Himachal cold desert enters UNESCO biosphere reserve list

The decision to include India’s Cold Desert Biosphere Reserve in the WNBR was taken at the 37th session of UNSECO’s International Coordinating Council of the Man and the Biosphere (MAB) held in Paris Saturday, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said in a post on X.

Spread in the Trans-Himalayan region, the reserve encompasses the entire Spiti Wildlife Division and adjoining areas of the Lahaul Forest Division, including Baralacha Pass, Bharatpur, and Sarchu with altitudes ranging from 3,300 to 6,600 m. It integrates Pin Valley National Park, Kibber Wildlife Sanctuary, Chandratal Wetland, and the Sarchu plains, encompassing windswept plateaus, glacial valleys, alpine lakes, and high-altitude desert making it one of the coldest and driest ecosystems in WNBR.

The Cold Desert is zoned into three parts — core (2,665 sq km), buffer (3,977 sq km), and transition (1,128 sq km) — balancing conservation, sustainable use, and community participation. Ecologically, it harbours 655 herbs, 41 shrubs, and 17 tree species, including 14 endemics and 47 medicinal plants crucial to the Sowa Rigpa/Amchi system. Its wildlife includes 17 mammal and 119 bird species, with the snow leopard as the flagship species, supported by a robust prey base of more than 800 blue sheep in Spiti valley. The fauna also includes Himalayan ibex and Himalayan wolf.

Around 12,000 inhabitants live in scattered villages, practising traditional pastoralism, yak and goat herding, barley and pea farming, and Tibetan herbal medicine, knowledge sustained through Buddhist monastic traditions and community councils that regulate the use of fragile alpine resources, as per a statement by UNECCO. “As India’s first high- altitude cold desert biosphere reserve, it highlights the urgent need to safeguard mountain ecosystems facing tourism pressures and climate change,” it added.

Welcoming the development, Amitabh Gautam, PCCF (Wildlife) and Chief Wildlife Warden of Himachal Pradesh, said the designation would boost international research collaborations, promote responsible eco-tourism, and strengthen climate resilience efforts in the Himalayas. “The recognition has firmly placed Himachal’s cold desert on the global conservation map,” he said.

Meanwhile, Union Minister Yadav said, “India now proudly has 13 biospheres listed in WNBR, which reflects India’s commitment towards biodiversity conservation and community-led sustainable development”.

He said India continues to make dedicated efforts towards preserving, protecting and restoring the ecosystem. The development comes soon after two Ramsar sites in India were added to the UNESCO list, increasing the total number of Ramsar sites to 93, Yadav added.