Three wildlife reserves from India added to UNESCO`s list

New York, May 27 (PTI) Three wildlife reserves from
India are among the 22 new sites from 17 countries added by
United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO) to its Worldwide Network of Biosphere
Reserves.

The reserves at Simplipal in India's eastern state of
Orissa, Norkek in north-eastern state of Meghalaya and
Panchmarhi in central state of Madhya Pradesh were added to
the list Wednesday bringing the total number of sites to 553.

UNESCO, whose International Coordinating Council of
the Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB-ICC) is meeting on
the Island of Jeju in South Korea, now has its Biosphere
Reserves in 107 countries.

Similipal, 320 kilometre from Bhubaneswar, which used
to be the hunting ground of the Maharajah of Mayurbhanj is now
a home to three animal species -- Tiger, Asian Elephant and
gaur.

Nokrek is a famous biological hot spot, harbouring
elephants, tigers, leopards and gibbons while Panchmarhi,
which has tiger and other wildlife resorts, is considered a
botanists' paradise.

Biosphere reserves are areas designated to serve as
places to test different approaches to integrated management
of terrestrial, freshwater, coastal and marine resources and
biodiversity. As a result, they are sites for experimenting
with and learning about sustainable development. PTI