The Cold Desert Biosphere Reserve in Himachal Pradesh's Lahaul-Spiti region has been added to UNESCO's World Network of Biosphere Reserves (WNBR), bringing India's total on the list to 13. Spanning about 7,770 sq km, it features plateaus, glacial valleys, alpine lakes, rare flora and fauna (including snow leopard), and around 12,000 residents in high-altitude villages. WNBR now includes 785 sites.