[GK/Geog] Biosphere Reserves in India

                   Biosphere Reserves in India and                             UNESCO’s MAB

The Indian government has established 18 Biosphere Reserves of India, (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 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.

Differences b/w National Parks, Wildlife Sanctuaries and Biosphere Reserves:

National Parks	Wildlife Sanctuaries	Biosphere Reserves
^ No human activities or settlement allowed ^ Villagers cannot graze their animals ^ Extremely strict rules about jungle produce collections	^ People are not allowed to live (with some exception) ^ Human activities such as grazing, firewood collections are allowed ^ Wildlife sanctuaries can be upgraded as National Parks while the reverse is not possible	^ People are allowed to live ^ Own private land ^ Carry on the traditional activities

Biosphere Reserves in India

 

 

S. No	Name	Location	Area (in Sq. km)	Designated in the year
1	Nilgiri	Tamil Nadu, Kerala & Karnataka	5520	1986
2	Nanda Devi	Uttarakhand	5860	1988
3	Nokrek	Meghalaya	820	1988
4	Gulf of Mannar	Tamil Nadu	10500	1989
5	Sundarbans	West Bengal	9630	1989
6	Manas	Assam	2837	1989
7	Great Nicobar	Andaman & Nicobar Is.	885	1989
8	Simlipal	Odisha	4374	1994
9	Dibru - Saikhwa	Assam	765	1997
10	Dihang - Dibang	Arunachal Pradesh	5112	1998
11	Pachmarhi	Madhya Pradesh	4981.72	1999
12	Khangchendzonga	Sikkim	2620	2000
13	Agasthyamalai	Tamil Nadu & Kerala	3500	2001
14	Achanakmar - Amarkantak	Chhattisgarh & Madhya Pradesh	3835	2005
15	Great Rann of Kutch	Gujarat	12454	2008
16	Cold Desert	Himachal Pradesh	7770	2009
17	Seshachalam Hills	Andhra Pradesh	4755	2010
18	Panna	Madhya Pradesh	543	2011

  

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. They are:

  

Name	States	Year
Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve	Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka	2000
Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve	Tamil Nadu	2001
Sundarbans national park	West Bengal	2001
Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve	Uttarakhand	2004
Nokrek Biosphere Reserve	Meghalaya	2009
Pachmarhi Biosphere Reserve	Madhya Pradesh	2009
Simlipal Biosphere Reserve	Odisha	2008
Achanakmar-Amarkantak Biosphere Reserve	Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh	2012
Great Nicobar	Andaman & Nicobar	2013
Agasthyamalai Biosphere Reserve	Kerala and Tamil Nadu	2016
Khangchendzonga	Sikkim	2018
Panna	Madhya Pradesh	2020