Biosphere reserves are special protected areas where nature and people are meant to live together in balance. In one large landscape, they protect forests, rivers, animals and plants, but they also support the local communities who depend on these resources. In recent years, students, competitive exam aspirants and nature lovers are asking more and more questions about Biosphere Reserves in india because these areas show how conservation and development can happen together, and the term Biosphere Reserves in india now appears regularly in exam papers. This blog explains when biosphere reserves started in India, who launched the idea, why they are needed, and provides a complete year-wise table of all 18 reserves.
What is a biosphere reserve?
A biosphere reserve is a large area of land or sea that includes three main zones:
Core zone – the most protected part, where nature is left almost untouched.
Buffer zone – area around the core, where limited activities like research, eco-tourism and education are allowed.
Transition zone – outer zone where people live and use land for farming, grazing, forestry and other sustainable activities.
Because of this structure, Biosphere Reserves in india are not just like a national park or wildlife sanctuary. They are bigger than a typical protected area and are designed to test and demonstrate practical methods of conservation linked with local livelihoods and cultural traditions.
Who started biosphere reserves and when did India join?
The concept of biosphere reserves was started globally by UNESCO under the Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme in 1971. The main aim was to create an international network of sites that protect biodiversity while also supporting scientific research and sustainable development.
India joined this global effort in the 1980s. The Government of India, through the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), created its own national programme. The first official entry in the national Biosphere Reserves Division List was the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve in 1986, spread across Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala in the Western Ghats. This was the starting point of Biosphere Reserves in india, and more areas were gradually added in different biogeographic zones of the country.
Why were biosphere reserves needed in India?
India is one of the world’s 17 mega-diverse countries. It has the Himalayas, deserts, coasts, grasslands, tropical forests, islands and rich river systems. At the same time, India has a large and growing population, rapid urbanisation and strong pressure on land, water and forests. Because of these pressures, the Government and scientists realised that normal protected areas alone were not enough. They needed a wider landscape approach, and this is exactly what biosphere reserves provide.
The key reasons for starting and expanding Biosphere Reserves in india were:
To conserve complete ecosystems, not just single species or small patches of forest.
To protect rare, threatened and endemic plants and animals such as snow leopard, lion-tailed macaque, red panda, dugong and many others. To give local communities a central role in conservation through eco-development, sustainable farming, eco-tourism and traditional knowledge.
To create “living laboratories” for long-term ecological and climate research.
To support sustainable development models that can be copied in other parts of the country.
Because of this vision, the official Biosphere Reserves Division List today covers cold deserts, coastal lagoons, mangrove deltas, river islands, evergreen forests and high Himalayan valleys.
Growth of Biosphere Reserves in india
After Nilgiri in 1986, more sites were added almost every few years. Nanda Devi and Nokrek were notified in 1988, Gulf of Mannar, Sundarbans, Manas and Great Nicobar followed in 1989, and the network gradually expanded to central India, the Northeast, the islands and the western desert region.
Today there are 18 notified Biosphere Reserves in india, covering more than ninety thousand square kilometres. Together they represent almost all major ecosystem types of the country.
Role of the Biosphere Reserves Division
Within MoEFCC, a special unit often referred to as the Biosphere Reserves Division coordinates this programme. It prepares the Biosphere Reserves Division List, supports state forest departments, and sends proposals for international recognition under UNESCO’s MAB Programme. The division also guides research, monitoring, eco-development schemes and periodic review of each site. For students, remembering that the national Biosphere Reserves Division List is maintained by MoEFCC is important for both environment and polity topics in exams.
UNESCO recognition: how many Indian biosphere reserves are in the World Network?
Some sites from the national network are also nominated to UNESCO’s World Network of Biosphere Reserves (WNBR). When UNESCO accepts a site, it becomes part of a global family of biosphere reserves and receives international visibility, technical guidance and opportunities for cooperation.
As of 2025, India has 18 biosphere reserves in the national system, and 13 of them are recognised by UNESCO under the MAB Programme. Nilgiri was the first Indian site to enter the WNBR in 2000, and the Cold Desert Biosphere Reserve in Himachal Pradesh became the most recent addition in 2025. In the updated Biosphere Reserves Division List, these UNESCO-recognised sites are specially highlighted because they meet international standards for conservation and sustainable development.
Year-wise Biosphere Reserves Division List in India
The following table gives a simple year-wise summary of all 18 Biosphere Reserves in india. For each reserve, you can see the year of notification and the main state or states covered. The years and locations are based on official government and standard reference sources.
Biosphere Reserves in india: Year-wise table
| Year | Biosphere Reserve | State / Union Territory (major coverage) |
|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Nilgiri | Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka |
| 1988 | Nanda Devi | Uttarakhand |
| 1988 | Nokrek | Meghalaya |
| 1989 | Gulf of Mannar | Tamil Nadu |
| 1989 | Sundarbans | West Bengal |
| 1989 | Manas | Assam |
| 1989 | Great Nicobar | Andaman & Nicobar Islands |
| 1994 | Simlipal | Odisha |
| 1997 | Dibru-Saikhowa | Assam |
| 1998 | Dihang-Dibang | Arunachal Pradesh |
| 1999 | Pachmarhi | Madhya Pradesh |
| 2000 | Khangchendzonga | Sikkim |
| 2001 | Agasthyamalai | Kerala, Tamil Nadu |
| 2005 | Achanakmar-Amarkantak | Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh |
| 2008 | Great Rann of Kutch (Kachchh) | Gujarat |
| 2009 | Cold Desert | Himachal Pradesh |
| 2010 | Seshachalam Hills | Andhra Pradesh |
| 2011 | Panna | Madhya Pradesh |
If you are preparing notes for exams, you can copy this table into your own handwritten Biosphere Reserves Division List and add one more column for key species or important rivers inside each reserve.
