Kanchenjunga Biosphere Reserve Iincluded in the List of UNESCO's World Network of Biosphere Reserve

Kanchenjunga Biosphere Reserve which is located in Sikkim, India has been added to UNESCO's World Network of Biosphere Reserve. Around the world, there are 686 biosphere from 122 countries. The biosphere areas which are comprising territorial, marine and coastal ecosystems.

Kanchenjunga Biosphere Reserve which is located in the state of Sikkim, bordering Nepal to the west and Tibet (China) to the north-west, this biosphere reserve is one of the highest ecosystems in the world, reaching elevations of 1,220 to 8,586 metres above sea level. The site is one of the world’s 34 biodiversity hotspots. It includes vast natural forests that support high species diversity with high levels of endemism. The main economic activities are agricultural and horticultural crops, animal husbandry, fish, dairy and poultry farming.

It is home for many threatened animals including musk deer, snow leopard, red panda and Himalayan Tahr. It is also home for many ethnic communities including Lepcha, Nepalese, and Bhutia. The biosphere reserve is a trans-boundary bio-diversity hotspot conservation area. There are about 22 endemic and 22 rare and threatened plants in the area. The reserve also housed some of the newly described plant taxa such as, Myrmechis bakhimensis (Orchidaceae), Craniotome furcata var. sikkimensis (Lamiaceae), Craniotome furcata var. ureolata (Lamiaceae) and Cortiella gauri (Apiaceae). The epiphytes and lianas are abundant here. Besides, there are about 30 species of rhododendrons recorded and out of over 42 confirmed mammal species belonging to 16 families in the area- According to a statement of UNESCO.

Kanchenjunga National Park is inside the Kanchenjunga Biosphere Reserve. Kanchenjunga National Park holds 130 endemic species of eastern Himalayas and more than 212 bird species of conservation concerns including seven globally threatened species.

The other Indian biosphere reserves are Nilgiri(2000), Gulf of Mannar(2001), Sunderban(2001), Nanda Devi(2004), Nokrek(2009), Pachmarhi(2009), Simlipal(2009), Achanakmar-Amarkantak(2012), Great Nicobar(2013) and Agasthyamala(2016).