Mount Kilimanjaro with Cape buffalo in foreground, Amboseli Biosphere Reserve, Kenya

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Living in harmony. International Day for Biosphere Reserves

The Amboseli Biosphere Reserve, which we feature today, is on the Kenyan side of Mount Kilimanjaro and includes an amazing variety of ecological zones, including dry mountain forest, savannah rangelands, wetlands and swamps.

Elephants, lions, and giraffes make their home in the Amboseli, which was the focus of a UN-sponsored program to protect the area's biodiversity – its mixture of animals, plants, fungi and microorganisms. It was designated a Unesco biosphere reserve in 1980.

Biosphere reserves are vast areas used to promote biodiversity, cultural diversity, eco-friendly economies and research on how humans can coexist with nature. Today, 3 November, is the first Unesco-designated annual International Day for Biosphere Reserves.