El Cajas is a 976,000 hectares (three times the size of Long Island) area on the western flanks of the Andes range in south Ecuador. Part of El Cajas is already protected as a National Park.

The larger Cajas watershed area straddles four provinces (Azuay, Cañar, Guayas and El Oro) and is home to 850,000 people. It encompasses the national park, as well as the National Recreation Area Quimsacocha, and part of the Pacific coast.

Leaders in the closest city, Cuenca, say that this Monday UNESCO will make an announcement about the areas status as a potential biosphere reserve.

Just added to UNESCOs global biosphere network: Cajas Natl Park (Equator) & Lao Tie Mountain Reserve (China) ow.ly/lshYg

— UNESCO (@UNESCO) May 28, 2013

According to the UNESCO website:

“Biosphere reserves are sites established by countries and recognized under UNESCOs Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme to promote sustainable development based on local community efforts and sound science. 

"As places that seek to reconcile conservation of biological and cultural diversity and economic and social development through partnerships between people and nature, they are ideal to test and demonstrate innovative approaches to sustainable development from local to international scales."

Water from the Cajas region produces about 51 percent of Ecuador’s hidroelectric energy. 

The team that proposed El Cajas as a potential biosphere reserve highlighted the importance in this region of balancing communities, conservation and development.

Cuenca’s mayor Paúl Granda said UNESCO’s designation would serve to recognize the responsible management of water, industry, farming and social responsibility in the area.

Original story

*This storys headline has been changed from "El Cajas seeks UNESCO biosphere reserve status" to reflect its succesful designation.