Lang Biang Biosphere Reserve in Lam Dong province was officially recognised as a global biosphere at the 27th meeting session of the International Co-ordinating Council of the Man and Biosphere Programme of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (MAB/UNESCO) in Paris, France on June 9.
Speaking at the session, Vice Chairman of Lam Dong provincial People’s Committee Pham S expressed his delight at the recognition, and reiterated Vietnam’s commitment to successfully conserving the reserve’s biodiversity in accordance with criteria of the MAB/UNESCO as well as co-operating closely with MAB’s experts for the sustainable management of Lang Biang.
Lang Biang is the ninth UNESCO-recognised biosphere reserve in Vietnam, others include Can Gio Mangrove, Cat Ba, Cat Tien, and Cu Lao Cham-Hoi An, as well as Kien Giang, Mui Ca Mau, Red River Delta, and Western Nghe An.
The Lang Biang biosphere reserve spans 260,000 hectares, with its core area of 56,000ha situated in Bidoup-Nui Ba National Park. Surrounding the core area is an 86,000-hectare buffer zone filled with communes.
The remaining 118,000ha is a wide transitional area covering parts of Da Lat City and Lac Duong, Lam Ha, Duc Trong and Don Duong districts.
The Lang Biang biosphere reserve's core area, a national centre for biodiversity protection, is home to more than 2,000 plant species and nearly 400 animal species, of which 127 are rare species identified on Vietnam’s red list.