯登舉行，首次增加了立陶宛、馬爾地夫、聖基茨和尼維斯(Saint Kitts and Nevis)和多哥(Togo)等地，將之列入生物圈保護區世界網絡之中。
會議中解釋，生物圈保護區的目的是用以試驗並了解永續發展，「人與生物圈計畫」是一個政府間科學計劃，旨在設定科學基準，結合自然與社會科學、經濟學以及教育，來改善人與所處整體環境之間的關係。
人與生物圈計劃在70年代初期推行，專注在科學、環境、社會與發展議題間介面產生的問題。
藉由專注在這些國際公認的生物圈保護區世界網絡上，這個計劃致力於確認與評估人類與自然的活動對生物圈造成的改變，以及這些改變對人類與環境的影響，特別是在氣候變遷的背景之下。
新的人與生物圈地點如下：
- 加拿大的布拉多爾湖(Bras d'Or)，這包含了有三條通往大西洋鹹水河口的內海。
- 中國的帽兒山，特點是特殊的山景，山峰超過海拔2000公尺。
- 智利的Corredor Biologico Nevados de Chillan-Laguna del Laja，位在巴塔哥尼亞北部地區，是全球生物多樣性的熱點。
- 加納的松格爾(Songor)，這是一個有包括半淡鹹水河口、具海洋與淡水生態系的紅樹林、小島嶼，以及受到社區保護的小塊森林。
- 約旦的穆吉布，包含了一部分死海和約旦裂谷盆地的景觀。
- 立陶宛的祖文塔斯(Zuvintas)，包括湖泊、濕地、沼澤、泥炭沼澤、和松樹。
- 馬爾地夫的巴阿環礁(Baa Atoll)，豐富的珊瑚礁中環抱著世界級的生物多樣性。
- 葡萄牙博蘭加司群島(Berlangas)，包括一群小島和岩石組成的博蘭加司，以及陸地城市潘尼奇(Peniche)。
- 俄羅斯聯邦的伏爾加-阿卡圖巴(Volga-Akhtuba)的沖積平原，是高產量沖積草原、產卵場、橡樹園以及國際級的重要溼地。
- 聖基茨和尼維斯的聖瑪麗，包含有雲霧林、紅樹林與珊瑚礁。
- 瑞典的布萊金群島(Blekinge)，包含了布萊金絕大多數海岸與群島。
- 瑞典的柰得利-達拉爾文河(Nedre Dalalven)景觀，面積達308,000公頃，內有溼地、河川、湖泊、沖積平原以及高產量的森林。
- 多哥(Togo)的歐提-凱倫/歐提-滿都里(Oti-Keran/Oti-Mandouri)，包含灌叢、稀樹草原、廊道林、以及大草原，其中的歐提-滿都里河是拉姆薩公約中的國際重要溼地。
- 烏克蘭的羅斯圖恰(Roztochya)，佔地總面積74,800公頃，以農業、畜牧業與漁業等為主要經濟活動。
- 葉門的布拉(Bura'a)，這處崎嶇的山區與谷地交錯之地，以豐富的珍稀植物著稱。
- 葡萄牙的桑塔納馬德拉島(Santana Madeira)，這是馬德拉群島第一個生物圈保護區，但旅遊業以及農業是此區主要的經濟活動。
- 以色列的拉莫特美納許(Ramot Menashe)，有「常綠硬葉林、林地與灌叢」的地中海生態系。
- 橫跨薩爾瓦多，瓜地馬拉和洪都拉斯的川芬尼奧弗拉特尼戴(Trifinio Fraternidad)，這個熱帶的潮溼森林有許多特有種。
- 越南的貓田(Cat Tien)，原名同柰(Dong Nai)生物圈保護區，設立於2001年。教科文組織表示，新增兩個核心區域後，這個保護區的面積達到966,563公頃。
澳洲將馬魁爾島(Macquarie Island)從生物圈保護區網絡中除名，因為這裡現在沒有人居住，而人類的存在，是入選生物圈網絡的標準之一。
The United Nations today added 18 new sites to its global list of biosphere reserves, bringing the total to 581 in 114 countries. Biosphere reserves are places of outstanding value recognized by UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere Programme where local communities are actively involved in socio-economic development and biodiversity conservation.
