Biosphere reserves of India

Last updated

There are 18 biosphere reserves in India. [1] They protect larger areas of natural habitat than a typical national park or animal sanctuary, and often include one or more national parks or reserves, along with buffer zones that are open to some economic uses. Protection is granted not only to the flora and fauna of the protected region, but also to the human communities who inhabit these regions, and their ways of life. In total there are 18 biosphere reserves in India.

Contents

World network

Twelve of the eighteen biosphere reserves are a part of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves, based on the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme list. [1] [2] [3]

#NameStates/ UTYear
1 Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka 2000
2 Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve Tamil Nadu 2001
3 Sundarbans Biosphere Reserve West Bengal 2001
4 Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve Uttarakhand 2004
5 Nokrek Biosphere Reserve Meghalaya 2009
6 Pachmarhi Biosphere Reserve Madhya Pradesh 2009
7 Simlipal Biosphere Reserve Odisha 2009
8 Great Nicobar Biosphere Reserve Andaman & Nicobar Islands 2013
9 Achanakmar-Amarkantak Biosphere Reserve Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh 2012 [2]
10 Agasthyamalai Biosphere Reserve Kerala and Tamil Nadu 2016 [4]
11 Khangchendzonga National Park Sikkim 2018 [5]
12 Panna Biosphere Reserve Madhya Pradesh 2020 [6]

List of biosphere reserves in India

Biosphere reserves of India [7]
YearNameLocationStateTypeKey faunaArea (km2)
11986 Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve Part of Waynad, Nagarhole, Bandipur and Mudumalai, Nilambur, Silent Valley Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala Western Ghats Nilgiri tahr, tiger, lion-tailed macaque 5520
21988 Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve Parts of Chamoli District, Pithoragarh District & Bageshwar District Uttarakhand Western Himalayas Snow leopard, Himalayan black bear 5860
31988 Nokrek In West Garo Hills Meghalaya Eastern hills Red panda 820.00 
41989 Gulf of Mannar Indian part of Gulf of Mannar extending from Rameswaram island in the north to Kanyakumari in the south of Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka Tamil Nadu Coasts Dugong 10500
51989 Sundarbans Part of delta of Ganges and Brahmaputra river system West Bengal Gangetic Delta Royal Bengal tiger 9630
61989 Manas Part of Kokrajhar, Bongaigaon, Barpeta, Nalbari, Kamrup and Darrang Districts Assam Eastern Hills Asiatic elephant, tiger, Assam roofed turtle, hispid hare, golden langur, pygmy hog 2837
71989 Great Nicobar Biosphere Reserve Southernmost of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands Andaman and Nicobar Islands Islands Saltwater crocodile 885
81994 Simlipal Part of Mayurbhanj district Odisha Deccan Peninsula Gaur, royal Bengal tiger, Asian elephant 4374
91998 Dihang-Dibang Part of Siang and Dibang Valley Arunachal Pradesh Eastern Himalaya Mishmi takin, musk deer 5112
101997 Dibru-Saikhowa Part of Dibrugarh and Tinsukia districts Assam Eastern Hills White-winged wood duck, water buffalo, black-breasted parrotbill, tiger, capped langur 765
111999 Pachmarhi Biosphere Reserve Parts of Betul District, Hoshangabad District and Chhindwara District Madhya Pradesh Semi-Arid Giant squirrel, flying squirrel 4981.72
122000 Khangchendzonga National Park Parts of Kangchenjunga Sikkim East Himalayas Snow leopard, red panda 2620
132001 Agasthyamalai Biosphere Reserve Neyyar, Peppara and Shenduruny Wildlife Sanctuary, Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve and their adjoining areas Kerala, Tamil Nadu Western Ghats Nilgiri tahr, Asian elephant 3500.08
142005 Achanakmar-Amarkantak Biosphere Reserve Part of Annupur, Dindori and Bilaspur districts Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh Maikal Hills Four-horned antelope, Indian wild dog, sarus crane, white-rumped vulture, sacred grove bush frog 3835
152008 Great Rann of Kutch Part of Kutch, Morbi, Surendranagar and Patan districts; the largest biosphere reserve in India. Gujarat Desert Indian wild ass 12454
162009 Cold Desert Pin Valley National Park and surroundings; Chandratal and Sarchu & Kibber Wildlife Sanctuary Himachal Pradesh Western Himalayas Snow leopard 7770
172010 Seshachalam Hills biosphere Seshachalam Hill Ranges covering parts of Chittoor and Kadapa districts Andhra Pradesh Eastern Hills Slender loris 4755.997 [8]
182011 [9] Panna Part of Panna and Chhattarpur districts in Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh Moist deciduous forest Bengal tiger, Chinkara, Nilgai, Sambhar sambar deer, and Sloth bear 2998.98 [10]

