PH town among 14 new UNESCO biosphere reserves worldwide
Inquirer.net
06 June 2026
MANILA, Philippines — Unesco has designated the Matibay na Bayan ng Sablayan Biosphere Reserve in Occidental Mindoro as one of 14 new biosphere reserves added to the World Network of Biosphere Reserves on World Environment Day.
The designation was announced on June 5 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco), which said the new additions brought the global network to 797 biosphere reserves in 145 countries.
The Matibay na Bayan ng Sablayan Biosphere Reserve was among sites approved by Unesco’s International Co-ordinating Council of the Man and the Biosphere Programme during its 38th session in Hernandarias, Paraguay.
New Unesco sites
Unesco said the other newly designated biosphere reserves are located in Albania, Algeria, Aruba, Azerbaijan, Cameroon, Canada, Iran, Mongolia, Montenegro, Paraguay, Portugal, Timor-Leste, and Viet Nam.
The biosphere reserve in the Philippines covers the entire municipality of Sablayan in Occidental Mindoro, accounting for nearly 39 percent of the province’s total area. It spans 327,880 hectares and includes a mix of terrestrial and marine ecosystems.
Its core areas cover 86,265 hectares, including 70,188 hectares of terrestrial area and 16,077 hectares of marine area. These comprise seven terrestrial and 10 marine protected areas established under national or local legislation.
Home to Mangyan tribes
The reserve is home to indigenous peoples, particularly the Alangan and Taubuid Mangyan tribes, two of the eight ethnolinguistic groups inhabiting the mountainous areas of Mindoro.
Unescao noted that most of the municipality’s population, estimated at 84,898 in 2022, lives in the transition areas of the reserve. Agriculture remains the primary source of livelihood, particularly the cultivation of rice and corn, while ecotourism has emerged as an important driver of conservation and community development.
A Biosphere Management Council of Sablayan will oversee the reserve. The council will consist of representatives from the local government unit, national government agencies, academic institutions, and other stakeholder groups.
‘Living laboratories’
Unesco defines biosphere reserves as territories where biodiversity conservation, sustainable development, and scientific research are pursued simultaneously. The sites serve as “living laboratories” where communities test and develop approaches to balancing environmental protection with economic and social needs.
“Biosphere reserves prove every day that protecting nature and improving human lives are not competing goals,” Unesco Director-General Khaled El-Enany said in a statement marking World Environment Day.
“This year’s designations span every continent showing the full range of what it means to live in harmony with nature. Unesco will continue to work with governments, communities and scientists to ensure these living laboratories remain at the forefront of the world’s response to the climate and biodiversity crises,” he added.
Unesco also highlighted the role of biosphere reserves in advancing global conservation goals. Since the launch of the Man and the Biosphere Programme in 1971, biosphere reserves have become a key component of Unesco’s environmental initiatives, alongside World Heritage sites and Global Geoparks.
The organization said these sites contribute to the protection of more than 13 million square kilometers of terrestrial and marine ecosystems worldwide and support the global target of conserving 30 percent of the planet’s land and sea areas by 2030.
The Philippines’ newest biosphere reserve joins a global network of protected areas that promote biodiversity conservation while supporting the livelihoods, cultures, and sustainable development of local communities. /dm