158 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
In January 1989, 274 biosphere reserves had been established in 74 countries out of
which 14 proposed sites found place in India. These are as follows:
Table 4.10. Biosphere Reserves in IndiaS.No. Biosphere Reserve State- Nilgiris Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karanataka
- Namdapha Arunachal Pradesh
- Nanda Devi, Uttarakhand Uttar Pradesh
- (Valley of flowers) Uttar Pradesh
- Andamans Andamans & Nicobar
- Gulf of Mannar Tamil Nadu
- Kaziranga Assam
- Sunderbans West Bengal
- Thar desert Rajasthan
- Manas Assam
- Kanha Madhya Padesh
- Nokrek Meghalaya
- Little Rann of Kutch Gujrat
- Great Nicobar Island Andamans & Nicobar
The country falls under 2 realms and 12 biogeographical provinces as under:
Ladakh, Himalayas, Highlands, Malabar, Bengal, Indus-Ganga, Assam-Burma.
Coromondal Deccan, Thar Desert, Lakshdweep, Andaman, Nicobar Islands.
Position in India
India’s Department of Environment functions as the nodal agency for United National
Environment Programme (UNEP), the South Asia Cooperation Environment Programme
(SACEP) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resource
(IUCN). India has been actively participating in the various sessions of UNEP with a view
to ensure that programmes are more relevant to the developing countries.
The South Asia Cooperative Environment Programme has recently set up the inter-
governmental organization with Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Pakistan,
Sri Lanka and Iran as its members. At the 1981 ministerial level meeting, areas were
identified for implementation. India was assigned the focal point responsibilities in the
areas of Environment Education, Environmental Legislation and Wild Life Management. At
the 1983 Government Meeting of SACEP number of projects have been identified for
implementation in the area of Energy, Environmental Science, Legislation and Environmental
Impact Assessment. India has a number of on-going Bilateral Programmes with both developed
and developing countries.
The Constitutional directives (Art. 48 and 51-A) and development policy have provided
a strong base for enactment of legislative measures as required for environmental protection.