BIOSPHERE RESERVES OF INDIA

The Indian government has established around eighteen Biosphere Reserves in India (categories roughly corresponding to IUCN Category V Protected areas), which protect larger areas of natural habitat (than a National Parkor Animal Sanctuary), and often include one or more National Parks and/or preserves, 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. Animals are protected and saved here.

 International Status of Biosphere Reserves

The UNESCO has introduced the designation ‘Biosphere Reserve’ for natural areas to minimize conflict between development and conservation. BRs are nominated by national government which meet a minimal set of criteria and adhere to minimal set of conditions for inclusion in the world network of Biosphere reserves under the Man and Biosphere Reserve Programme of UNESCO. Globally 621 BRs representing from 117 countries included in the network so far.

  Structure and functions of Biosphere Reserves:

Biosphere reserves are demarcated into following 3 inter-related zones:

Core Zone

             

Core zone must contain suitable habitat for numerous plant and animal species, including higher order predators and may contain centres of endemism. Core areas often conserve the wild relatives of economic species and also represent important genetic reservoirs having exceptional scientific interest. A core zone being National Park or Sanctuary/protected/regulated mostly under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. Whilst realizing that perturbation is an ingredient of ecosystem functioning, the core zone is to be kept free from l human pressures external to the system.

Buffer Zone

              The buffer zone, adjoins or surrounds core zone, uses and activities are managed in this area in the ways that help in protection of core zone in its natural condition. These uses and activities include restoration, demonstration sites for enhancing value addition to the resources, limited recreation, tourism, fishing, grazing, etc; which are permitted to reduce its effect on core zone. Research and educational activities are to be encouraged. Human activities, if natural within BR, are likely to continue if these do not adversely affect the ecological diversity.

Transition Zone

             The transition area is the outermost part of a biosphere reserve. This is usually not delimited one and is a zone of cooperation where conservation knowledge and management skills are applied and uses are managed in harmony with the purpose of the biosphere reserve.  This includes settlements, crop lands, managed forests and area for intensive recreation and other economic uses characteristics of the region.

 BIOSPHERE RESERVES IN INDIA

Nilgiri BiosphereReserve

The Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve was the first biosphere reserve in India established in the year 1986, located in the Western Ghats and Nilgiri Hills ranges of South India. Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, is a World Heritage Site declared by UNESCO in 2012 and includes the Mudumalai, Mukurthi, Wayanad and Bandipur national parks.

NandaDevi Biosphere

The Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve is located in the northern part of of west Himalaya in India and surrounded by a ring of peaks and part of the UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves since 2004.

GulfofMannar BiosphereReserve

The Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve is the first marine biosphere reserve in Asia, located in the Southern part of the Bay of Bengal, Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park is known for its Mangroves,Green turtle,Clownfish and coral reefs.

Nokrek BiosphereReserve

The Nokrek Biosphere Reserve is a national park, hotspot of biodiversity located in West Garo Hills district of Meghalaya. Eentire Nokrek Biosphere Reserve is virgin canopy of thick, tall and lush green forests and home to Red panda in India.

Sundarbans Biosphere

The Sundarbans Biosphere Reserve is a National Park and Tiger Reserve in West Bengal and part of the Sundarbans on the Ganges Delta and home to a variety of bird, reptile and invertebrate species, including the salt-water crocodile. Sundarbans Biosphere Reserve is densely covered by mangrove forests and one of the largest reserves for the Bengal tiger.

Manas Biosphere

The Manas Biosphere Reserve is National Park or Wildlife Sanctuary, a Project Tiger Reserve, an Elephant Reserve, located in the Himalayan foothills in Assam. Manas National Park is known for its rare and endangered endemic wildlife such as the Assam Roofed Turtle, Hispid Hare, Golden Langur,Pygmy Hog and Wild water buffalo.

Simlipal BiosphereReserve

The Similipal Biosphere Reserve has been notified by Government of India in 1994 and a tiger reserve, national park and part of the Similipal-Kuldiha-Hadgarh Elephant Reserve popularly known as Mayurbhanj Elephant Reserve.

Dihang-Dibang BiosphereReserve

The Dihang Dibang Biosphere Reserve is located in Arunachal Pradesh and includes Mouling National Park and Dibang Wildlife Sanctuary. Dihang-Dibang reserve is rich in wildlife rare mammals such as Mishmi takin, red goral, red panda and flying squirrels.

Pachmarhi BiosphereReserve

The Pachmarhi Biosphere Reserve includes three wildlife conservation units the Bori Sanctuary, Satpura National Park and Pachmarhi Sanctuary. Pachmarhi reserve is mostly covered in forest and an important transition zone between the forests of western and eastern India.

Achanakmar-AmarkantakBiosphereReserve

The Achanakmar-Amarkantak Biosphere Reserve is extends across the states of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh and home to 26 tigers, 46 panthers, 28 bears, 1936 Chitals, 1369 sambars, 376 barking deer and 552 bison.

GreatRannofKutchBiosphereReserve

The biosphere reserve of Rann of Kutch is an important area for critically threatened vulture species and several vulnerable species of eagles too, Banni grasslands and Chhari Dhand are the two birding hot spots in flooded grasslands of Kutch.

