Geography: Biosphere Reserve in India

Geography: Biosphere Reserve in India

Structure of Biosphere Reserve:

1. Core Areas:

• It is the most protected area of a biosphere reserve.It may contain endemic plants and animals.
• A core zone is a protected region, like a National Park or Sanctuary/protected/regulated mostly under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. It is kept free from human interference.

2. Buffer Zone:

• The buffer zone surrounds the core zoneand its activities are managed in this area in the ways that help in the protection of the core zone in its natural condition.
• It includes restoration, limited tourism, fishing, grazing, etc; which are permitted to reduce its effect on the core zone.
• Research and educational activitiesare to be encouraged.

3. Transition Zone:

• It is theoutermost part of the biosphere reserve. It is the zone of cooperation where human ventures and conservation are done in harmony.
• It includes settlements, croplands, managed forests and areas for intensive recreation and other economic uses characteristics of the region.

 

List of Important Biosphere Reserve: State-Wise

Biosphere Reserve	State	Remarks
Sundarbans Biosphere Reserve	West Bengal
Similipal Biosphere Reserve	Odisha
Pachmarhi Biosphere Reserve	Madhya Pradesh
Nokrek Biosphere Reserve	Meghalaya
Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve	Tamil Nadu	This is the first Biosphere of India notified in 1986.
Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve	Uttarakhand
Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve	Tamil Nadu
Great Nicobar Biosphere Reserve	Great Nicobar	This is the only biosphere reserve in India that entirely lies in the Union Territory
Achanakmar-Amarkantak Biosphere Reserve	Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh
Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve	Kerala and Tamil Nadu
Kanchenjunga Biosphere Reserve	Sikkim	It is the only mixed heritage site in UNESCO’s world heritage sites list
Seshachalam Hills	Andhra Pradesh
Panna	Madhya Pradesh	It is the latest added biosphere reserve in 2011
Cold Desert	Himachal Pradesh
Kachcha	Gujarat
Dehang Dibang	Arunachal Pradesh
Dibru Saikhowa	Assam
Manas	Assam