Biosphere reserves of India - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Biosphere reserves of India

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Indian government has established around eighteen Biosphere

Reserves in India,[2] (categories roughly corresponding to IUCN
Category V Protected areas), which protect larger areas of natural
habitat (than a National Park or 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.

Contents
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Some of the MAB Biosphere Reserves in

India [1]

World network
List of Biosphere Reserves
Potential sites for Biosphere Reserves
References
External links

World network
Ten 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.[2][3][4][5]
Name

Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve

States

Year

Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka 2000

Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve

Tamil Nadu

2001

Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve

Uttarakhand

2004

Sundarbans Biosphere Reserve

Nokrek Biosphere Reserve

Pachmarhi Biosphere Reserve

Simlipal Biosphere Reserve

West Bengal
Meghalaya

Madhya Pradesh
Odisha

2001
2009

2009

2009

Achanakmar-Amarkantak Biosphere Reserve Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh 2012[3]

Great Nicobar

Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve

Andaman and Nicobar Islands 2013[6]

Kerala and Tamil Nadu

2016[7]

List of Biosphere Reserves

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biosphere_reserves_of_India

In 2009, India designated Cold Desert of Himachal Pradesh as a biosphere reserve. On September 20, 2010, the
Ministry of Environment and Forests designated Seshachalam Hills as the 17th biosphere reserve. Panna
(Madhya Pradesh) was scheduled to become the 18th on August 25, 2011.[2]

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Year

Name

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biosphere_reserves_of_India

Biosphere reserves of India (area wise)

Location

State

Type

1986

Part of Waynad,
Nagarhole, Bandipur and Tamil Nadu,
Nilgiri Biosphere
Western
Mudumalai, Nilambur, Kerala and
Reserve
Ghats
Silent Valley and
Karnataka
Anaimalai Hills

1988

Nanda Devi
National Park &
Biosphere
Reserve

Parts of Chamoli
District, Pithoragarh
District & Bageshwar
District snow leopard,
Himalayan black bear

Uttarakhand

Key fauna
Nilgiri tahr,
lion-tailed
macaque

Western
Himalayas

Area
(km2)
5520

5860

1989

Gulf of Mannar

Indian part of Gulf of

Mannar extending from
Rameswaram island in
the North to
Tamil Nadu Coasts
Kanyakumari in the
South of Tamil Nadu and
Sri Lanka

1988

Nokrek

Part of Garo Hills

Meghalaya

Sundarbans

Part of delta of Ganges

and Brahmaputra river
system

East
Red panda
Himalayas

West Bengal

Gangetic
Delta

Manas

Part of Kokrajhar,
Bongaigaon, Barpeta,
Nalbari, Kamrup and
Darrang Districts

Assam

East
Golden langur,
Himalayas red panda

2837

Odisha

4374

Arunachal
Pradesh

Gaur, royal
Deccan
Bengal tiger,
Peninsula
elephant

1989

1989

1994

Simlipal

Part of Mayurbhanj
district

1998

Dihang-Dibang

1999

Pachmarhi
Biosphere
Reserve

Part of Siang and

Dibang Valley

10 2005

AchanakmarAmarkantak
Biosphere
Reserve

Parts of Betul District,

Madhya
Hoshangabad District
Pradesh
and Chhindwara District

Dugong or sea
cow

Royal Bengal
tiger

Eastern
Himalaya

Semi-Arid

Madhya
Part of Annupur, Dindori
Maikala
Pradesh,
and Bilaspur districts
Hills
Chhattisgarh

10500

820
9630

5112
Giant squirrel,
flying squirrel
Four-horned
antelope,
Indian wild
dog, Sarus
crane, Whiterumped

4981.72

3835

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Year

11 2008

Name

Great Rann of
Kutch

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biosphere_reserves_of_India

Location

State

Part of Kutch, Rajkot,

Surendranagar and Patan Gujarat
Districts

Pin Valley National Park

and
Himachal
surroundings;Chandratal
Pradesh
and Sarchu & Kibber
Wildlife Sancturary

