Sera at 00:46, 22 January 2026

2026-01-22T00:46:00Z

New page

{{Short description|none}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2018}}
{{Wildlife of India}}
There are 18 [[biosphere reserves]] in India.
<ref name="MOEF 2011">{{cite web |url=http://moef.gov.in/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/biosphere.pdf |title=Biosphere Reserves in India |publisher=Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change |date=2019 |access-date=5 February 2020}}</ref> 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.

==World network==
Thirteen 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.<ref name="MOEF 2011"/><ref name="UNESCO 2012"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.unesco.org/mab/BRs/AsiaBRlist.shtml#I |title=Man and the Biosphere Programme |publisher=UNESCO |access-date=5 February 2020}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! # !!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
| [[Achanakmar-Amarkantak Biosphere Reserve]] || [[Chhattisgarh]] and [[Madhya Pradesh]] || 2012<ref name="UNESCO 2012">{{cite web |url=http://www.unesco.org/new/en/rio-20/single-view/news/20_new_biosphere_reserves_added_to_unescos_man_and_the_bi/ |title=20 new Biosphere Reserves added to UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme |publisher=UNESCO |date=11 July 2012 |access-date=5 February 2020}}</ref>
|-
|9
| [[Great Nicobar Biosphere Reserve]] ||[[Andaman and Nicobar Islands|Andaman & Nicobar Islands]]|| 2013
|-
|10
| [[Agasthyamalai Biosphere Reserve]] || [[Kerala]] and [[Tamil Nadu]] || 2016<ref name="UNESCO 2016">{{cite web |url=https://en.unesco.org/news/20-sites-added-unesco-s-world-network-biosphere-reserves |title=20 sites added to UNESCO's World Network of Biosphere Reserves |publisher=UNESCO |date=19 March 2016 |access-date=5 February 2020}}</ref>
|-
|11
| [[Khangchendzonga National Park]] || [[Sikkim]] || 2018<ref>{{cite news |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/environment/the-good-earth/kanchenjunga-biosphere-reserve-gets-entry-into-the-unescos-global-list/articleshow/65327646.cms |title=Kanchenjunga Biosphere Reserve gets entry into the UNESCO's global list |newspaper=The Economic Times (India) |first=Vishwa |last=Mohan |date=8 August 2018 |access-date=5 February 2020}}</ref>
|-
|12
| [[Panna Biosphere Reserve]] || [[Madhya Pradesh]] || 2020<ref>{{cite web |title=Panna Biosphere Reserve, India |url=https://en.unesco.org/biosphere/aspac/panna |website=UNESCO |access-date=28 January 2022 |language=en |date=12 November 2020}}</ref>
|-
|13
| [[Cold Desert]] || [[Himachal Pradesh]] || 2025
|}