Key fauna

NameKey fauna
Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve Lion Tailed Macaque (EN), Nilgiri Tahr (EN), Malabar Giant Squirrel (LC), Nilgiri Langur (VU)
Nanda Devi Snow Leopard (VU), Musk Deer (EN), Bharal Or Blue Sheep (LC)
Nokrek Red Panda (EN), Hoolock Gibbons (EN), Red Giant Flying Squirrel (LC)
Great Nicobar Dugong (VU), Saltwater Crocodile (LC)
Gulf of Mannar Dugong (VU), Olive Ridley turtles (VU)
Manas Assam Roofed Turtle (EN), Hispid Hare (EN), Golden Langur (EN), Pygmy Hog (EN), Wild Water Buffalo (EN), Bengal florican (CR)
Sunderbans Royal Bengal Tiger (EN)
Simlipal Royal Bengal Tigers, Wild Elephants (EN), Gaurs (VU – Indian Bison), Chausingha (VU)
Dibru-Saikhowa Bengal Tiger, Clouded Leopard (VU), Gangetic Dolphin (EN)
Dehang-Dibang Takin (VU), Red Panda (EN)
Pachmarhi Tiger, Gaur, Indian Giant Flying Squirrels (LC)
Khangchendzonga Red Panda (EN), Snow Leopard (VU), Musk Deer (EN), Great Tibetan Sheep (Argali – NT)
Agasthyamalai Nilgiri Tahr (EN)
Achanakamar - Amarkantak Four Horned Antelope (Chausingha (VU)), Indian Wild Dog (VU)
Great Rann of Kutch (Kachchh) Great Indian Bustard (CR), Indian Wild Ass (NT)
Cold Desert Snow Leopard (VU), Himalayan Ibex (also referred to as Siberian Ibex – LC)
Seshachalam Hills Red Sanders (NT), Golden Gecko (LC – Endemic To Tirumala Hills)
Panna Tiger (EN), Chital (LC), Chinkara (LC), Sambar (VU)

Potential sites

The following is a list of potential sites for Biosphere Reserves as selected by Ministry of Forests and Environment: [11]

See also

Related Research Articles

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The Western Ghats, also known as the Sahyadri mountain range, is a mountain range that covers an area of 160,000 km2 (62,000 sq mi) in a stretch of 1,600 km (990 mi) parallel to the western coast of the Indian peninsula, traversing the states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the 36 biodiversity hotspots in the world. It is sometimes called the Great Escarpment of India. It contains a very large proportion of the country's flora and fauna, many of which are endemic to this region. The Western Ghats are older than the Himalayas. They influence Indian monsoon weather patterns by intercepting the rain-laden monsoon winds that sweep in from the south-west during late summer. The range runs north to south along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau and separates the plateau from a narrow coastal plain called the Western Coastal Plains along the Arabian Sea. A total of 39 areas in the Western Ghats, including national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and reserve forests, were designated as world heritage sites in 2012 – twenty of them in Kerala, ten in Karnataka, six in Tamil Nadu and four in Maharashtra.

