The Indian government has established 17 Biosphere Reserves of India, (categories roughly corresponding to IUCN Category V Protected areas), which protect larger areas of natural habitat (than a National Park

National park

A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...

 or Animal Sanctuary

Animal sanctuary

An animal sanctuary is a facility where animals are brought to live and be protected for the rest of their lives. Unlike animal shelters, sanctuaries do not seek to place animals with individuals or groups, instead maintaining each animal until his or her natural death...

), and often include one or more National Parks and/or preserves, along 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.

Seven of the seventeen biosphere reserves are a part of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves

World Network of Biosphere Reserves

The UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves covers internationally-designated protected areas, known as biosphere reserves, that are meant to demonstrate a balanced relationship between man and nature The UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves covers internationally-designated protected...

, based on the UNESCO

UNESCO

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...

 Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme list.

1. Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve
   Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve
   The Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve is an International Biosphere Reserve in the Western Ghats, Nilgiri Hills range of South India. The Western Ghats, Nilgiri Sub-Cluster , conjoining the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, is under consideration by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee for selection as a World...
   
   , 2000
2. Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve, 2001
3. Sundarbans national park
   Sundarbans
   The Sundarbans [Sundarban Tour Booking-9051115228] is the largest single block of tidal halophytic mangrove forest in the world.The name Sundarban can be literally translated as "beautiful jungle" or "beautiful forest" in the Bengali language...
   
   , 2001
4. Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve, 2004
5. Nokrek Biosphere Reserve, 2009
6. Pachmarhi Biosphere Reserve
   Pachmarhi Biosphere Reserve
   The Pachmarhi Biosphere Reserve is a conservation area in the Satpura Range of Madhya Pradesh state, India. It was created on March 3, 1999 by the Indian Government, and covers parts of Hoshangabad, Betul, and Chhindwara districts....
   
   , 2009
7. Simlipal Biosphere Reserve, 2009

The above two along with Manas Biosphere Reserve  are among the 22 new sites recently added by UNESCO to its World Network of Biosphere Reserves. Their inclusion raises the number of Indian sites on the World list to seven, from a total of 15 Biosphere Reserves across the subcontinent. In 2009, India designated Cold Desert of Himachal Pradesh

Himachal Pradesh

Himachal Pradesh is a state in Northern India. It is spread over , and is bordered by the Indian states of Jammu and Kashmir on the north, Punjab on the west and south-west, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh on the south, Uttarakhand on the south-east and by the Tibet Autonomous Region on the east...

 as a Biosphere Reserve. And on September 20th, 2010, Ministry of Environment and Forests designated Seshachalam Hills

Seshachalam Hills

The Seshachalam Hills are hilly ranges part of the Eastern Ghats in southern Andhra Pradesh state, in southeastern India. The ranges were formed during the Precambrian era . Minerals contained in these hills include sandstone and shale interbedded with limestone...

 as another Biosphere Reserve taking the count to number of such designated areas to 17. Now, India has 17 Biosphere reserves.

List of Biosphere Reserves

Biosphere reserves of India (area wise)

