12. Manas Biosphere Reserve

• A national park,  UNESCO Natural  World  Heritage  site, a Project Tiger  reserve, an elephant reserve and a biosphere reserve in Assam.
• Located in the Himalayan foothills, it is contiguous with the Royal Manas National Park in Bhutan.
• Known for its rare and endangered endemic wildlife such as the Assam roofed turtle, hispid hare, golden langur and pygmy hog. Manas is famous for its population of the wild water buffalo.
• Manas River– a major tributary of Brahmaputra River, which passes through the heart of the national park.
  
• Manas river also serves as an international border dividing India and Bhutan. 

• 2 major biomes present in Manas:

  • The grassland biomes : pygmy hog, Indian rhinoceros , bengal florican,  wild Asian buffalo,  etc.
  • The forest biomes : slow loris,  capped langur,  wild pig, sambar,  great hornbill, Malayan giant squirrel or black giant squirrel,  Chinese pangolin etc.
• The combination of Sub-Himalayan Bhabar Terai formation with riverine succession leading up to the Himalayan subtropical broadleaf forests makes it one of the richest biodiversity areas in the world.
• Largest population of the endangered Bengal florican to be found anywhere.

13. Dihang-Dibang Biosphere Reserve

• Arunchal Pradesh
• Mouling National Park and the Dibang Wildlife Sanctuary are located fully or partly within this biosphere reserve.
• It covers high mountains of Eastern Himalaya and Mishmi Hills.
• An important fact relating to this Biosphere reserve is that it has natural vegetation stretching in an unbroken sequence from the tropics to mountain tundra.
• The type of vegetation found in this biosphere reserve can be grouped as 1. Sub-tropical broad leafed forests, 2. Sub tropical pine forest, 3. Temperate broad leafed forests, 4. Temperate conifer, 5. Sub-alpine woody shrub, 6. Alpine meadow( mountain Tundra), 7. Bamboo brakes, 8. Grassland. 
• Rare mammals such as Mishmi takin, red goral, musk deer , red panda,  Asiatic black bear, occasional  tiger and Gongshan muntjac .
• Rare birds- Sclater’s monal and Blyth’s tragopan.
• Two flying squirrels- Mechuka giant flying squirrel  and Mishmi Hills giant flying squirrel.

14. Great Rann of Kutch Biosphere Reserve

• A salt marsh in the Thar Desert in the Kutch District of Gujarat, India.
• One of the largest salt deserts in the world.
• Inhabited by the Kutchi people.
• Little Rann of Kutch and the Banni grasslands are situated on its southern edge.
• Luni River, which originates in Rajasthan, drains into the desert in the northeast corner of the Rann.
• Other Rivers- Rupen and West Banas.
• Breeding ground for some of the largest flocks of greater and lesser Flamingos.
• Indian wild ass, shelter on islands of higher ground, called bets, during the flooding.
• Conservation Areas in and around Kutchh-

  Indian Wild Ass Sanctuary,  Kutch Desert  Wildlife Sanctuary,  Narayan Sarovar  Sanctuary,  Kutch  Bustard Sanctuary , Banni Grasslands Reserve  and Chari-Dhand Wetland  Conservation Reserve.

   

15. Cold Desert Biosphere Reserve

• Western Himalayas region, within Himachal Pradesh.

• It includes:

  • Pin Valley National Park
  • Chandratal Lake
  • Sarchu
  • Kibber Wildlife Sanctuary.
•  Rain shadow of the Himalayas.

16. Dibru-Saikhowa Biosphere Reserve

• National park in Assam located in Dibrugarh and Tinsukia districts.
• Brahmaputra and Lohit Rivers in the north and Dibru river in the south.
• Moist mixed semi-evergreen forests, moist mixed deciduous forests, canebrakes and grasslands.
• Largest salix swamp forest in north-eastern India.
• Rare white-winged wood duck,  water buffalo, black-breasted parrotbill, tiger and capped langur.

17. Seshachalam Hills Biosphere Reserve

• Hilly ranges part of the Eastern Ghats in southern Andhra Pradesh state.
• Tirupati, a major Hindu pilgrimage town is located in the hills. 
• Srivenkateshwara National Park located here.
• It has large reserves of red sandalwood.
• Malwadi Gundam waterfalls on Tirumala hills.

18. Panna National Park/Biosphere Reserve

• National park located in Panna and Chhatarpur districts of Madhya Pradesh.
• Tiger Reserve
• Sal, crocodile bark, Arjun, jamun, etc are trees present here.
• The National Park is situated at a point where the continuity of the Tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests belt, which starts from Cape Comorin in South India, is broken and beyond this the Upper Gangetic Plains moist deciduous forests of the great Indo-Gangetic Plain begins.
• This area is the northernmost tip of the natural teak forests and the easternmost tip of the natural ‘Kardhai’ forests.
• Ken (river) Gharial Wildlife Sanctuary– located near it.