The Biosphere Reserves are areas of the world selected because they are characterized by ecosystems, both terrestrial coastal, and marine, that are particularly significant for their biodiversity and in which communities permanently reside.
The Reserves are conceived as ‘laboratories on the ground’ and the people who live in these unique places are called upon to be an integral part and leading actors of an economic development that respects the environment surrounding them.
They are dynamic realities where, since 1971, UNESCO, with its “Man and Biosphere” (MAB) program, has been seeking local solutions to global problems in the relationship between man and nature.
Here, responsible resource management, the care and enhancement of diversity, and shared cultural and social growth are promoted, benefiting all forms of life that reside there. With the hope of finding that balance, between economic development and nature, which is necessary if biological and cultural diversity is to survive over time.
We were inspired by the beauty and colors of some of these beautiful places to create our new line of
Energy yoga mats – Mankind & Biosphere
3°11’27”S – 35°32’19”E
Ngorongoro Crater
Serengeti Plain- TANZANIA
https://www.ncaa.go.tz/
Biosphere Reserve since 1981.
The Ngorongoro Crater is a wonder of nature, within it lives an indigenous community made up, for the most part, of representatives of the semi-nomadic Maasai people, proud pastoralists with a past as great warriors. Unfortunately, they are no longer allowed to build their traditional circular farms in the conservation area but can continue to graze their cattle undisturbed.
They share this paradise with many wild animals, first and foremost the African Big Five (the lion, the African elephant, the leopard, the buffalo, and even a small group of black rhinos, which are extremely rare because they are heavily threatened by rampant poaching).
In addition to an extraordinary diversity of plants and animals, this reserve protects numerous sites of palaeontological, archaeological, and anthropological value, important for research into the evolution of the human species.
Marion Inderst on Energy 4mm – Tanzania
Black Rhino – Diceros Bicornis
27°44’36”N – 18°02’17”W
El Hierro
Canary Islands – SPAIN
Biosphere Reserve since 2000.
El Hierro is the smallest and youngest of the Canary Islands.
It is also known as the island of the Meridian because it was the crossing point of the zero meridian until 1884. In ancient times, it was considered by explorers to be the end of the dry world, the last land before the sea spilled beyond the imaginary boundary of the horizon.
Tireless fishermen strive to safeguard the islands’ extraordinary marine biodiversity by practicing sustainable, non-invasive fishing, while on land, austere ‘transhumant shepherds’ graze their sheep in places full of magic.
Symbols of this extraordinary island are the Sabinar, gnarled junipers whose trunks are shaped and directed by the strong and constant blowing of the trade winds, and the Galliota Simonyi, a giant lizard endemic to the island, which is remarkably large and can reach the respectable weight of 4 kg!
Deborah Gheller on Energy 4mm – Canary Islands
Charco Azul – El Hierro
Giant Lizard of Hierro – Gallotia simonyi
41°27’50”N – 46°06’40”E
Dedoplistskaro
GEORGIA
https://www.ncaa.go.tz/
Biosphere Reserve since 2022.
This reserve is very recently established. Characterized by remote, extensive, and sparsely populated areas close to the border with Azerbaijan, it is a biodiversity hotspot home to rare species including specimens of the Persian (or Caucasian) leopard, an animal believed to be extinct for a long time.
A curiosity of this reserve is the mud volcanoes in the Takhti-Tepha natural monument area. Located at an altitude of 620 m above sea level, they are constantly active and erupt mud, oil, and gas.
Its grasslands are traditionally grazing areas for cattle, the primary livelihood source for local communities.
The worldwide recognition as a biosphere reserve will allow for more sustainable development of the entire area, using more environmentally friendly farming and livestock breeding techniques and, by enhancing ecotourism, create new opportunities for the region’s inhabitants.
Chiara – The Lagomers on Energy Travel 1,5mm – Georgia
Persian Leopard – Panthera pardus saxicolor
Vashlovani – Dedoplistskaro
