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Biosphere reserves of India form
an important topic for the UPSC CSE preparation. This blog post covers all
important points about it.
Definition of Biosphere Reserves
· Biosphere
Reserve (BR) is an international designation by UNESCO for representative
parts of natural and cultural landscapes extending over large area of terrestrial
or coastal/marine ecosystems or a combination thereof.
· BRs
are thus special environments for both people and the nature and are living
examples of how human beings and nature can co-exist while respecting each
others’ needs.
· These
areas are internationally recognized within the framework of UNESCO’s Man and
Biosphere (MAB) programme, after receiving consent of the participating
country.
Functions of Biosphere Reserves
Some functions of Biosphere Reserves
are:
Conservation
•To ensure the conservation of
landscapes, ecosystems, species and genetic variations.
• To encourage the traditional resource
use systems
•To understand the patterns and
processes of functioning of ecosystems
• To monitor the natural and
human-caused changes on spatial and temporal scales
Development
• To promote, at the local level,
economic development which is culturally, socially and ecologically
sustainable.
• To develop the strategies leading to
improvement and management of natural resources
Logistics Support
• To provide support for research,
monitoring, education and information exchange related to local, national and
global issues of conservation and development
• Sharing of knowledge generated by
research through site specific training and education; and
• Development of community spirit in
the management of natural resources.
National Biosphere Reserve Programme
India has created a network of
protected areas in the form of 96 National Parks, 510 Wildlife
Sanctuaries, 28 Tiger Reserves and 25 Elephant Reserves. The
area covered under protected area network accounts for around 5% of the total
geographical area of the country. The rich biodiversity in India has given
shape to variety of cultural and ethnic diversity which includes over 550
tribal communities of 227 ethnic groups spread over 5,000 forest villages.
The national Biosphere Reserve
Programme was initiated in 1986 and its aims and objectives are described in
the following sections.
Aims of the Scheme
• To serve as wider base for
conservation of entire range of living resources and their ecological
foundations in addition to already established protected
area network system
• To bring out representative
ecosystems under conservation and sustainable use on a long-term basis.
• To ensure participation of local
inhabitants for effective management and devise means of improving livelihood
of the local inhabitants through sustainable use.
• To integrate scientific research with
traditional knowledge of conservation, education and training as a part of the
overall management of BR.
Objectives of the Scheme
It must be noted that BRs are not
a substitute or alternative, but a re-enforcement to the existing protected
areas. The objectives of the Biosphere Reserve programme are as follows:
• To conserve the diversity and
integrity of plants and animals within natural ecosystems
• To safeguard genetic diversity of
species on which their continuing evolution depends; • To provide areas for
multi-faceted research and monitoring
• To provide facilities for education
and training; and
• To ensure sustainable use of natural
resources through most appropriate technology for improvement of economic
well-being of the local people.
Criteria for Selection of Biosphere
Reserves
The criteria for selection of sites for
BRs are listed below:-
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 tropic 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.
Structure and Design of Biosphere
Reserves
In order to undertake complementary
activities of biodiversity conservation and development of sustainable
management aspects, Biosphere Reserves are demarcated into three inter-related
zones. These are:-
(I) Natural or Core Zone
The core zone is kept absolutely
undisturbed. It must contain suitable habitat for numerous plant and animal
species, including higher order predators and may contain centres of endemism.
Core areas often conserve the wild relatives of economic species and also
represent important genetic reservoirs. The core zones also contain places of
exceptional scientific interest. A core zone secures legal protection and
management and research activities that do not affect natural processes and
wildlife are allowed. Strict nature reserves and wilderness portions of the
area are designated as core areas of BR. The core zone is to be kept free from
all human pressures external to the system.
(II) Manipulation or Buffer Zone
In the Buffer Zone, which adjoins or
surrounds core zone, uses and activities are managed in ways that protect the
core zone. These uses and activities include restoration, demonstration sites
for enhancing value addition to the resources, limited recreation, tourism,
fishing and grazing, which are permitted to reduce its effect on core zone.
Research and educational activities are to be encouraged. Human activities, if
natural within BR, are likely to be permitted to continue if these do not
adversely affect the ecological diversity.
(III) Transition Zone Outside the
Buffer Zone
The Transition Zone is the outermost
part of a Biosphere Reserve. This is usually not delimited one and is a zone of
cooperation where conservation, knowledge and management skills are applied and
uses are managed in harmony with the purpose of the Biosphere Reserve. This
includes settlements, crop lands, managed forests and area for intensive
recreation, and other economic uses characteristic of the region.
In Buffer Zone and the Transition
Zones, manipulative macro-management practices are used. Experimental research
areas are used for understanding the patterns and processes in the ecosystem.
Modified or degraded landscapes are included as rehabilitation areas to restore
the ecology in a way that it returns to sustainable productivity.
List of Biosphere Reserves of India
Nine of the eighteen biosphere reserves
of India are a part of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves (* marked in the
above image), based on the UNESCO MAN and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme list.
How Biosphere Reserves are different
from protected areas such as National Parks (NP) and Wildlife Sanctuaries(WS)?
It must be noted that the BR is
not intended to replace existing protected areas but to widen the scope of
conventional approach of protection and further strengthens the Protected Area
Network. Existing legally protected areas (National Parks, Wildlife Sanctuary,
Tiger Reserve and reserve/protected forests) may become part of the BR without
any change in their legal status. On the other hand, inclusion of such areas in
a BR will enhance their national value.
However, the Biosphere Reserves
differ from protected areas due to their emphasis on :
(i) Conservation of overall
biodiversity and landscape, rather than some specific flagship species, to
allow natural and evolutionary processes to continue without any hindrance.
(ii) Different components of BRs like
landscapes, habitats, and species and land races.
(iii) Developmental activities, and
resolution/mitigation of conflicts between development and conservation,
(iv) Increase in broad-basing of
stakeholders, especially local people’s participation and their Training,
compared to the features of scheme on Wildlife Sanctuaries and National Parks.
(v) Sustainable environment friendly
development, and sustained coordination amongst different development
organizations and agencies.
(vi) Research and Monitoring to
understand the structure and functioning of ecological system and their mode of
reaction when exposed to human intervention
Hope this gives you all the information
you need.
