Conservation Spiti Valley Becomes India’s First Cold Desert Biosphere Reserve Snow leopard, often called the “ghost of the mountains,” photographed in India’s trans-Himalayan terrain — a flagship species now central to Spiti’s recognition as a Cold Desert Biosphere Reserve. (Photo By Ismail Shariff for Ministry of Tourism, Government of India / CC BY 3.0 Unported) High up in Himachal Pradesh’s trans-Himalayan landscape, where the air is thin and mountain silence breaks only with wind, Spiti Valley has scripted history. The valley received recognition as India’s first Cold Desert Biosphere Reserve under UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme. The announcement … Continue reading Spiti Valley UNESCO Biosphere: 7,770 Sq Km Cold Desert Protects 732 Species, 12,000 Inhabitants in Himachal