Biosphere reserve

Also called: BR · Topic: Biodiversity and its Conservation · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 5 "Natural Vegetation"; Class 11, Ch 6 "Natural Hazards and Disasters: Causes, Consequences and Management"; Class 11, Ch 14 "Biodiversity and Conservation"

Meaning

A biosphere reserve (BR) is a large area of land, coast or sea, or a mix of these, that represents a typical ecosystem of its biogeographic region (a natural region with its own plants and animals, e.g. the Western Ghats or the Gangetic Delta). UNESCO recognises these reserves under its Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme [2].

It matters because local people are treated as part of the system, not kept out [2]. MoEFCC calls these reserves "sites for experimenting with and learning about sustainable development" [2].

Explanation

The global framework: UNESCO's MAB Programme

• Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme: UNESCO started it in 1971 to improve the relationship between people and nature.
• It supports research across many subjects. It also trains the people who manage nature (capacity building) [2].

• UNESCO first proposed biosphere reserves in 1973-74, under MAB [2].

• World Network of Biosphere Reserves (WNBR): this is UNESCO's global list of recognised reserves. MAB runs it.

• How a site joins the WNBR:
• The national government nominates the site.
• The site must meet the minimum criteria in Article 4 of the MAB Statutory Framework [2].

• The International Coordinating Council (ICC) of the MAB Programme makes the final decision [2].

• Growth of the network:

• In 2023 there were 738 reserves in 134 countries. This included 22 transboundary sites (sites that cross a national border) [2].
• In September 2025 the 5th World Congress of Biosphere Reserves met at Hangzhou, China, and UNESCO added 26 new sites. The network now has 785 sites in 142 countries [3].

The three zones and why they work

Zone	What is allowed	Purpose
Core zone	Legally protected. No human interference	Protects species and gene pools in their natural state
Buffer zone	Research, education and limited use that does not harm nature	Shields the core. Works as a field laboratory
Transition zone	Villages, farms and sustainable use. Outreach to local people	Links conservation with the local economy

• How the zones lower pressure on the core:
• Local people depend on the forest for fuel, fodder and grazing. This puts pressure on the core.
• The scheme gives people in the buffer and transition zones extra or alternative ways to earn a living, so they need less from the forest.
• As a result, biotic pressure (harm caused by people and grazing animals) on the core goes down [2].

Three objectives (NCERT Figure 5.9)

• Conservation: protect biodiversity at every level, from genes to species to whole ecosystems. This is done in-situ, which means in the natural home of the plants and animals [2].
• Development: improve the quality of life of the indigenous communities (tribal and local groups) in and around the reserve without harming nature [2].
• Logistic support: research, monitoring, education and training, so that people understand how the ecosystem works [2].

Legal status and running the scheme in India

• A biosphere reserve is not a category under the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972. That Act defines four kinds of protected area: national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, conservation reserves and community reserves. A biosphere reserve is set up by an executive scheme of the central government, so it has no legal category of its own.

• Its core is often an existing national park or sanctuary. Examples are Pin Valley NP and Kibber WLS in the Cold Desert reserve [2].

• Funding: BRs are a sub-scheme under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme "Conservation of Natural Resources and Ecosystems" (CNRE) of MoEFCC [2].

• The Centre and the State share costs 60:40. For North-Eastern and Himalayan states the share is 90:10 [2].
• The State Forest Department carries out the scheme. The exception is Madhya Pradesh, where EPCO (Environment Planning and Coordination Organisation) does it [2].

Where it occurs

• India's programme timeline:
• 1979: the Indian MAB Committee identified possible sites [2].
• 1983: the Committee of Secretaries approved setting up biosphere reserves [2].

• 1986: the Indian National Biosphere Reserve Programme began. Nilgiri became the first reserve [2].

• Coverage: India has 18 biosphere reserves covering about 91,425.11 sq km (December 2023) [2].

• India's 18 reserves (year set up → state → key fact):
• Nilgiri (1986): Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka. India's first. Includes Mudumalai, Bandipur, Nagarhole, Silent Valley, Wayanad and Nilambur, in the Western Ghats.
• Nanda Devi (1988): Uttarakhand. Includes Nanda Devi NP and Valley of Flowers NP.
• Nokrek (1988): Garo Hills, Meghalaya. Wild citrus gene pool and red panda.
• Gulf of Mannar (1989): Tamil Nadu, from Rameswaram to Kanyakumari. India's first marine reserve, with 21 islands, coral reefs, seagrass and dugong.
• Sunderban (1989): West Bengal, in the Ganga–Brahmaputra delta. Mangroves and Bengal tiger.
• Manas (1989): Assam, on the Bhutan border.
• Great Nicobar (1989): Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Tropical rainforest, leatherback turtle nesting beaches and the Shompen tribe.
• Similipal (1994): Mayurbhanj, Odisha. Melanistic (black-coloured) tigers.
• Dibru-Saikhowa (1997): Assam. Feral horses (tame horses that went wild) and white-winged wood duck. The smallest reserve, at 765 sq km [2].
• Dehang-Debang (1998): Siang and Dibang valleys, Arunachal Pradesh.
• Pachmarhi (1999): Satpura range, Madhya Pradesh.
• Khangchendzonga (2000): Sikkim, around Mt Kangchenjunga.
• Agasthyamalai (2001): Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Kani tribe and endemic medicinal plants (plants found only here).
• Achanakmar-Amarkantak (2005): Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, in the Maikala hills. Source of the Narmada and Son.
• Kachchh (2008): Gujarat. Wild ass and flamingos. The largest reserve, at 12,454 sq km [2].
• Cold Desert (2009): Lahaul-Spiti, Himachal Pradesh. Snow leopard and Pin Valley NP.
• Seshachalam (2010): Eastern Ghats, Andhra Pradesh. Red sanders (red sandalwood).