==List of biosphere reserves in India==
{| class="sortable wikitable"
|+ Biosphere reserves of India<ref>[https://moef.gov.in/en/biosphere-reserves/ Biosphere Reserves] Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India.</ref>
|-
! !! Year !! Name !! Location !! State/UT !! Type !! Key fauna !! Area (km<sup>2</sup>)
|-
|1
|1986
|| [[Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve]] || Part of [[Waynad]], [[Nagarhole]], [[Bandipur National Park|Bandipur]] and [[Mudumalai National Park|Mudumalai]], [[Mukurthi National Park|Mukurthi]], [[Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve|Sathyamangalam]], [[Nilambur]], [[Silent Valley National Park|Silent Valley]] || [[Karnataka]], [[Tamil Nadu]] and [[Kerala]] || [[Western Ghats]] ||[[Nilgiri tahr]], [[tiger]], [[Asian elephant]] [[lion-tailed macaque]]|| align="right" | 5520
|-
|2
|1988 || [[Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve]] || Parts of [[Chamoli District]], [[Pithoragarh District]] & [[Bageshwar District]] || [[Uttarakhand]] || [[Western Himalayas]] ||[[Snow leopard]], [[Himalayan black bear]] || align="right" | 5860
|-
|3
|1988 || [[Nokrek National Park|Nokrek]] || In [[West Garo Hills]] || [[Meghalaya]] || [[Eastern hills]]||[[Red panda]]|| align="right" | 820.00 
|-
|4
|1989 || [[Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve]] || Indian part of [[Gulf of Mannar]] extending from [[Rameswaram]] island in the north to [[Kanyakumari district|Kanyakumari]] in the south of Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka || [[Tamil Nadu]] || [[Coasts]] ||[[Dugong]] || align="right" | 10500
|-
|5
|1989 || [[Sundarbans]] || Part of delta of [[Ganges]] and [[Brahmaputra]] river system || [[West Bengal]] || [[Gangetic Delta]] ||[[Royal Bengal tiger]]|| align="right" | 9630
|-
|6
|1989 || [[Manas National Park|Manas]] || Part of [[Kokrajhar district|Kokrajhar]], [[Bongaigaon district|Bongaigaon]], [[Barpeta district|Barpeta]], [[Nalbari district|Nalbari]], [[Kamrup district|Kamrup]] and [[Darrang District]]s || [[Assam]] || [[Eastern Hills]]||[[Asiatic elephant]], tiger, [[Assam roofed turtle]], [[hispid hare]], [[golden langur]], [[pygmy hog]]|| align="right" | 2837
|-
|7
|1989 || [[Great Nicobar Biosphere Reserve]] || Southernmost of the [[Andaman and Nicobar Islands]] || [[Andaman and Nicobar Islands]] || [[Islands]] ||[[Saltwater crocodile]]|| align="right" | 885
|-
|8
|1994 || [[Similipal National Park|Simlipal]] || Part of [[Mayurbhanj district]] || [[Odisha]] || [[Deccan Peninsula]] ||[[Gaur]], [[royal Bengal tiger]], [[Asian elephant]]|| align="right" | 4374
|-
|9
|1997 || [[Dibru-Saikhowa]] || Part of [[Dibrugarh district|Dibrugarh]] and [[Tinsukia district]]s || [[Assam]] || [[Eastern Hills]]||[[White-winged wood duck]], [[water buffalo]], [[black-breasted parrotbill]], tiger, [[capped langur]] || align="right" | 765
|-
|10
|1998 || [[Dihang-Dibang Biosphere Reserve|Dihang-Dibang]] || Part of [[Siang Valley|Siang]] and [[Dibang Valley]] || [[Arunachal Pradesh]] || [[Eastern Himalaya]] ||[[Mishmi takin]], [[musk deer]]|| align="right" | 5112
|-
|11
|1999 || [[Pachmarhi Biosphere Reserve]] || Parts of [[Betul District]], [[Hoshangabad District]] and [[Chhindwara District]] || [[Madhya Pradesh]] || [[Semi-Arid]]||[[Giant squirrel]], [[flying squirrel]]|| align="right" | 4981.72
|-
|12
|2000 || [[Khangchendzonga National Park]] || Parts of [[Kangchenjunga]] || [[Sikkim]] || [[Eastern Himalayas]] ||[[Snow leopard]], [[red panda]]|| align="right" | 2620
|-
|13
|2001 || [[Agasthyamalai Biosphere Reserve]] || [[Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary|Neyyar]], [[Peppara]] and [[Shenduruny Wildlife Sanctuary]], [[Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve]] and their adjoining areas || [[Kerala]] and [[Tamil Nadu]] || [[Western Ghats]] ||[[Nilgiri tahr]], [[Bengal tiger]], [[Asian elephant]]|| align="right" | 3500.08
|-
|14
|2005 || [[Achanakmar-Amarkantak Biosphere Reserve]] || Part of [[Anuppur District|Annupur]], [[Dindori District|Dindori]] and [[Bilaspur District, Chhattisgarh|Bilaspur]] districts || [[Madhya Pradesh]] and [[Chhattisgarh]] || [[Maikala Hills|Maikal Hills]]||[[Four-horned antelope]], [[Indian wild dog]], [[sarus crane]], [[white-rumped vulture]], [[Raorchestes sanctisilvaticus|sacred grove bush frog]]|| align="right" | 3835.51
|-
|15
|2008 || [[Great Rann of Kutch]] || Part of [[Kutch district|Kutch]], [[Morbi district|Morbi]], [[Surendranagar]] and Patan districts; the largest biosphere reserve in India.||[[Gujarat]] || [[Desert]] || [[Indian wild ass]] || align="right" | 12454
|-
|16
|2009 || [[Cold Desert]] || [[Pin Valley National Park]] and surroundings; Chandratal and Sarchu & Kibber Wildlife Sanctuary|| [[Himachal Pradesh]] || [[Western Himalayas]] ||[[Snow leopard]]|| align="right" | 7770
|-
|17
|2010
|| [[Seshachalam Hills biosphere]]|| Seshachalam Hill Ranges covering parts of Chittoor and Kadapa districts || [[Andhra Pradesh]]
|[[Eastern Ghats]]|| [[Slender loris]] || align="right" | 4755.997<ref name=envis>{{cite web |url=http://www.wiienvis.nic.in/Database/BiosphereReserves_8225.aspx |title=Biosphere Reserves in India (as on Dec, 2014) |date=December 2014 |access-date=23 December 2021}}</ref>
|-
|18
|2011<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Environmental Planning & Coordination Organisation |url=https://epco.mp.gov.in/panna-bio-reserves |access-date=2023-12-27 |website=epco.mp.gov.in}}</ref>
|| [[Panna National Park|Panna]] || Part of Panna and Chhattarpur districts in Madhya Pradesh || [[Madhya Pradesh]]
|Moist deciduous forest
|[[Bengal tiger]], [[Chinkara]], [[Nilgai]], [[sambar deer]], and [[Sloth bear]]
| align="right" | 2998.98<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.outlookindia.com/outlooktraveller/travelnews/story/70818/panna-tiger-reserve-gets-unescos-biosphere-reserve-status |title=Panna Tiger Reserve gets UNESCO's 'Biosphere Reserve' Status |publisher=[[Outlook India]] |date=7 November 2020 |access-date=23 December 2021}}</ref>
|}

