biosphere

Remote cloud forests in Viet Nam, hundreds of atolls in Micronesia and mangroves in El Salvador are featured in the 23 ecosystems which were added today to a United Nations network set up to fight biodiversity loss and promote sustainable development that helps local communities.

Experts from around the world are gathering this week at the Paris headquarters of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to consider 33 new sites for inclusion into the World Network of Biosphere Reserves.