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Samota minapolitan zone becomes newest UNESCO biosphere reserve
Samota in West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) has been added to UNESCO’s biosphere reserves list, making it the sixteenth biosphere reserve from Indonesia to be recognized by the organization.
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A panoramic view of a plane with Mount Tambora looming in the background. (Shutterstock/File)
The Samota (Saleh, Moyo, Tambora) minapolitan zone in West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) has been added to UNESCO’s list of biosphere reserves following the result announcement of the 31st Session of the Man and Biosphere Program International Coordinating Council in France.
NTB Deputy Governor Sitti Rohmi Djalilah, who represented Indonesia during the meeting with four other delegates, said that Samota was the second biosphere reserve from NTB to be recognized by UNESCO, the first being Mount Rinjani.
Read also: Indonesia to propose three national parks as new biosphere reserves
“Samota was added to the UNESCO’s biosphere reserves list, making it the sixteenth biosphere reserve from Indonesia that has been recognized by the organization,” he told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.
Separately, the NTB administration spokesman Najamuddin Amy said that Samota, as well as Rinjani, were considered important reserves since both helped the local community to develop themselves.
“Hopefully our two biosphere reserves can help NTB to achieve our sustainable development goals,” Najamuddin said in a statement.
As for now, Najamuddin said there were 686 biosphere reserves around the world, 16 of which were in Indonesia. He also said that a biosphere reserve was an important tool to prevent the extinction of various animal and plant species.
“We need to involve various stakeholders in order to manage the biosphere reserve properly,” Najamuddin said, emphasizing that the local community’s involvement was a crucial part of managing the reserves. (dpk/kes)