== Key fauna ==
{| class="wikitable" style="vertical-align:bottom;"
|- style="font-weight:bold;"
! Name
! Key Fauna
|-
| [[Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve]]
| [[Lion-tailed macaque|Lion Tailed Macaque]] (EN), [[Nilgiri tahr|Nilgiri Tahr]] (EN), [[Indian giant squirrel|Malabar Giant Squirrel]] (LC), [[Nilgiri langur|Nilgiri Langur]] (VU)
|-
| [[Nanda Devi National Park|Nanda Devi]]
| [[Snow leopard|Snow Leopard]] (VU), [[Musk deer|Musk Deer]] (EN), [[Bharal]] Or [[Bharal|Blue Sheep]] (LC)
|-
| [[Nokrek National Park|Nokrek]]
| [[Red panda|Red Panda]] (EN), [[Hoolock gibbon|Hoolock Gibbons]] (EN), [[Red giant flying squirrel|Red Giant Flying Squirrel]] (LC)
|-
| [[Great Nicobar Biosphere Reserve|Great Nicobar]]
| [[Dugong]] (VU), [[Saltwater crocodile|Saltwater Crocodile]] (LC)
|-
| [[Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park|Gulf of Mannar]]
| [[Dugong]] (VU), [[Olive ridley sea turtle|Olive Ridley turtles]] (VU)
|-
| [[Manas National Park|Manas]]
| [[Assam roofed turtle|Assam Roofed Turtle]] (EN), [[Hispid hare|Hispid Hare]] (EN), [[Gee's golden langur|Golden Langur]] (EN), [[Pygmy hog|Pygmy Hog]] (EN), [[Wild water buffalo|Wild Water Buffalo]] (EN), [[Bengal florican]] (CR)
|-
| [[Sundarbans National Park|Sunderbans]]
| [[Bengal tiger|Royal Bengal Tiger]] (EN)
|-
| [[Simlipal National Park|Simlipal]]
| [[Bengal tiger|Royal Bengal Tigers]], [[Indian elephant|Wild Elephants]] (EN), [[Gaur]]s (VU – [[Gaur|Indian Bison]]), [[Four-horned antelope|Chausingha]] (VU)
|-
| [[Dibru-Saikhowa National Park|Dibru-Saikhowa]]
| [[Bengal tiger|Bengal Tiger]], [[Clouded leopard|Clouded Leopard]] (VU), [[South Asian river dolphin|Gangetic Dolphin]] (EN)
|-
| [[Dihang-Dibang Biosphere Reserve|Dehang-Debang]]
| [[Takin]] (VU), [[Red panda|Red Panda]] (EN)
|-
| [[Pachmarhi]]
| [[Tiger]], [[Gaur]], [[Indian giant flying squirrel|Indian Giant Flying Squirrels]] (LC)
|-
| [[Khangchendzonga National Park|Khangchendzonga]]
| [[Red panda|Red Panda]] (EN), [[Snow leopard|Snow Leopard]] (VU), [[Musk deer|Musk Deer]] (EN), [[Argali|Great Tibetan Sheep]] (Argali – NT)
|-
| [[Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve|Agasthyamalai]]
| [[Nilgiri tahr|Nilgiri Tahr]] (EN)
|-
| [[Achanakmar-Amarkantak Biosphere Reserve|Achanakamar - Amarkantak]]
| [[Four-horned antelope|Four Horned Antelope]] ([[Four-horned antelope|Chausingha]] (VU)), [[Ussuri dhole|Indian Wild Dog]] (VU)
|-
| [[Great Rann of Kutch]] (Kachchh)
| [[Great Indian bustard|Great Indian Bustard]] (CR), [[Indian wild ass|Indian Wild Ass]] (NT)
|-
| [[Cold Desert (biosphere reserve)|Cold Desert]]
| [[Snow leopard|Snow Leopard]] (VU), [[Siberian ibex|Himalayan Ibex]] (also referred to as Siberian Ibex – LC)
|-
| [[Seshachalam Hills]]
| Red Sanders (NT), [[Golden gecko|Golden Gecko]] (LC – Endemic To Tirumala Hills)
|-
| [[Panna National Park|Panna]]
| [[Tiger]] (EN), [[Chital]] (LC), [[Chinkara]] (LC), [[Sambar deer|Sambar]] (VU)
|}