	Year	Name	Location	State	Type	Area (km²)
1	2008	Great Rann of Kutch	Part of Kutch Kutch District Kutch district is a district of Gujarat state in western India. Covering an area of 45,652 km², it is the largest district of India.... , Rajkot Rajkot district Rajkot district is one of the 26 districts of the Indian state of Gujarat. Rajkot city is the administrative headquarters of the district. It is the third-most advanced district in Gujarat....  and Surendranagar District Surendranagar district Surendranagar is an administrative district in the state of Gujarat in India. It has a population of approximately 1.7 million people. Surendranagar is also known as Zalawad, as the city of Surendranagar was ruled by Zala Rajputs... s	Gujarat	Desert Desert A desert is a landscape or region that receives an extremely low amount of precipitation, less than enough to support growth of most plants. Most deserts have an average annual precipitation of less than...	12454
2	1989	Gulf of Mannar Gulf of Mannar The Gulf of Mannar is a large shallow bay forming part of the Laccadive Sea in the Indian Ocean. It lies between the southeastern tip of India and the west coast of Sri Lanka. A chain of low islands and reefs known as Adam's Bridge, also called Ramsethu, which includes Mannar Island, separates the...	Indian part of Gulf of Mannar between India India India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...  and Sri Lanka Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...	Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...	Coasts	10500
3	1989	Sunderbans	Part of delta of Ganges and Barahamaputra river system	West Bengal West Bengal West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...	Gangetic Delta	9630
4	1988	Nanda Devi Nanda Devi Nanda Devi is the second highest mountain in India and the highest entirely within the country ; owing to this geography it was the highest known mountain in the world until computations on Dhaulagiri by western surveyors in 1808...	Parts of Chamoli District Chamoli District Chamoli district is a district of Uttarakhand state of India. It is bounded by the Tibet region to the north, and by the Uttarakhand districts of Pithoragarh and Bageshwar to the east, Almora to the south, Garhwal to the southwest, Rudraprayag to the west, and Uttarkashi to the northwest... , Pithoragarh District Pithoragarh District Pithoragarh district is the easternmost Himalayan district in the state of Uttarakhand, India. It is naturally landscaped with high Himalayan mountains, snow capped peaks, passes, valleys, alpine meadows, forests, waterfalls, perennial rivers, glaciers and springs. The flora and fauna of this area...  & Bageshwar District	Uttarakhand Uttarakhand Uttarakhand , formerly Uttaranchal, is a state in the northern part of India. It is often referred to as the Land of Gods due to the many holy Hindu temples and cities found throughout the state, some of which are among Hinduism's most spiritual and auspicious places of pilgrimage and worship...	West Himalayas	5860
5	1986	Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve The Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve is an International Biosphere Reserve in the Western Ghats, Nilgiri Hills range of South India. The Western Ghats, Nilgiri Sub-Cluster , conjoining the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, is under consideration by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee for selection as a World...	Part of Waynad, Nagarhole, Bandipur Bandipur Bandipur is a hilltop settlement in Tanahu District, of Nepal. Because of its preserved, old time cultural atmosphere, Bandipur has increasingly been coming to the attention of tourism...  and Mudumalai Mudumalai National Park The Mudumalai National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary Tamil:முதுமலை வனவிலங்கு காப்பகம், now also declared a Tiger Reserve, lies on the northwestern side of the Nilgiri Hills , in Nilgiri District, about north-west of Coimbatore in the westernmost part of Tamil Nadu, on the interstate boundaries with... , Nilambur Nilambur Nilambur is a municipality and a taluk in the Malappuram district of Kerala, South India. It is famous for its forests, especially its wildlife habitats, rivers, waterfalls and teak plantations. It is situated close to the Nilgiris range of the Western Ghats on the banks of the Chaliyar River... , Silent Valley Silent Valley Silent Valley may refer to:* Silent Valley National Park, in Palakkad district, Kerala, India*Silent Valley Reservoir, a reservoir located in the Mourne Mountains near Kilkeel, County Down in Northern Ireland...  and Siruvani Hills	Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh... , Kerala Kerala or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....  and Karnataka Karnataka Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...	Western Ghats Western Ghats The Western Ghats, Western Ghauts or the Sahyādri is a mountain range along the western side of India. It runs north to south along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau, and separates the plateau from a narrow coastal plain along the Arabian Sea. The Western Ghats block rainfall to the Deccan...	5520