12 2009

Cold Desert

13 2000

Khangchendzonga Parts of Kangchenjunga Sikkim

14 2001

Agasthyamalai
Biosphere
Reserve

15 1989

Great Nicobar
Biosphere
Reserve

16 1997

Dibru-Saikhowa

17 2010

Seshachalam Hill
Ranges covering parts of Andhra
Seshachalam Hills
Chittoor and Kadapa
Pradesh
districts

18 2011

Panna

Neyyar, Peppara and

Shenduruny Wildlife
Sanctuary and their
adjoining areas

Type

vulture,
Philautus
sanctisilvaticus
(Sacred grove
bush frog)
Desert

Part of Panna District

and Chhatarpur District

Madhya
Pradesh

Potential sites for Biosphere Reserves

12454

7770

East
Snow leopard,
Himalayas red panda

2620

Kerala,
Western
Tamil Nadu Ghats

Assam

Indian wild ass

Area
(km2)

Western
Snow leopard
Himalayas

Southern most islands of Andaman

Andaman and Nicobar
and Nicobar Islands
Islands
Islands
Part of Dibrugarh and
Tinsukia districts

Key fauna

Nilgiri tahr,
elephants
Saltwater
crocodile

East
Golden langur
Himalayas
Eastern
Ghats
Catchment
Area of
the Ken
River

3500.08

885
765
4755

Tiger, chital,
chinkara,
sambhar and
sloth bear

2998.98

Following is the list of potential sites for Biosphere Reserves as selected by Ministry of Forests and
Environment:[8]
Namdapha, Arunachal Pradesh
Thar Desert, Rajasthan
Little Rann of Kutch, Gujarat

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Kovalam, Kerala
Kanha, Madhya Pradesh
North Islands of Andaman and Nicobar
Abujmarh, Chhattisgarh
Chintapalli, Andhra Pradesh
Lakshadweep Islands, Lakshadweep
Singhbhum
Blue Mountain of Mizoram state.
Tawang and West Kamang

References

1. UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB) (http://www.unesco.org/mab/mabProg.shtml)

2. [1] (http://www.moef.nic.in/divisions/csurv/brs-list.pdf)
3. UNESCO "20 new Biosphere Reserves added to UNESCOs Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme"
(http://www.unesco.org/new/en/natural-sciences/about-us/single-view/news
/20_new_biosphere_reserves_added_to_unescos_man_and_the_biosphere_mab_programme/), 11 July 2012
4. UNESCO, Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme list (http://www.unesco.org/mab/BRs/AsiaBRlist.shtml#I)
5. "20 new Biosphere Reserves added" (http://www.unesco.org/new/en/media-services/single-view/news
/20_sites_added_to_unescos_world_network_of_biosphere_reserve/#.Vu834_krLIU)
6. "Nicobar Islands declared as world biosphere reserve" (http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-05-31/florafauna/39654803_1_nicobar-islands-biosphere-programme-sites), 31 May 2013
7. "20 new Biosphere Reserves added" (http://www.unesco.org/new/en/media-services/single-view/news
/20_sites_added_to_unescos_world_network_of_biosphere_reserve/#.Vu834_krLIU), 19 March 2016
8. "Status of Bioshpere reserves in India" (PDF). ENVIRO NEWS, Ministry of Environment and Forests, Vol. 14.
JanuaryMarch 2008. p. 9. Retrieved June 1, 2013.

External links

Wildlife Institute of India webpage on India's Biosphere Reserves

(http://www.wii.gov.in/nwdc/biosphere.htm)
United Nations List of National Parks and Protected Areas: India
(1993) (http://www.wcmc.org.uk/igcmc/parks/un93.html)
Ministry of Environment and Forests (http://www.envfor.nic.in
/report/0102/chap03.html)

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