Ethiopia and Zimbabwe have added their first biosphere reserves to the network of reserves created by the United Nations to halt the loss of biodiversity and promote sustainable development. One of the two new Ethiopian reserves protects the place of origin of the plant Caffea Arabica, believed to be the first species of coffee ever cultivated.

The decision to include the reserves in Ethiopia and Zimbabwe was taken by the International Coordination Council of UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere Programme, which concluded its annual session Friday at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris.

The Council also added 10 biosphere reserve sites in Iran, Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru, Poland, Slovenia, South Korea, and Sweden, while five sites were extended in Chile, Costa Rica, Finland, Germany and Switzerland.

The World Network of Biosphere Reserves now numbers 564 sites in 109 countries.

Biosphere Reserves are areas designated under UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere Programme to serve as places to test different approaches to integrated management of terrestrial, freshwater, coastal and marine resources and biodiversity. They are protected areas that are meant to demonstrate a balanced relationship between humans and nature. (more…)

The Departments of Informatics and Information Science of the University of Pretoria have organized training on information literacy at Kgoro primary school, located in Zithobeni township, South Africa. Funded by UNESCO, the training aims to provide teachers with basic skills in ICT and information literacy.

The training, which started last month, is taking place over eight Saturdays and will end up with the certification ceremony planned for 13 August. It is certified by the Continuing Education Trust at the University of Pretoria. (more…)