Quick answer: The International Day for Biosphere Reserves falls on 3 November each year. It highlights UNESCO’s network of sites where conservation and local livelihoods are managed together. India has 18 national biosphere reserves, and 13 of them are in the UNESCO world network. The latest, Cold Desert in Himachal Pradesh, was added in September 2025.
Why biosphere reserves are in the news
Today, 3 November 2026, marks this UNESCO day. The UNESCO General Conference created it at its 41st session in 2021 (resolution 41 C/37).
The global network has grown fast. On 5 June 2026 (World Environment Day), UNESCO designated 14 new biosphere reserves, taking the network to 797 sites in 145 countries. Québec City became the first whole city to be designated. Montenegro, Timor-Leste and Aruba got their first sites. No Indian site was added in 2026, so India’s count remains 13.
Key facts about biosphere reserves
- Parent programme: the Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme of UNESCO, which began in 1971. The first biosphere reserves were designated in 1976.
- Who decides: national governments nominate sites. Designation is made by the MAB International Co-ordinating Council at the member state’s request.
- Three functions: conservation of biodiversity and cultural diversity, sustainable economic development, and logistic support (research, monitoring, education and training).
- Three zones: a strictly protected core, a surrounding buffer for compatible uses such as research and education, and an outer transition area where people live and work.
- Global scale: the network spans about 7.5 million sq km, upwards of 5% of global land area.
- Largest reserve: Mata Atlântica, Brazil, covering over 88,000 sq km.
India’s biosphere reserves in the UNESCO MAB network
The table below follows the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) list, with Cold Desert’s 2025 inclusion confirmed by the UN in India.
| # | Biosphere reserve | State/UT | Notified in India | Added to UNESCO network |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nilgiri | Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka | 1986 | 2000 |
| 2 | Gulf of Mannar | Tamil Nadu | 1989 | 2001 |
| 3 | Sunderbans | West Bengal | 1989 | 2001 |
| 4 | Nanda Devi | Uttarakhand | 1988 | 2004 |
| 5 | Nokrek | Meghalaya | 1988 | 2009 |
| 6 | Pachmarhi | Madhya Pradesh | 1999 | 2009 |
| 7 | Similipal | Odisha | 1994 | 2009 |
| 8 | Achanakmar-Amarkantak | Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh | 2005 | 2012 |
| 9 | Great Nicobar | Andaman and Nicobar Islands | 1989 | 2013 |
| 10 | Agasthyamalai | Kerala, Tamil Nadu | 2001 | 2016 |
| 11 | Khangchendzonga | Sikkim | 2000 | 2018 |
| 12 | Panna | Madhya Pradesh | 2011 | 2020 |
| 13 | Cold Desert | Himachal Pradesh | 2009 | 2025 |
Not yet in the UNESCO network (5): Manas (Assam), Dibru-Saikhowa (Assam), Dehang-Dibang (Arunachal Pradesh), Great Rann of Kutch (Gujarat) and Seshachalam (Andhra Pradesh). Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu each have three UNESCO-listed reserves wholly or partly within their borders.
India’s programme and the Cold Desert addition
India’s national programme began in 1986, with Nilgiri as the first reserve. MoEFCC says India’s 18 reserves together cover about 91,425 sq km.
The Centre supports them through a sub-scheme of the Centrally Sponsored Scheme on Conservation of Natural Resources and Ecosystems. Funding is shared 60:40 with states, or 90:10 for North-Eastern and Himalayan states.
The Cold Desert Biosphere Reserve joined the world network in September 2025. The announcement came at the World Congress of Biosphere Reserves in Hangzhou, China. Key facts:
- It covers about 7,770 sq km in Lahaul-Spiti, at heights of 3,300 to 6,600 metres.
- It includes Pin Valley National Park and the Kibber and Chandratal wildlife sanctuaries.
- Its animals include the snow leopard, Himalayan ibex, blue sheep and Himalayan wolf.
- The UN in India calls it India’s first high-altitude cold desert biosphere reserve.
Exam angle: how NDA, CDS and CAPF can ask this
- Match-the-following on biosphere reserve and state is a regular geography format. Learn the 13 UNESCO-listed names with their states.
- Expect questions on the core–buffer–transition zoning and on how biosphere reserves differ from national parks and wildlife sanctuaries.
- Coastal reserves (Gulf of Mannar, Sunderbans, Great Nicobar) link to maritime and island geography, which matters for Navy-related papers.
Practice MCQs
Q1. On which date does UNESCO mark the International Day for Biosphere Reserves?
(a) 5 June (b) 22 May (c) 3 November (d) 16 September
Answer: (c) — it was proclaimed by the UNESCO General Conference in 2021.
Q2. Which Indian biosphere reserve was the most recent to join UNESCO’s World Network?
(a) Panna (b) Cold Desert (c) Great Rann of Kutch (d) Khangchendzonga
Answer: (b) — Cold Desert, Himachal Pradesh, in September 2025.
Q3. Which of the following is NOT in UNESCO’s World Network of Biosphere Reserves?
(a) Similipal (b) Nokrek (c) Manas (d) Agasthyamalai
Answer: (c) — Manas is a national biosphere reserve but not yet in the UNESCO network.
Q4. Pin Valley National Park lies within which biosphere reserve?
(a) Nanda Devi (b) Cold Desert (c) Khangchendzonga (d) Nilgiri
Answer: (b) — along with the Kibber and Chandratal sanctuaries.
Frequently asked questions
On which date is the International Day for Biosphere Reserves marked?
On 3 November every year. UNESCO’s General Conference created the day in 2021.
How many biosphere reserves does India have?
India has 18 national biosphere reserves. Thirteen of them are part of UNESCO’s World Network of Biosphere Reserves.
Which was India’s first biosphere reserve?
Nilgiri, notified in 1986. It became India’s first site in the UNESCO network in 2000.
How many biosphere reserves are there worldwide?
After the June 2026 designations, UNESCO’s network has 797 biosphere reserves in 145 countries.
Which zones make up a biosphere reserve?
The core area, the buffer zone and the transition area. The core is strictly protected, the buffer allows compatible uses, and people live and work in the transition area.
Also read on NCA: UNESCO Tentative List: India | Pench Tiger Reserve | Monthly defence current affairs PDFs | NDA coaching in Chandigarh
Sources: UNESCO – International Day for Biosphere Reserves, UNESCO – What are biosphere reserves?, UNESCO press release, 5 June 2026, MoEFCC – Biosphere Reserve Division note, United Nations in India, All India Radio News. Facts as reported up to 3 November 2026.
Featured image background: Timothy Gonsalves / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
