UNESCO names 23 new protected 'bio-reserves'

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PARIS, Sept 21: (AFP.) The UN cultural agency UNESCO added 23 new sites to their global 'bio-reserves' list on Thursday, naming areas from Australia to Mongolia in an effort to prevent further flora and fauna loss.
They were selected from a list of 33 submitted by member states and include the mountainous area of Jabal al Rihane in Lebanon and the And Atoll, a seascape consisting of 607 islands in Micronesia.
They and 21 others chosen will join 529 sites in 105 countries already in the programme, which was launched by the UN agency in 1970