ColdDesertBiosphereReserves

The Cold Desert biosphere reserves of India  includes in itself Pin Valley National Park and surroundings Chandratal and Sarchu & Kibber Wildlife Sancturary in Himachal Pradesh. Cold deserts is located in the lap of the Ladakh in Himalayas.

KhangchendzongaBiosphereReserve

The Khangchendzonga Biosphere Reserve is a National Park located in Sikkim and home to many glaciers in the park including the Zemu glacier and wild animals like musk deer, snow leopard and Himalayan Tahr.

Agasthyamala BiosphereReserve

The Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve is composed of Neyyar,Peppara and Shendurneyw ildlife Sanctuaries and adjoining areas of Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve and home to rare animals include the tiger, Asian Elephant and Nilgiri Tahr.

GreatNicobar BiosphereReserve

The island of Great Nicobar, the largest of the Nicobar Islands lie in the Bay of Bengal, eastern Indian Ocean. Great Nicobar Biosphere Reserve is home to many species of plants and animals, often endemic to the Andaman and Nicobars region.

Dibru-Saikhowa BiosphereReserve

The Dibru-Saikhowa Biosphere Reserve is bounded is by the Brahmaputra and Lohit rivers and situated in Dibrugarh and Tinsukia district of Assam and consists of moist mixed semi-evergreen forests, moist mixed deciduous forests, canebrakes and grasslands.

SeshachalamHills BiosphereReserves

The Seshachalam Biosphere Reserve became the first biosphere reserve in the entire State and the hill ranges are rich in plant diversity and home to many endangered animals.

Panna BiosphereReserve

The Panna Tiger Reserve is become one of the 18 biosphere reserve in India and home to some of the best wildlife species in India and also well known for being one of the best Tiger Reserves. 

Biosphere reserves of India (area wise)
	Year	Name	Location	State	Type	Key fauna	Area (km2)
1	1986	Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve	Part of Waynad, Nagarhole, Bandipur andMudumalai, Nilambur, Silent Valley andAnaimalai Hills	Tamil Nadu,Kerala andKarnataka	Western Ghats	Nilgiri tahr, lion-tailed macaque	5520
2	1988	Nanda Devi National Park & Biosphere Reserve	Parts of Chamoli District, Pithoragarh District &Bageshwar District	Uttarakhand	WesternHimalayas		5860
3	1989	Gulf of Mannar	Indian part of Gulf of Mannar extending from Rameswaram island in the North to Kanyakumari in the South of Tamil Nadu andSri Lanka	Tamil Nadu	Coasts	Dugong or sea cow	10500
4	1988	Nokrek	Part of Garo Hills	Meghalaya	East Himalayas	Red panda	820
5	1989	Sundarbans	Part of delta of Ganges and Brahmaputra river system	West Bengal	Gangetic Delta	Royal Bengal tiger	9630
6	1989	Manas	Part of Kokrajhar, Bongaigaon, Barpeta,Nalbari, Kamrup and Darrang Districts	Assam	East Himalayas	Golden langur, red panda	2837
7	1994	Simlipal	Part of Mayurbhanj district	Odisha	Deccan Peninsula	Gaur, royal Bengal tiger, elephant	4374
8	1998	Dihang-Dibang	Part of Siang and Dibang Valley	Arunachal Pradesh	Eastern Himalaya		5112
9	1999	Pachmarhi Biosphere Reserve	Parts of Betul District, Hoshangabad Districtand Chhindwara District	Madhya Pradesh	Semi-Arid	Giant squirrel, flying squirrel	4981.72
10	2005	Achanakmar-Amarkantak Biosphere Reserve	Part of Annupur, Dindori and Bilaspur districts	Madhya Pradesh,Chhattisgarh	Maikala Hills	Four-horned antelope, Indian wild dog,Sarus crane, White-rumped vulture,Philautus sanctisilvaticus (Sacred grove bush frog)	3835
11	2008	Great Rann of Kutch	Part of Kutch, Rajkot, Surendranagar and Patan Districts	Gujarat	Desert	Indian wild ass	12454
12	2009	Cold Desert	Pin Valley National Park and surroundings;Chandratal and Sarchu & Kibber Wildlife Sancturary	Himachal Pradesh	WesternHimalayas	Snow leopard	7770
13	2000	Khangchendzonga	Parts of Kangchenjunga	Sikkim	East Himalayas	Snow leopard, red panda	2620
14	2001	Agasthyamalai Biosphere Reserve	Neyyar, Peppara and Shenduruny Wildlife Sanctuary and their adjoining areas	Kerala,Tamil Nadu	Western Ghats	Nilgiri tahr, elephants	3500.08
15	1989	Great Nicobar Biosphere Reserve	Southern most islands of Andaman and Nicobar Islands	Andaman and Nicobar Islands	Islands	Saltwater crocodile	885
16	1997	Dibru-Saikhowa	Part of Dibrugarh and Tinsukia districts	Assam	East Himalayas	Golden langur	765
17	2010	Seshachalam Hills	Seshachalam Hill Ranges covering parts of Chittoor and Kadapa districts	Andhra Pradesh	Eastern Ghats		4755
18	2011	Panna	Part of Panna District and Chhatarpur District	Madhya Pradesh	Catchment Area of theKen River	Tiger, chital, chinkara, sambhar and sloth bear	2998.98