11/10/23, 1:29 PM Biosphere reserves of India - Wikipedia

Biosphere reserves of India

There are 18 Biosphere Reserves in India. [1]to protect larger areas of natural habitat than a typical
national park or animal sanctuary, and that 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

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]

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# Name States/ UT Year

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]

Key Area
Year Name Location State Type
fauna (km2)
Part of Waynad,
Nagarhole, Nilgiri tahr,
Karnataka,
Nilgiri Biosphere Bandipur and Western tiger, lion-
1 1980 Tamil Nadu 5520
Reserve Mudumalai, Ghats tailed
and Kerala
Nilambur, Silent macaque
Valley

Parts of Chamoli
District, Snow
Nanda Devi Pithoragarh Western leopard,
2 1988 Uttarakhand 5860
Biosphere Reserve District & Himalayas Himalayan
Bageshwar black bear
District

Eastern
3 1988 Nokrek In West Garo Hills Meghalaya Red panda 820.00
hills
Indian part of Gulf
of Mannar
extending from
Rameswaram
4 1989 Gulf of Mannar island in the north Tamil Nadu Coasts Dugong 10500
to Kanyakumari in
the south of Tamil
Nadu and Sri
Lanka

Part of delta of
Ganges and Gangetic Royal
5 1989 Sundarbans West Bengal 9630
Brahmaputra river Delta Bengal tiger
system

6 1989 Manas Part of Kokrajhar, Assam Eastern Asiatic 2837

Bongaigaon, Hills elephant,
Barpeta, Nalbari, tiger, Assam
Kamrup and roofed
Darrang Districts turtle, hispid

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Key Area
Year Name Location State Type
fauna (km2)
hare,
golden
langur,
pygmy hog
Southernmost of Andaman
Great Nicobar Saltwater
7 1989 the Andaman and and Nicobar Islands 885
Biosphere Reserve crocodile
Nicobar Islands Islands

Gaur, royal
Part of
Deccan Bengal
8 1994 Simlipal Mayurbhanj Odisha 4374
Peninsula tiger, Asian
district
elephant

Mishmi
Part of Siang and Arunachal Eastern
9 1998 Dihang-Dibang takin, musk 5112
Dibang Valley Pradesh Himalaya
deer
White-
winged
wood duck,
water
Part of Dibrugarh buffalo,
Eastern
10 1997 Dibru-Saikhowa and Tinsukia Assam black- 765
Hills
districts breasted
parrotbill,
tiger,
capped
langur

Parts of Betul
District, Giant
Pachmarhi Hoshangabad Madhya squirrel,
11 1999 Semi-Arid 4981.72
Biosphere Reserve District and Pradesh flying
Chhindwara squirrel
District

Snow
Khangchendzonga Parts of East
12 2000 Sikkim leopard, red 2620
National Park Kangchenjunga Himalayas
panda
Neyyar, Peppara
and Shenduruny Nilgiri tahr,
Agasthyamalai Kerala, Tamil Western
13 2001 Wildlife Sanctuary Asian 3500.08
Biosphere Reserve Nadu Ghats
and their elephant
adjoining areas

Four-horned
antelope,
Indian wild
dog, sarus
Achanakmar- Part of Annupur, Madhya crane,
Maikal
14 2005 Amarkantak Dindori and Pradesh, white- 3835
Hills
Biosphere Reserve Bilaspur districts Chhattisgarh rumped
vulture,
sacred
grove bush
frog

Part of Kutch,
Morbi,
Surendranagar
Great Rann of Indian wild
15 2008 and Patan Gujarat Desert 12454
Kutch ass
districts; the
largest biosphere
reserve in India.

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Key Area
Year Name Location State Type
fauna (km2)
Pin Valley
National Park and
surroundings; Himachal Western Snow
16 2009 Cold Desert 7770
Chandratal and Pradesh Himalayas leopard
Sarchu & Kibber
Wildlife Sanctuary

Seshachalam Hill
Ranges covering
Andhra Eastern Slender
17 2010 Seshachalam Hills parts of Chittoor
Pradesh Hills loris 4755.997[8]
and Kadapa
districts

Bengal
tiger,
Part of Panna and Chinkara,
Moist
Chhattarpur Madhya Nilgai,
18 2022 Panna
districts in Pradesh
deciduous
Sambhar 2998.98[9]
forest
Madhya Pradesh sambar
deer, and
Sloth bear

Key faunas
Name Key fauna
Lion Tailed Macaque (EN), Nilgiri Tahr (EN), Malabar Giant Squirrel (LC), Nilgiri
Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve
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)

