Q. Which of the following are in Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve? (UPSC Prelims 2019)
Answer:
Neyyar, Peppara and Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuaries; and Kalakad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve
Notes: The correct answer is
[A] Neyyar, Peppara and Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuaries; and Kalakad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve.The
Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve (ABR) was established in 2001 and straddles the border of Kerala and Tamil Nadu in the Southern Western Ghats. It is named after the Agasthyamala peak.
- Composition (Statement A – Correct): The reserve includes the Neyyar, Peppara, and Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuaries in Kerala, along with the Kalakad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve (KMTR) in Tamil Nadu. In 2016, it was included in UNESCO's World Network of Biosphere Reserves.
- Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve (Statement B – Incorrect): Mudumalai, Sathyamangalam, Wayanad, and Silent Valley are all core components of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, which was the first biosphere reserve established in India (1986).
- Andhra Pradesh Sanctuaries (Statements C & D – Incorrect): Kaundinya, Papikonda, Sri Venkateswara, and Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam are located in the Eastern Ghats and Deccan Plateau regions of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, far from the Agasthyamala range.
The Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve is a key "Evolutionary Ecotone" and is home to the
Kanikaran tribe, one of the oldest surviving hunter-gatherer tribes in the world. It also serves as a critical habitat for the Asian Elephant and the Nilgiri Tahr.