6	1998	Dehang Debang	Part of Siang and Dibang Valley Dibang Valley The Dibang Valley is a district of Arunachal Pradesh named after the Dibang River or the Talon as the Idus call it. Although the Dibang Valley district is the largest district in the state, it is the least populated district in India.-History:...	Arunachal Pradesh Arunachal Pradesh Arunachal Pradesh is a state of India, located in the far northeast. It borders the states of Assam and Nagaland to the south, and shares international borders with Burma in the east, Bhutan in the west, and the People's Republic of China in the north. The majority of the territory is claimed by...	East Himalayas	5112
7	1999	Pachmarhi Biosphere Reserve Pachmarhi Biosphere Reserve The Pachmarhi Biosphere Reserve is a conservation area in the Satpura Range of Madhya Pradesh state, India. It was created on March 3, 1999 by the Indian Government, and covers parts of Hoshangabad, Betul, and Chhindwara districts....	Parts of Betul District Betul District Betul District is a district of Madhya Pradesh state in central India. The city of Betul serves as its administrative headquarters. The district is a part of Narmadapuram Division.-Demograpics:... , Hoshangabad District Hoshangabad District Hoshangabad District is one of the districts of Madhya Pradesh state of India, and Hoshangabad town is the district headquarters.-Geography:...  and Chhindwara District Chhindwara District Chhindwara district is one of the districts of Madhya Pradesh state of India, and Chhindwara town is the district headquarters. The district is part of Jabalpur Division.-General information:...	Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh , often called the Heart of India, is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and Indore is the largest city....	Semi-Arid Semi-arid A semi-arid climate or steppe climate describes climatic regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not extremely...	4926
8	1994	Simlipal	Part of Mayurbhanj district Mayurbhanj District Mayurbhanj district is one of the 30 districts in Orissa state in eastern India. It is the largest district of Orissa by area. Baripada city is the district headquarters. As of 2011 it is the third most populous district of Orissa , after Ganjam and Cuttack.-History:Mayurbhanj District was formed...	Orissa Orissa Orissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...	Deccan Peninsula	4374
9	2005	Achanakamar Achanakamar Achanakamar wildlife sanctuary falls in Amarkantak Biosphere Reserve which is one of the sixteen Biosphere Reserves located in India. Achanakamar falls in the Anuppur and Dindori districts of Madhya Pradesh and Bilaspur district, Chhattisgarh...  - Amarkantak Amarkantak Amarkantak is a pilgrim town and a nagar panchayat in Anuppur District in the state of Madhya Pradesh, India. Also called "Teerthraj" , Amarkantak region is a unique natural heritage area and is the meeting point of the Vindhyas and the Satpuras, with the Maikal Hills being the fulcrum...	Part of Annupur Anuppur District Anuppur District is an administrative district of Madhya Pradesh state in central India.The district has an area of 3701 km², and a population of 667,155 . 309,624 people are from scheduled tribes and 48,376 are scheduled castes... , Dindori Dindori District Dindori District is a district of Madhya Pradesh state of central India. The town of Dindori is the district headquarters. The district is part of Shahdol Division.-Economy:...  and Bilaspur Bilaspur District, Chhattisgarh Bilaspur district is a district of the Chhattisgarh state of India. Bilaspur city is the headquarters of the district. As of 2011 it is the third most populous district of Chhattisgarh , after Raipur and Durg.- Etymology :...  districts	Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh , often called the Heart of India, is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and Indore is the largest city.... , Chattisgarh	Maikala Range	3835
10	1989	Manas Manas Manas may refer to one of the following:*Manas, a Kyrgyz epic poem with 500,000 lines.*The Pali and Sanskrit term for "mind"; see**Manas **Manas-vijnana, one of the eight consciousnesses taught in Yogacara Buddhism...	Part of Kokrajhar Kokrajhar district Kokrajhar district is an administrative district in the state of Assam in north-eastern India. The district headquarters are located at Kokrajhar town. The district occupies an area of 3,169.22 km². , the district had a population of 905,764. Hindus 594,168, Muslims 184,441.-History:Kokrajhar... , Bongaigaon, Barpeta Barpeta District Barpeta district is an administrative district in the state of Assam in India. The district headquarters are located at Barpeta. The district occupies an area of 3245 km² and has a population of 1,642,420 .-History:... , Nalbari Nalbari district Nalbari is an administrative district in the state of Assam in India. The district headquarters are located at Nalbari.-History:The district was created on 14 August 1985 when it was split from Kamrup district... , Kamrup and Darrang District Darrang District Darrang is an administrative district in the state of Assam in India. The district headquarters are located at Mangaldai. The district occupies an area of 3481 km².-History:In 1983 Sonitpur district was formed from part of Darrang... s	Assam Assam Assam , also, rarely, Assam Valley and formerly the Assam Province , is a northeastern state of India and is one of the most culturally and geographically distinct regions of the country...	East Himalayas	2837