Assam Roofed Turtle (EN), Hispid Hare (EN), Golden Langur (EN), Pygmy Hog (EN),
Manas
Wild Water Buffalo (EN), Bengal florican (CR)
Sunderbans Royal Bengal Tiger (EN)

Royal Bengal Tigers, Wild Elephants (EN), Gaurs (VU – Indian Bison), Chausingha
Simlipal
(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)

Red Panda (EN), Snow Leopard (VU), Musk Deer (EN), Great Tibetan Sheep (Argali
Khangchendzonga
– NT)
Agasthyamalai Nilgiri Tahr (EN)

Achanakamar -
Four Horned Antelope (Chausingha (VU)), Indian Wild Dog (VU)
Amarkantak
Great Rann of Kutch
Great Indian Bustard (CR), Indian Wild Ass (NT)
(Kachchh)

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)

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Potential sites
The following is a list of potential sites for Biosphere Reserves as selected by Ministry of Forests
and Environment:[10]

Abujmarh, Chhattisgarh
Andaman and Nicobar, North Islands
Chintapalli, Visakhapatnam Andhra Pradesh
Kanha, Madhya Pradesh
Kovalam, Kerala
Lakshadweep Islands, Lakshadweep
Little Rann of Kutch, Gujarat
Phawngpui (Blue Mountain), Mizoram
Namdapha, Arunachal Pradesh
Singhbhum, Jharkhand
Tawang and West Kameng, Arunachal Pradesh
Thar Desert, Rajasthan
Tadoba National Park and Sanjay Gandhi National Park, Maharashtra

See also
Bodhi Tree
List of Banyan trees in India
List of national parks of India
Sacred groves of India
Sacred trees
Wildlife sanctuaries of India

References
1. "Biosphere Reserves in India" (http://moef.gov.in/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/biosphere.pdf)
(PDF). Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. 2019. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
2. "20 new Biosphere Reserves added to UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme"
(http://www.unesco.org/new/en/rio-20/single-view/news/20_new_biosphere_reserves_added_t
o_unescos_man_and_the_bi/). UNESCO. 11 July 2012. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
3. "Man and the Biosphere Programme" (http://www.unesco.org/mab/BRs/AsiaBRlist.shtml#I).
UNESCO. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
4. "20 sites added to UNESCO's World Network of Biosphere Reserves" (https://en.unesco.org/n
ews/20-sites-added-unesco-s-world-network-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" (https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/environment/the-good-eart
h/kanchenjunga-biosphere-reserve-gets-entry-into-the-unescos-global-list/articleshow/6532764
6.cms). The Economic Times (India). Retrieved 5 February 2020.
6. "Panna Biosphere Reserve, India" (https://en.unesco.org/biosphere/aspac/panna). UNESCO.
12 November 2020. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
7. Biosphere Reserves (https://moef.gov.in/en/biosphere-reserves/) Ministry of Environment,
Forest and Climate Change, Government of India.

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8. "Biosphere Reserves in India (as on Dec, 2014)" (http://www.wiienvis.nic.in/Database/Biospher

eReserves_8225.aspx). December 2014. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
9. "Panna Tiger Reserve gets UNESCO's 'Biosphere Reserve' Status" (https://www.outlookindia.c
om/outlooktraveller/travelnews/story/70818/panna-tiger-reserve-gets-unescos-biosphere-reser
ve-status). Outlook India. 7 November 2020. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
10. "Status of Biosphere reserves in India" (https://web.archive.org/web/20130120033254/http://en
vfor.nic.in/news/janmar08/environews_jan_mar08.pdf) (PDF). ENVIRO NEWS, Ministry of
Environment and Forests. January–March 2008. p. 9. Archived from the original (http://envfor.ni
c.in/news/janmar08/environews_jan_mar08.pdf) (PDF) on 20 January 2013. Retrieved 1 June
2013.

External links
Wildlife Institute of India webpage on India's Biosphere Reserves (https://archive.today/200405
09084830/http://www.wii.gov.in/nwdc/biosphere.htm) at archive.today (archived 9 May 2004)
United Nations List of National Parks and Protected Areas: India (1993) (http://webarchive.loc.g
ov/all/20011125100208/http%3A//www.wcmc.org.uk/igcmc/parks/un93.html) at the Library of
Congress Web Archives (archived 25 November 2001)
Ministry of Environment and Forests (https://web.archive.org/web/20060720181057/http://www.
envfor.nic.in/report/0102/chap03.html)

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