Which is the First Biosphere Reserve in India?
Learn about the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, which is recognised as the first biosphere reserve in India, with its location, states, vegetation, climate, flora and fauna.
A biosphere reserve is a site that is designated under UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Program. These reserves are nominated by the national government, and they must meet a minimal set of criteria for designation as defined under Article 4 of the statutory framework of the MAB Program of UNESCO.
Recognising the importance of Biosphere Reserves, the Indian Man and Biosphere (MAB) Committee identified the potential site for a Biosphere Reserve in 1979, and in 1983, committee has approved for the Biosphere Reserve in India in 1986.
However, do you know which is the first biosphere reserve in India? Explore this article in detail and learn about the first biosphere reserve in India.
Which is the First Biosphere Reserve in India?
Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve is the first biosphere reserve in India. According to the Tamil Nadu Forest Department, "The Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve was constituted by UNESCO in September 1986. It is the first biosphere reserve in India."
It is located in the Western Ghats, the Nilgiri Hills range of the South India. This biosphere reserve comes under three states of India, which are:
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Tamil Nadu
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Kerala
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Karnataka
The total area under these states is given below in the table format:
| State | Total Area (km²) | Core Area (km²) | Manipulation / Forestry (km²) | Tourism (km²) | Restoration (km²) |
| Tamil Nadu | 2,537.6 | 274.0 | 2,081.5 | 65.8 | 116.3 |
| Kerala | 1,455.4 | 264.5 | 945.0 | 0.0 | 245.9 |
| Karnataka | 1,527.4 | 701.8 | 212.2 | 269.2 | 344.2 |
| Total | 5,520.4 | 1,240.3 | 3,238.7 | 335.0 | 706.4 |
The total area of Nilgiri Biosphere is about 5,520 sq. km, and it is the largest protected forest in India.
Under this reserve, the Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary, Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary, Bandipur National Park, Nagarhole National Park, Mukurthi National Park, and Silent Valley are the protected areas.
Vegetation
This reserve has an extensive and diverse range of ecosystems, such as tropical evergreen forest, montane sholas and grassland, semi-evergreen forest, moist deciduous forest, dry deciduous, and thorn forest.
Climate
The climatic conditions of Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve are very favourable. The annual rainfall of this reserve ranges from 500 mm to 7000 mm, and the temperature ranges from 0°C during the winter to 41°C during the summer.
Flora
The Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve is very rich in plant diversity. This reserve has about 3300 species of flowering plants, and out of 3300 species, 132 are endemic to the reserve.
Some of the plants are entirely restricted to the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, which are Adenoon, Calacanthus, Baeolepis, Frerea, Jarodina, Wagatea, Poeciloneuron, etc.
Fauna
In Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, there are about 100 species of mammals, 350 species of birds, 80 species of reptiles, 39 species of fish, 31 species of amphibians, and 316 species of butterflies.
This reserve is also known for the two endangered animal species, which are the Nilgiri tahr and the Lion-tailed macaque.
Beyond these two endangered species, the tiger, Asian elephant, gaur, sambar, chital, etc., can also be seen in the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve.
Prabhat Mishra is a Subject Matter Expert and digital journalist with an extensive background in the competitive exam landscape and over 4 years of experience in education, national and international news, and current affairs. Over his tenure with top knowledge platforms like Mentorship India, IAS BABA, IAS SARTHI, and now Jagran Josh, he has a deep understanding of government exams like UPSC and State PCS, including UP and Bihar, as he has already qualified for the UPPCS 2022 Mains and Bihar 68th Mains. With his core expertise in history, polity, geography & current affairs, he specialises in creating well-researched, aspirant-centric content and simplifying complex topics for competitive examinations.
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