[Environment] All you need to know about Biosphere Reserves & Biosphere Reserves in India

Biosphere Reserves:

• Biosphere reserves are areas of terrestrial and coastal ecosystems which promote the conservation of biodiversity with its sustainable use. They are internationally recognized within the framework of UNESCO’s Man and Biosphere (MAB) programme and nominated by national governments. 
• The Ministry of Environment and Forest provides financial assistance to the respective State governments for conservation of landscape and biological diversity and cultural heritage. 
• Biosphere reserves serve in some ways as ‘living laboratories’ for testing out and demonstrating integrated management of land, water and biodiversity.
• There is a World Network of Biosphere Reserves (WNBR) under the MAB Programme. Within this network, exchanges of information, experience and personnel are facilitated. There are over 500 biosphere reserves in over 100 countries. 

Differentiating National Parks, Wildlife Sanctuaries & Biosphere Reserves 

National Parks and Wild Life sanctuaries come under the category called “Protected Areas”. The Protected Areas are declared under Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. The Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 provides for 4 types of protected areas viz. Wild Life Sanctuaries, National Parks, Conservation Reserves and Community Reserves. 

• The difference between a national park and a sanctuary is that no human activity is allowed inside a national park, while limited activities are permitted within the sanctuary. 
• In Biosphere Reserve, limited economic activity (sand and stone mining) is permitted. 

Selection Criteria of Biosphere Reserves 

The concept of Biosphere Reserves, especially its zonation, into Core Area(s) (dedicated to conservation), Buffer Area(s) (sustainable use) and Transition Area(s) (equitable sharing of benefits) were later broadly adopted under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD ) process which entered into force on 29th December, 1993. 

Primary Criteria: 

• A site that must contain an effectively protected and minimally disturbed core area of value of nature conservation and should include additional land and water suitable for research and demonstration of sustainable methods of research and management. 
• The core area should be typical of a biogeographical unit and large enough to sustain viable populations representing all trophic levels in the ecosystem. 

Secondary Criteria:

• Areas having rare and endangered species 
• Areas having diversity of soil and micro-climatic conditions and indigenous varieties of biota. 
• Areas potential for preservation of traditional tribal or rural modes of living for harmonious use of environment.

Number of Biosphere Reserves in India

There are 18 notified Biosphere reserves in India. As of now, only Nine viz. Nilgiri (2000), Gulf of Mannar (2001), Sunderban (2001), Nanda Devi(2004), Nokrek (2009), Pachmarhi(2009), Similipal (2009), Achanakmar-Amarkantak Biosphere Reserve (2012) and Great Nicobar Biosphere Reserve (2013) are in the UNESCO’s MAB world network. 

List of Biosphere Reserves in India

Why Biosphere Reserves? 

It appears that the Biosphere reserves mean the duplication of the conservation efforts of the protected areas, but it is not so. The idea is the “Biosphere Reserves” is to strengthen the “National Efforts” in conformity to the “International Practices“. The basic truth is that “most of the National parks in India were previously hunting grounds. Most of the wildlife sanctuaries are declared by the state governments out of a vague idea of protecting a particular species“. The present domestic legislations don’t represent a “systematic selection of the ecosystems”. Neither the wildlife sanctuaries nor the national parks focus on conservation of

• Plant species 
• Invertebrates 
• Biotic community as a whole. 

This is the major shortcoming of the present system. Further-

• The focus of WS/NP is on conservation of mammals. No focus to the other species which may be ecologically more vital. 
• The focus of the MAB and Biosphere Reserves is to protect the “threatened Habitats” and not “a particular threatened species”. 
• Through an Internationally recognized mechanism, the Research and Monitoring of the existing protected areas can be carried out on regular basis. 

Legislation Framework around Biosphere Reserves

• There is no comprehensive legislation in India dealing with all aspects of the Biosphere Reserves. 

How a Biosphere Reserve is declared? 

• Department of Environment is nodal agency for Biosphere Reserve programmes. It carries out detailed scientific investigation, maps the biogeographical regions and vegetation types, identified the critical areas. Botanical Survey of India and Zoological Survey of India assist in this work. 
• Area is demarcated. The Biosphere Reserve is declared by a notification by the Central and State Governments. 
• The central Government assumes the responsibility of meeting the costs of set up while the state government would set up desired machinery. 

Role of Wildlife Protection Act in Biosphere Reserves:

The wildlife protection act is complementary to the set up of Biosphere Reserves to the extent that it has considerable flexibility and latitude to establish such reserves. It does not define a Biosphere Reserve. The local / state government may enact a fresh legislation if it needs so. The area is proposed to UNESCO’s MAB which when accepts the proposal , is entered in the list of network of biosphere reserves

Source: wiki, unesco.org, teamwork