In situ conservation is the on-site conservation or the conservation of genetic resources in natural populations of plant or animal species, such as forest genetic resources in natural populations of tree species. This process protects the inhabitants and ensures the sustainability of the environment and ecosystem.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve</span> International biosphere reserve of India

The Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve is a biosphere reserve in the Nilgiri Mountains of the Western Ghats in South India. It is the largest protected forest area in India, spreading across Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala. It includes the protected areas Mudumalai National Park, Mukurthi National Park, Sathyamangalam Wildlife Sanctuary in Tamil Nadu; Nagarhole National Park, Bandipur National Park, both in Karnataka; Silent Valley National Park, Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary, Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary, and Karimpuzha Wildlife Sanctuary in Kerala.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Panna National Park</span> National Park in India

Panna National Park is an Indian national park in Panna and Chhatarpur Districts of Madhya Pradesh with an area of 542.67 km2 (209.53 sq mi). It was declared in 1994 as the twenty second Tiger reserve of India and the fifth in Madhya Pradesh. Panna National Park was given the Award of Excellence in 2007 as the best maintained national park of India by the Ministry of Tourism of India. Although the reserve went through an ordeal losing almost all of its tigers in 2009 to poaching, a subsequent recovery program touted as one of the most successful big cat population restorations, has resulted in a growth of up to 80 tigers within the park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Golden Gate Biosphere Network</span>

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The Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve is a biosphere reserve in India established in 2001, located in the southernmost end of the Western Ghats and includes 3,500.36 km2 (1,351.50 sq mi) of which 1828 km2 is in Kerala and 1672.36 km2 is in Tamil Nadu. It encompasses the following wildlife sanctuaries: Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuary, Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary, Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary, and Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve.

Karimpuzha National Park is a 230 km² proposed National Park located at 11°16′30″N76°25′25″E in the Nilgiri Hills area of Kerala and Tamil Nadu, in South India, IUCN category: PRO

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Dihang-Dibang or Dehang-Debang is a biosphere reserve constituted in 1998. It is in the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh. The Mouling National Park and the Dibang Wildlife Sanctuary are located fully or partly within this biosphere reserve. The reserve spreads over three districts: Dibang Valley, Upper Siang, and West Siang. It covers high mountains of Eastern Himalaya and Mishmi Hills. The elevation in the reserve ranges up to more than 5,000 metres (16,000 ft) above sea level. An important fact relating to this Biosphere reserve is that it has natural vegetation stretching in an unbroken sequence from the tropics to mountain tundra. The type of vegetation are found in this biosphere reserve can be grouped as 1. Sub-tropical broad leafed forests, 2. Sub tropical pine forest, 3. Temperate broad leafed forests, 4. Temperate conifer, 5. Sub-alpine woody shrub, 6. Alpine meadow( mountain Tundra), 7. Bamboo brakes, 8. Grassland. The habitat in Dihang-Dibang ranges from tropical wet evergreen in the river gorges to subtropical, temperate, alpine and permanent snow.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dibang Wildlife Sanctuary</span> Wildlife sanctuary in India

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References

  1. 1 2 "Biosphere Reserves in India" (PDF). Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. 2019. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
  2. 1 2 "20 new Biosphere Reserves added to UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme". UNESCO. 11 July 2012. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
  3. "Man and the Biosphere Programme". UNESCO. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
  4. "20 sites added to UNESCO's World Network of Biosphere Reserves". UNESCO. 19 March 2016. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
  5. Mohan, Vishwa (8 August 2018). "Kanchenjunga Biosphere Reserve gets entry into the UNESCO's global list". The Economic Times (India). Retrieved 5 February 2020.
  6. "Panna Biosphere Reserve, India". UNESCO. 12 November 2020. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
  7. Biosphere Reserves Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India.
  8. "Biosphere Reserves in India (as on Dec, 2014)". December 2014. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
  9. "The Environmental Planning & Coordination Organisation". epco.mp.gov.in. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  10. "Panna Tiger Reserve gets UNESCO's 'Biosphere Reserve' Status". Outlook India. 7 November 2020. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
  11. "Status of Biosphere reserves in India" (PDF). ENVIRO NEWS, Ministry of Environment and Forests. January–March 2008. p. 9. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 January 2013. Retrieved 1 June 2013.