About Cold Desert Biosphere Reserve:
- It is perched high in the trans-Himalayan region.
- It spans approximately 7,770 sq. km. across the landscapes of Himachal Pradesh’s Lahaul-Spiti district.
- It was declared a biosphere reserve in 2009.
- Terrain: It encompasses windswept plateaus, glacial valleys, alpine lakes, and rugged high-altitude deserts.
- This is India’s first high-altitude cold desert biosphere reserve and one of the coldest and driest ecosystems in UNESCO’s WNBR.
- It covers the Pin Valley National Park and its surroundings, Chandratal and Sarchu & Kibber Wildlife Sanctuary.
- With this addition, India now has 13 biospheres listed in UNESCO’s World Network of Biosphere Reserves (WNBR).
- Flora: It harbours 732 species of vascular plants, including 30 endemics and 157 near-endemics of the Indian Himalayas,
- This fragile cold desert ecosystem supports hardy alpine grasses, medicinal herbs, and rare stands of Willow-leaved sea-buckthorn, Himalayan birch and Persian juniper.
- Fauna: It is home to leopard, Himalayan ibex, blue sheep, Himalayan wolf, and rich bird life such as the Himalayan snowcock and golden eagle.
