Biosphere Reserves: India
List of Biosphere Reserves, their area, date of designation and location
Andaman & Nicobar Islands
Great Nicobar (885 km²)
Designated on 6 January 1989. Southernmost island of India; tropical rainforest and coastal habitats.
Andhra Pradesh
Seshachalam Hills (4755.997 km²)
Designated on 20 September 2010. Located in the Eastern Ghats; rocky hills; source of red sanders trees. Covers parts of Chittoor and Kadapa districts.
Arunachal Pradesh
Dihang-Dibang / Dehang-Dibang (5111.5 km²)
Designated on 2 September 1998. Eastern Himalayas; includes Mishmi Hills and Dibang Valley; high biodiversity. Covers Upper Siang, West Siang, and Dibang Valley districts.
Assam
Manas (2837 km²)
Designated on 14 March 1989. Foothills of the Himalayas; UNESCO World Heritage Site; rich in endangered fauna. Includes Kokrajhar, Bongaigaon, Barpeta, Nalbari, Kamrup, and Darrang districts.
Assam
Dibru-Saikhowa (765 km²)
Designated on 28 July 1997. Brahmaputra River floodplains; semi-evergreen forests and wetlands. Located in Dibrugarh and Tinsukia districts.
Chhattisgarh & Madhya Pradesh
Achanakmar-Amarkantak (3835.51 km²)
Designated on 30 March 2005. Maikal Hills; crucial watersheds and forest corridor. Includes Anuppur and Dindori districts in Madhya Pradesh and Bilaspur district in Chhattisgarh.
Gujarat
Great Rann of Kutch / Kachchh (12,454 km²)
Designated on 29 January 2008. India’s largest biosphere; arid salt desert; wild ass sanctuary. Includes Kachchh, Rajkot, Surendranagar, and Patan districts.
Himachal Pradesh
Cold Desert (7770 km²)
Designated on 28 August 2009. Trans-Himalayan region; high-altitude cold desert environments (Spiti-Kinnaur). Includes Pin Valley National Park, Chandratal, Sarchu, and Kibber Wildlife Sanctuary.
Kerala, Tamil Nadu
Agasthyamalai (3500.36 km²)
Designated on 12 November 2001. Southern Western Ghats; known for medicinal plants and endemic flora/fauna. Includes Thirunelveli and Kanyakumari districts in Tamil Nadu, and Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, and Pathanamthitta districts in Kerala.
Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu
Nilgiri (5520 km²)
Designated on 1 August 1986. Western Ghats mountain range spanning three states; rich in endemic species. Includes Wayanad, Nagarhole, Bandipur, Madumalai, Nilambur, Silent Valley, and Siruvani hills.
Madhya Pradesh
Pachmarhi (4981.72 km²)
Designated on 3 March 1999 (extended on 30 July 2009). Satpura Range; central Indian forests; giant squirrel habitat. Covers Betul, Hoshangabad, and Chhindwara districts.
Madhya Pradesh
Panna (2998.98 km²)
Designated on 25 August 2011. Vindhyan ranges; known for tiger reserve and dry deciduous forests. Located in Panna and Chhatarpur districts.
Meghalaya
Nokrek (820 km²)
Designated on 1 September 1988. Eastern hills; Garo Hills region; habitat for red panda and unique citrus plants. Includes East, West, and South Garo Hills.
Odisha
Simlipal (4374 km²)
Designated on 21 June 1994. Deccan Peninsula; forested hills and grasslands; elephant and tiger habitats. Located in Mayurbhanj district.
Sikkim
Khangchendzonga (2619.92 km²)
Designated on 7 February 2000. Eastern Himalayas; includes the world’s third-highest peak; diverse alpine and temperate zones. Located in North and West districts.
Tamil Nadu
Gulf of Mannar (10,500 km²)
Designated on 18 February 1989. Off the Tamil Nadu coast; important coastal and marine ecosystems. Extends from Rameswaram Island to Kanyakumari.
Uttarakhand
Nanda Devi (5860.69 km²)
Designated on 18 January 1988. Western Himalayas; includes high-altitude alpine meadows and glacial regions. Covers Chamoli, Pithoragarh, and Almora districts.
West Bengal
Sundarbans (9630 km²)
Designated on 29 March 1989. Gangetic Delta; India-Bangladesh border; world's largest mangrove forest; home to Royal Bengal tiger.
