Biosphere reserves are a small, fixed list: 18 in India, of which 13 are in UNESCO’s World Network. That makes it one of the easiest Static GK topics to score full marks on. Learn the table once and revise the “UNESCO” column twice.
Basics
| Point | Detail |
|---|---|
| UNESCO programme | Man and the Biosphere (MAB), launched 1971 |
| India’s biosphere reserves | 18 |
| In UNESCO’s World Network | 13 |
| Latest UNESCO entry | Cold Desert (Himachal Pradesh), September 2025 |
| First reserve | Nilgiri (1986) |
| Largest | Kachchh (Gujarat) |
| Smallest | Dibru-Saikhowa (Assam) |
Three zones
- Core zone: strictly protected; no human activity.
- Buffer zone: research, education, limited activity.
- Transition zone: villages, farming, sustainable use.
All 18 biosphere reserves
| # | Reserve | State(s) | Notified | UNESCO MAB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nilgiri | Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka | 1986 | ✓ (2000) |
| 2 | Nanda Devi | Uttarakhand | 1988 | ✓ (2004) |
| 3 | Nokrek | Meghalaya | 1988 | ✓ (2009) |
| 4 | Great Nicobar | Andaman and Nicobar | 1989 | ✓ (2013) |
| 5 | Gulf of Mannar | Tamil Nadu | 1989 | ✓ (2001) |
| 6 | Manas | Assam | 1989 | – |
| 7 | Sundarban | West Bengal | 1989 | ✓ (2001) |
| 8 | Simlipal | Odisha | 1994 | ✓ (2009) |
| 9 | Dibru-Saikhowa | Assam | 1997 | – |
| 10 | Dehang-Dibang | Arunachal Pradesh | 1998 | – |
| 11 | Pachmarhi | Madhya Pradesh | 1999 | ✓ (2009) |
| 12 | Khangchendzonga | Sikkim | 2000 | ✓ (2018) |
| 13 | Agasthyamalai | Kerala, Tamil Nadu | 2001 | ✓ (2016) |
| 14 | Achanakmar-Amarkantak | Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh | 2005 | ✓ (2012) |
| 15 | Kachchh | Gujarat | 2008 | – |
| 16 | Cold Desert | Himachal Pradesh | 2009 | ✓ (2025) |
| 17 | Seshachalam | Andhra Pradesh | 2010 | – |
| 18 | Panna | Madhya Pradesh | 2011 | ✓ (2020) |
Not in UNESCO’s network (5): Manas, Dibru-Saikhowa, Dehang-Dibang, Kachchh, Seshachalam.
Memory tricks
- MP has three: Pachmarhi, Achanakmar-Amarkantak (with Chhattisgarh), Panna.
- Assam has two, both non-UNESCO: Manas, Dibru-Saikhowa.
- Southern trio in UNESCO: Nilgiri, Gulf of Mannar, Agasthyamalai.
Exam-ready one-liners
- India has 18 biosphere reserves; 13 are in UNESCO’s World Network.
- Nilgiri (1986) was the first biosphere reserve.
- Cold Desert (Himachal) joined UNESCO’s network in September 2025.
- Kachchh is the largest; Dibru-Saikhowa is the smallest.
- The MAB programme began in 1971.
Related reading
Quiz: test yourself
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Based on MoEFCC and UNESCO MAB lists as of November 2026.
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