11	2000	Kanchanjunga	Parts of Kanchanjunga Hills	Sikkim Sikkim Sikkim is a landlocked Indian state nestled in the Himalayan mountains...	East Himalayas	2620
12	2001	Agasthyamalai Biosphere Reserve	Neyyar, Peppara Peppara The Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary constitutes the catchments of the Peppara Dam on the Karamana River near Thiruvananthapuram, India.The Peppara Dam was commissioned in 1983 to augment the drinking water supply to Thiruvananthapuram city and suburban areas. Considering the ecological significance of...  and Shenduruny Wildlife Sanctuary and their adjoining areas	Kerala Kerala or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions.... , Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...	Western ghats Western Ghats The Western Ghats, Western Ghauts or the Sahyādri is a mountain range along the western side of India. It runs north to south along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau, and separates the plateau from a narrow coastal plain along the Arabian Sea. The Western Ghats block rainfall to the Deccan...	1828
13	1989	Great Nicobar Biosphere Reserve Great Nicobar Biosphere Reserve The Great Nicobar Biosphere Reserve encompasses a large part of the island of Great Nicobar, the largest of the Nicobar Islands in the Indian Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The Nicobars lie in the Bay of Bengal, eastern Indian Ocean, 190 km to the north of the Indonesian island of...	Southern most islands of Andaman and Nicobar Islands	Andaman and Nicobar Islands	Islands	885
14	1988	Nokrek	Part of Garo Hills Garo Hills The Garo Hills are part of the Garo-Khasi range in Meghalaya, India. They are inhabited mainly by tribal dwellers. Shillong, the capital of Meghalaya, is located in this range. It is one of the wettest places in the world. The range is part of the Meghalaya subtropical forests ecoregion.Garo Hills...	Meghalaya Meghalaya Meghalaya is a state in north-eastern India. The word "Meghalaya" literally means the Abode of Clouds in Sanskrit and other Indic languages. Meghalaya is a hilly strip in the eastern part of the country about 300 km long and 100 km wide, with a total area of about 8,700 sq mi . The...	East Himalayas	820
15	1997	Dibru-Saikhowa	Part of Dibrugarh Dibrugarh district Dibrugarh is an administrative district in the state of Assam in India. The district headquarters are located at Dibrugarh city. The district occupies an area of 3381 km².-Etymology:...   and Tinsukia district Tinsukia district Tinsukia district is one of the 27 administrative districts in the state of Assam, India. The district headquarters are located at Tinsukia. Tinsukia district occupies an area of , comparatively equivalent to South Georgia.- History :... s	Assam Assam Assam , also, rarely, Assam Valley and formerly the Assam Province , is a northeastern state of India and is one of the most culturally and geographically distinct regions of the country...	East Himalayas	765
16	2009	Cold Desert Cold Desert Cold Desert is included as 16th biosphere reserves of India in 2009 under UNESCO's MAB program. It includes in itself Pin Valley National Park and surroundings;Chandratal and Sarchu & Kibber Wildlife Sancturary in Himachal Pradesh,India.Area:- 7770 Sqr Km....	Pin Valley National Park and surroundings;Chandratal and Sarchu & Kibber Wildlife Sancturary	Himachal Pradesh Himachal Pradesh Himachal Pradesh is a state in Northern India. It is spread over , and is bordered by the Indian states of Jammu and Kashmir on the north, Punjab on the west and south-west, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh on the south, Uttarakhand on the south-east and by the Tibet Autonomous Region on the east...	Western Himalayas	7770
17	2010	Seshachalam Hills Seshachalam Hills The Seshachalam Hills are hilly ranges part of the Eastern Ghats in southern Andhra Pradesh state, in southeastern India. The ranges were formed during the Precambrian era . Minerals contained in these hills include sandstone and shale interbedded with limestone...	Seshachalam Hill Ranges covering parts of Chittoor and Kadapa districts	Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...	Eastern Ghats Eastern Ghats The Eastern Ghats or Eastern Ghauts are a discontinuous range of mountains along India's eastern coast. The Eastern Ghats run from West Bengal state in the north, through Orissa and Andhra Pradesh to Tamil Nadu in the south passing some parts of Karnataka. They are eroded and cut through by the...	4755.997

Potential Sites for Biosphere Reserves

Following is the list of potential sites for Biosphere Reserves as selected by Ministry of Forests and Environment:-

1. Namdapha, Arunachal Pradesh
2. Thar desert, Rajasthan
3. Little Rann of Kutch, Gujarat
4. Kaziranga, Assam
5. Kanha, Madhya Pradesh
6. North Islands of Andaman Andaman & Nicobar
7. Abujmarh, Madhya Pradesh
8. Chintapalli, Andhra Pradesh
9. Lakshadweep Islands, Lakshadweep
10. Singbhum, Jharkhand

See also

• List of Protected areas in India
• Protected areas of India
  Protected areas of India
  As of May 2004, the protected areas of India cover , roughly 4.95% of the total surface area.-Classification:India has the following kinds of protected areas, in the sense of the word designated by IUCN:-National Park:...