UNESCO includes Panna in its World Network of Biosphere Reserve : GS TIMES IAS-PCS

UNESCO has included Panna in its ‘World Network of Biosphere Reserve.’ UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere (MAB) programme on October 28, 2020 added 25 new sites, one of them transboundary, in 18 countries to the World Network of Biosphere Reserves, which now numbers 714 biosphere reserves in 129 countries around the globe.

About Panna Biosphere Reserve

Panna is third UNESCO Biosphere reserve in the state of Madhya Pradesh after Panchmarhi and Amarkantak. Panna is also the 12th UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in India.

The Panna national Park was initially set up in 1981. In 1990s it was included in the Project tiger. Union Ministry of Environment and Forest had notified the Panna national park as the Biosphere reserve in August 2011.

It is a critical tiger habitat area and hosts the Panna Tiger Reserve, as well as the World Heritage site of the Khajuraho Group of Monuments.

World Network of Biosphere Reserves

The World Network of Biosphere Reserves of the MAB Programme consists of a dynamic and interactive network of sites of excellence.

It fosters the harmonious integration of people and nature for sustainable development through participatory dialogue; knowledge sharing; poverty reduction and human well-being improvements; respect for cultural values and society’s ability to cope with change.

Three functions are pursued through the Biosphere Reserves’ three main zones:

Core Areas: It comprises a strictly protected zone that contributes to the conservation of landscapes, ecosystems, species and genetic variation
Buffer Zones: It surrounds or adjoins the core area(s), and is used for activities compatible with sound ecological practices that can reinforce scientific research, monitoring, training and education.
Transition Area: The transition area is where communities foster socio-culturally and ecologically sustainable economic and human activities.