== Potential sites ==
The following is a list of potential sites for [[Biosphere Reserve]]s as selected by Ministry of Forests and Environment:<ref>{{cite web |title=Status of Biosphere reserves in India |url=http://envfor.nic.in/news/janmar08/environews_jan_mar08.pdf |date=January–March 2008|page=9 |publisher=ENVIRO NEWS, Ministry of Environment and Forests |volume=14|access-date=1 June 2013 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130120033254/http://envfor.nic.in/news/janmar08/environews_jan_mar08.pdf |archive-date = 20 January 2013}}</ref>

* [[Abujmarh]], Chhattisgarh
* [[Andaman and Nicobar]], North Islands
* [[Chintapalle, Visakhapatnam|Chintapalli]], [[Visakhapatnam]] [[Andhra Pradesh]]
* [[Kanha National Park|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
*[[Bhitarkanika]],Kendrapara,Odisha

==See also==

* [[Bodhi Tree]]
* [[List of Banyan trees in India]]
* [[List of national parks of India]]
* [[Sacred groves of India]]
* [[Sacred tree]]s
* [[Wildlife sanctuaries of India]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Biosphere reserves in India}}
*{{webarchive |url=https://archive.today/20040509084830/http://www.wii.gov.in/nwdc/biosphere.htm |title=Wildlife Institute of India webpage on India's Biosphere Reserves |date=9 May 2004}}
*{{webarchive |url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20011125100208/http%3A//www.wcmc.org.uk/igcmc/parks/un93.html |title=United Nations List of National Parks and Protected Areas: India (1993) |date=25 November 2001}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20060720181057/http://www.envfor.nic.in/report/0102/chap03.html Ministry of Environment and Forests]

{{India topics}}
{{Geography of India}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Biosphere Reserves Of India}}
[[Category:Biosphere reserves of India| ]]
[[Category:National biosphere reserves of India| ]]
[[Category:Nature conservation in India]]
[[Category:Protected areas of India]]

Biosphere reserves of India - Revision history

Sera at 00:46, 22 January 2026