Meeting in Dresden, the International Coordinating Council of UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere Programme added sites in Lithuania, Maldives, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Togo for the first time to the World Network of Biosphere Reserves.
Biosphere reserves are sites for experimenting with and learning about sustainable development, the council said.
The Man and the Biosphere Programme is an intergovernmental scientific program aiming to set a scientific basis to improve relationships between people and their environment globally by combining natural and social sciences, economics and education.
Launched in the early 1970s, the MAB Programme is concerned with problems at the interface of scientific, environmental, societal and development issues.
By focusing on sites internationally recognized in the World Network of Biosphere Reserves, the program strives to identify and assess the changes in the biosphere resulting from human and natural activities and the effects of these changes on humans and the environment, in particular in the context of climate change.
The new Man and the Biosphere sites are:
- Bras d'Or Lake, in Nova Scotia, Canada, which encompasses a saltwater estuary watershed inland sea with three passages to the Atlantic Ocean.
- Mao'er Mountain in China, which features a mountain landscape of exceptional scenery, with peaks reaching more than 2,000 meters (6,561 feet) above sea level.
- Corredor Biologico Nevados de Chillan-Laguna del Laja in Chile, which is located in the northern part of the Patagonia region and is a global biodiversity hotspot.
- Songor, Ghana, which is characterized by a unique combination of brackish estuarine, freshwater and marine ecosystems with mangroves, islands and small patches of community-protected forests.
- Mujib, Jordan, which is part of the Dead Sea basin and Jordan Rift Valley landscape.
- Zuvintas, Lithuania, which includes lakes, wetlands, mires, peat bogs, and pine tree stands.
- Baa Atoll, Maldives, which harbors globally significant biodiversity in its numerous reefs.
- Berlangas archipelago, Portugal, which includes the Berlangas, a group of small islands and rocks, and the city of Peniche on the mainland.
- Volga-Akhtuba floodplain in the Russian Federation, which represents high-yielding floodplain meadows, spawning grounds, oak groves and internationally important wetlands.
- St. Mary's, Saint Kitts and Nevis, which comprises cloud forests, mangroves and coral reefs.
- Blekinge Archipelago in Sweden, which includes most of the coastal areas and archipelagos of Blekinge.
- Nedre Dalalven River Landscape in Sweden, which covers 308,000 hectares (1,190 square miles) with wetlands, rivers, lakes, flood plains and productive forests.
- Oti-Keran/Oti-Mandouri in Togo, which encompasses shrubland, savannas, forest galleries and grasslands. The catchment of the Oti-Mandouri River is recognized as a Wetland of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention.
- Roztochya, Ukraine, which covers a total area of 74,800 hectares (288 square miles) with agriculture, stock-breeding and fish farming as its main economic activities.
- Bura'a, Yemen, which is a rugged mountainous area intersected by deep valleys rich in rare, vulnerable and endemic plant species.
- Santana Madeira, Portugal, which is the first biosphere reserve in the Madeira Archipelago. Despite an active tourist industry, agriculture dominates the economy.
- Ramot Menashe in Israel, which encompasses the Mediterranean Basin's version of the global "evergreen sclerophyllous forests, woodlands and scrub" ecosystem types.
- Trifinio Fraternidad Biosphere Reserve, which stretches over parts of El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. The tropical humid forest is inhabited by many endemic species.
- Meanwhile in Vietnam, Cat Tien is the new name of the former Dong Nai Biosphere Reserve, which was designated in 2001. Two new core zones have been added to the site, bringing its total area to 966,563 hectares, UNESCO said.
Australia withdrew Macquarie Island from the World Network of Biosphere Reserves because it is uninhabited by humans and human presence is a criterion for inclusion in the network.
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In my healing journey and learning to attain the breath awareness, I become aware of the reality that all the creatures of the world are breathing the same breath. Take action, here and now. From my physical being to the every corner of this out of balance's planet.