Important features of major biosphere reserves
Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve
The first entry in the national Biosphere Reserves Division List, Nilgiri brings together multiple wildlife sanctuaries and national parks such as Bandipur, Mudumalai, Wayanad and Silent Valley. It protects the shola–grassland mosaic of the Western Ghats and is famous for elephants, tigers, lion-tailed macaques and Nilgiri tahr.
Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve
Located in Uttarakhand, this reserve includes the Nanda Devi National Park and the Valley of Flowers. It covers high Himalayan peaks, alpine meadows and glaciers. It is an important stronghold for snow leopard, Himalayan musk deer and many alpine plants.
Sundarbans Biosphere Reserve
Sundarbans in West Bengal is a mangrove delta at the mouth of the Ganga–Brahmaputra river system. The dense mangrove forests and network of tidal creeks provide habitat to the famous Royal Bengal tiger, estuarine crocodiles, fishing cats and many bird species. It also protects the coastline from cyclones and storm surges.
Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve
This coastal and marine biosphere reserve covers coral reefs, seagrass beds and many small islands between India and Sri Lanka. It is well known for dugongs (sea cows), sea cucumbers, pearl oysters and rich marine biodiversity.
Great Nicobar Biosphere Reserve
Located in the southernmost part of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, this reserve protects tropical evergreen forests, coastal ecosystems and rare species like the Nicobar megapode, saltwater crocodile and several endemic birds and plants.
Cold Desert Biosphere Reserve
The Cold Desert entry on the Biosphere Reserves Division List covers the high-altitude trans-Himalayan landscapes of Himachal Pradesh. It includes snow-covered peaks, glaciers, barren valleys and sparse grasslands. The reserve is important for snow leopard, Himalayan ibex, blue sheep and hardy high-altitude plants adapted to extreme cold and low oxygen.
Great Rann of Kutch Biosphere Reserve
This reserve in Gujarat is India’s largest biosphere reserve. It protects the saline desert of the Great Rann, seasonal wetlands, grasslands and coastal areas. It is important for species like the Indian wild ass, flamingos, pelicans, cranes and many migratory birds.
How do biosphere reserves help people?
Biosphere Reserves in india are not only about protecting wildlife; they also support local people in many ways:
Promoting sustainable agriculture and organic farming in the transition zone.
Encouraging eco-tourism, homestays and local handicrafts to increase income.
Protecting water sources, soil and forest products that villages depend on.
Providing jobs in forest protection, guiding, research and conservation projects.
Supporting traditional knowledge about medicinal plants, grazing systems and community rules.
Because of this, the Biosphere Reserves Division List is an important tool for planning long-term, people-centred conservation in India.
Challenges in managing Biosphere Reserves in india
Even with strong laws and national-level planning, there are many challenges:
Increasing population and demand for land inside transition zones.
Human–wildlife conflict involving elephants, big cats or crop-raiding animals.
Illegal activities like poaching, sand mining, timber smuggling and pollution.
Climate change impacts such as glacier melt, sea-level rise and extreme weather.
Limited funds for research, staff, community projects and modern monitoring.
To tackle these issues, authorities are using satellite images, GIS mapping, camera traps, village micro-plans and participatory management committees. Each new review of the Biosphere Reserves Division List tries to improve zoning, reduce pressure on core areas and provide more benefits to local communities.
Quick facts for exams
To make your revision easy, here are some quick one-line points about Biosphere Reserves in india:
Total biosphere reserves in the country: 18
Total Indian biosphere reserves recognised by UNESCO: 13
First biosphere reserve notified in India: Nilgiri (1986).
Latest biosphere reserve notified in India: Panna (2011).
Largest biosphere reserve in India: Great Rann of Kutch (Gujarat).
Smallest biosphere reserve in India: Dibru-Saikhowa (Assam).
Why Biosphere Reserves in india matter for students and exams
If you are preparing for school boards, SSC, UPSC or state services, questions on Biosphere Reserves in india are now very common in environment, geography and general awareness sections. Examiners like this topic because it connects mapping skills, current affairs and basic concepts of conservation. Keeping one clean page in your notebook with the full Biosphere Reserves Division List helps you revise locations, years and key species in one glance. You can quickly practice map-based questions by marking all Biosphere Reserves in india on an outline map and linking each site to its core idea, such as coral reefs, mangroves, cold deserts or alpine meadows.
How to revise Biosphere Reserves in india quickly
While revising, do not just read the names; connect them with maps and species. Write the complete Biosphere Reserves Division List at least twice in your own handwriting and speak it out loud. This habit fixes the location of all Biosphere Reserves in india in your mind and also helps you remember which sites are in the UNESCO network. You can even make small flashcards where one side has the year and the other side has the name of the Biosphere Reserves in india for fast self-testing.
Conclusion
Biosphere Reserves in india are one of the most powerful tools for protecting the country’s natural wealth while also supporting human development. For descriptive answers, you can write that Biosphere Reserves in india act like a bridge between strict protected areas and normal human-use landscapes, where conservation and livelihoods are balanced. Always remember to mention that the official Biosphere Reserves Division List covers 18 Biosphere Reserves in india across almost all major ecosystem types of the country. Starting with Nilgiri in 1986, the national Biosphere Reserves Division List has expanded to 18 diverse sites that cover mountains, forests, islands, coasts, deserts and river systems.
Thirteen of these reserves are now part of UNESCO’s World Network, which shows that India’s efforts are recognised at the global level as well. For students, aspirants and citizens, understanding this network is important not only for exams but also for appreciating how conservation and livelihoods can work together in a practical, real-world way.
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