Where snow leopards roam: India's cold desert earns global recognition

In a landscape where snow leopards prowl ancient valleys and Buddhist monks preserve millennia-old wisdom, one of India’s most extreme wildernesses has just earned global recognition.

High in the trans-Himalayan wilderness of northern India, where oxygen grows thin and temperatures plummet to bone-chilling extremes, lies one of Earth's most extraordinary ecosystems. The Cold Desert — a stark, windswept expanse of glacial valleys and alpine plateaus — has just been designated as UNESCO's newest Biosphere Reserve, marking a pivotal moment for conservation in the Indian Himalayas.

The Cold Desert Biosphere Reserve spans approximately 7,770 km² across the dramatic landscapes of Himachal Pradesh's Lahaul-Spiti district. Encompassing windswept plateaus, glacial valleys, alpine lakes, and rugged high-altitude deserts, it is one of the coldest and driest ecosystems in UNESCO's World Network of Biosphere Reserves.

With altitudes ranging from 3,300 to 6,600 metres, the reserve covers the Pin Valley National Park and Kibber and Chandratal Wildlife Sanctuaries.
 

Around 12,000 inhabitants live in scattered villages, practicing traditional pastoralism, yak and goat herding, barley and pea farming, and Tibetan herbal medicine. This knowledge is sustained through Buddhist monastic traditions and community councils that regulate the use of fragile alpine resources.

UNESCO biosphere reserves are "living laboratories for sustainable development" where conservation and human activity are managed together, rather than cordoning off nature as a separate entity. This philosophy is perfectly embodied in the Cold Desert, where time-tested governance systems demonstrate how communities can thrive while preserving their environment.

This fragile cold desert ecosystem supports hardy alpine grasses, medicinal herbs, and rare stands of Willow-leaved sea-buckthorn, Himalayan birch, and Persian juniper. The reserve harbors 732 species of vascular plants, including 30 endemic species and 157 near-endemics of the Indian Himalayas.

Among the region's iconic fauna are the snow leopard, Himalayan ibex, blue sheep, and the rare Himalayan wolf. The skies above host rich birdlife, including the Himalayan snowcock and golden eagle.
 

As the world faces growing climate and biodiversity crises, UNESCO Biosphere Reserves offer a powerful, yet underreported solution. These globally recognized areas are more than just protected land — they are living laboratories where communities, scientists, and governments collaborate to find sustainable ways of living in harmony with nature.

The Cold Desert's designation brings the total number of UNESCO Biosphere Reserves in India to 13, with more than 10 million people living within these areas. The biosphere reserves in India demonstrate how governments, scientists, and local Indigenous communities co-manage nature and development — from climate resilience and risk reduction to nature-based livelihoods, education and science.

 

Globally, the World Network now comprises 785 biosphere reserves in 136 countries, spanning approximately 7.4 million km² and home to roughly 275 million people. Remarkably, 70% of UNESCO Member States now have at least one biosphere reserve, showcasing the global commitment to sustainable development.

The designation announcement came at the end of the World Congress of Biosphere Reserves, convening in Hangzhou, China, from 22-26 September. Every 10 years, the World Network of Biosphere Reserves brings together more than 2,000 stakeholders including scientists, policymakers, community leaders, entrepreneurs, and conservationists to identify priorities, strengthen collaboration, and define a Global Action Plan with specific targets for the next decade — including the goal of having at least one biosphere reserve in every UNESCO Member State.