International Day for Biosphere Reserves 2025 – November 3

The International Day for Biosphere Reserves (BR), also known as the World Biosphere Reserve Day, is observed every year across the world on 3rd November by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to raise awareness about the importance of BR and to promote their conservation and sustainable management.

• November 3, 2025 marked the observance of the 4th International Day BR.

Background:

Adoption: The 41st session of the UNESCO General Conference adopted Resolution 41 C/37 in 2021, proclaiming 3rd November of every year as the International Day for BR.

Proclamation: The 211th session of the UNESCO Executive Board included the proposal for proclaiming the International Day for BR, following a joint request from Spain and Uruguay.

First Observance: The first International Day for BR was celebrated on 3rd November 2022.

About Biosphere Reserve(BR): 

BR: It serves as sites for testing interdisciplinary approaches to manage and understand interactions between social and ecological systems, including biodiversity conservation and conflict management.

Governance: BRs are nominated by national governments and remain under the sovereign jurisdiction of the respective countries where they are located.

MAB Programme: The Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme is an intergovernmental scientific initiative that provides a scientific foundation for improving the relationship between people and their environments.

• The MAB Programme, guided by UNESCO Member States, is governed by the International Coordinating Council (MAB-ICC), also known as the MAB Council, comprising 34 Member States.

WNBR:The World Network of BR(WNBR) has 759 sites in 136 countries including 25 transboundary sites.

Biosphere reserves in India:

Coverage: India has 18 designated BRs covering around 91,425square kilometers(sq. km), out of which 13 are included in UNESCO’s WNBR.

First BR: The Nilgiri BR, also known as the Blue Mountains, spanning across Tamil Nadu(TN), Karnataka, and Kerala, was the first BR in India.

Other Major BR: Other prominent BR in India include Gulf of Mannar, Sunderbans, Nanda Devi, Nokrek, Similipal, Pachmarhi, Achanakmar–Amarkantak, Great Nicobar, Agasthyamala, Khangchendzonga, and Panna.

New Inclusion: In September 2025, India’s Cold Desert BR located in Himachal Pradesh(HP) was added to UNESCO’s WNBR.

Administration and Scheme : The BR Division of the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (MoEFCC) oversees a Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) for Biodiversity Conservation, implemented as a sub-scheme under the broader Conservation of Natural Resources and Ecosystems (CNRE) programme.

About United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO):
Director-General(DG) – Audrey Azoulay
Headquarters – Paris, France
Founded – 1945