Which is the largest biosphere reserve of India in terms of area?
- A.Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve
- B.Gulf of Kachchh Biosphere Reserve
- C.Sunderbans Biosphere Reserve
- D.Cold Desert Biosphere Reserve
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is B, Gulf of Kachchh Biosphere Reserve. Designated in 2008 in Gujarat, it covers the largest area of any biosphere reserve in India, taking in the marine national park and sanctuary of the gulf together with its islands, coral reefs, mangroves and mudflats, which support corals, dugongs, dolphins and large numbers of migratory shorebirds.
Option A, the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, is the oldest in India, designated in 1986, but it is smaller in area than the Kachchh reserve. Option C, the Sunderbans Biosphere Reserve in West Bengal, designated in 1989, holds the largest mangrove forest of the country and the royal Bengal tiger, but again it is not the largest by area. Option D, the Cold Desert Biosphere Reserve of Himachal Pradesh, designated in 2009, covers the high Himalayan cold desert and is known for the snow leopard. Note that first and largest are different questions.
Read the full article: Biosphere Reserves and Ramsar Sites: Zones and Facts
Practice Questions
View allThe Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance was signed in which year?
- A.1971
- B.1975
- C.1982
- D.1992
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The Convention on Wetlands of International Importance was signed on 2 February 1971 in the Iranian city of Ramsar, on the shore of the Caspian Sea, which gave the treaty its popular name.
Read the full explanation →World Wetlands Day is observed every year on which date?
- A.2 February
- B.22 March
- C.5 June
- D.16 September
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The Ramsar Convention was signed on 2 February 1971, and that anniversary is observed each year as World Wetlands Day to draw attention to the services wetlands provide, such as flood control, groundwater recharge, water purification and habitat for migratory birds.
Read the full explanation →Which was the first biosphere reserve to be designated in India?
- A.Nanda Devi
- B.Nilgiri
- C.Sunderbans
- D.Gulf of Mannar
Show answer
The Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, spread across Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka in the Western Ghats, was designated in 1986 as the first biosphere reserve of India, and in 2000 it also became the first Indian reserve to be included in the UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves.
Read the full explanation →Keibul Lamjao, the only floating national park in the world, is situated on which lake?
- A.Wular Lake
- B.Chilika Lake
- C.Loktak Lake
- D.Kolleru Lake
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Loktak, in Manipur, is the largest freshwater lake of north-east India, and its surface carries phumdis, thick floating mats of vegetation, soil and organic matter that rise and fall with the water level.
Read the full explanation →The Man and the Biosphere Programme, under which biosphere reserves are recognised, was launched by which organisation?
- A.UNESCO
- B.UNEP
- C.IUCN
- D.WWF
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The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization launched the Man and the Biosphere Programme in 1971 as an intergovernmental scientific programme to improve the relationship between people and their environment, and the sites recognised under it form the World Network of Biosphere Reserves.
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