• Panna (2011): Madhya Pradesh, in the Ken river catchment. Tigers were reintroduced here after they died out locally in 2009.

• On UNESCO's WNBR: 13 of India's 18 reserves are on the list. Cold Desert joined on 27 September 2025 at Hangzhou as India's 13th [3]. (NCERT still says 12.)

• Order of joining: Nilgiri (2000) → Gulf of Mannar and Sunderban (2001) → Nanda Devi (2004) → Nokrek, Pachmarhi and Similipal (2009) → Achanakmar-Amarkantak (2012) → Great Nicobar (2013) → Agasthyamalai (2016) → Khangchendzonga (2018) → Panna (2020) → Cold Desert (2025) [2][3].

• Not yet listed (5): Manas, Dibru-Saikhowa, Dehang-Debang, Kachchh and Seshachalam. MoEFCC lists them as "under consideration" [2].

• Cold Desert in detail: India's first high-altitude cold desert biosphere reserve, at 3,300–6,600 m in the Trans-Himalaya. The Trans-Himalaya lies in a rain shadow (the dry side of a mountain range, where little rain falls) north of the Great Himalaya [3].

• It covers Pin Valley NP, Chandratal, Sarchu and Kibber WLS [2][3].

• About 12,000 people live there. They depend on yak and goat herding, small farms and Sowa Rigpa (traditional Tibetan medicine) [3].

• Map sweep, west to east: Kachchh → Cold Desert and Nanda Devi → Pachmarhi, Panna and Achanakmar-Amarkantak → Similipal → Sunderban → Khangchendzonga → Manas, Nokrek and Dibru-Saikhowa → Dehang-Debang.

• The southern group is Nilgiri, Agasthyamalai, Gulf of Mannar and Seshachalam.
• Great Nicobar lies far to the south-east, in the Bay of Bengal.

Don't confuse with

• National park / wildlife sanctuary: these are legal protected areas under the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972. A biosphere reserve is only an executive central scheme. Its core is often a national park or sanctuary.
• UNESCO World Heritage Site: this is a different UNESCO list. Manas is a World Heritage Site but is not on the WNBR.
• Ex-situ conservation (zoos, seed banks): these protect species outside their natural home. A biosphere reserve conserves in-situ, inside the natural ecosystem [2].
• "Fortress" protected area: this model keeps people out. A biosphere reserve keeps local communities inside its buffer and transition zones as part of the system [2].

Prelims Hooks

• Firsts: Nilgiri (1986) was India's first biosphere reserve and the first Indian site on the WNBR (2000) [2]. Gulf of Mannar was the first marine reserve.
• Size: Kachchh (12,454 sq km) > Gulf of Mannar (10,500) > Sunderban (9,630) > Cold Desert (7,770). The smallest is Dibru-Saikhowa (765) [2].
• Latest WNBR entry: Cold Desert, Himachal Pradesh, September 2025. It is India's 13th. The network is now 785 sites in 142 countries [3].
• Not on WNBR: Manas, Dibru-Saikhowa, Dehang-Debang, Kachchh and Seshachalam [2]. Trap: Manas is a World Heritage Site.
• Feature pairs: Similipal → melanistic tigers. Nokrek → wild citrus and red panda. Seshachalam → red sanders. Agasthyamalai → Kani tribe. Great Nicobar → Shompen and leatherback turtles. Achanakmar-Amarkantak → source of the Narmada and Son.
• Status and funding: BRs are not a protected area under the WPA 1972. They are a CNRE sub-scheme funded 60:40, or 90:10 for North-Eastern and Himalayan states. The MAB ICC designates them after the national government nominates the site [2].

Mains Points

• People-inclusive conservation (GS-III): the core–buffer–transition model gives local people other ways to earn a living in the outer zones. This lowers biotic pressure on the core [2].
• It is a different approach from the "fortress" model, which keeps people out.

• It suits areas where communities depend on the land, such as Agasthyamalai (Kani tribe) and Cold Desert (about 12,000 herders) [2][3].

• Gaps in coverage:

• 5 of India's 18 reserves are still off the UNESCO list [2].
• Some biogeographic regions have few reserves, such as the Deccan, and the Trans-Himalaya had none on the list before 2025.

• A biosphere reserve has no legal status of its own. Only its core is protected, through national parks and sanctuaries.

• Development versus conservation:

• The Great Nicobar port and township project lies inside a biosphere reserve. The reserve has rainforest, leatherback turtle nesting beaches and the Shompen, a particularly vulnerable tribal group. Use it as a case study of weighing strategic infrastructure against ecology and tribal rights.
• Biosphere reserves are a tool for in-situ conservation under the CBD (1992). They also support area-based targets under the Kunming-Montreal GBF (2022) and the SDGs [2][3].

Related concepts

• Man and Biosphere Programme
• Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve
• Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve
• Nokrek Biosphere Reserve
• Manas Biosphere Reserve
• Sunderban Biosphere Reserve
• Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve
• Great Nicobar Biosphere Reserve
• Similipal Biosphere Reserve
• Dibru-Saikhowa Biosphere Reserve

Read more

• Biosphere reserves and UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere Programme