Lajat Biosphere Reserve

UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, inscribed 2009, in Syrian Arab Republic. The Lajat Biosphere Reserve is located on the Lajat Plateau in Sweida Governorate, in the southernmost corner of Syria on the border with Jordan. It covers 12,038 ha at elevations from 600 to 900 m above sea level. The site supports extremely diverse biological wealth and encompasses some of the most striking landscapes of Sweida Province. Basaltic undulating hills, interspersed with black pumice or pozzolan high cones, are unparalleled in the country and the region, and they contrast sharply with the varied semi-arid landscapes elsewhere in the reserve.