Previous Year Question
Which of the following pairs is/are NOT correctly matched?
Biosphere Reserve | State |
1. Nokrek | Manipur |
2. Manas | Assam |
3. Agasthyamalai | Kerala |
Select the correct answer from the code given below:
Code:
1 and 2
Only 3
2 and 3
Only 1
Correct Answer: D
Detailed Solution
Pair 1 is not correctly matched. Nokrek Biosphere Reserve is located not in Manipur, but in Meghalaya. It lies in the Tura Range and Garo Hills region of the Meghalaya Plateau. Nokrek is also the highest peak of the Garo Hills, rising to about 1,412 metres.
Nokrek was included in India's national Biosphere Reserve network in 1988 and was included in the UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves in 2009. According to UNESCO, it covers about 82,000 hectares. The region is known for evergreen, semi-evergreen and moist deciduous forests and rich biodiversity.
Pair 2 is correctly matched. Manas Biosphere Reserve is situated in Assam in the Himalayan foothills. It was designated as a Biosphere Reserve in 1989. The Manas landscape is particularly significant because conservation categories such as a National Park, Tiger Reserve and UNESCO World Heritage Site occur within the same landscape.
Pair 3 is also correctly matched. Agasthyamalai Biosphere Reserve is not confined to Kerala but extends across both Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Therefore, associating it with Kerala is correct. It forms part of the southern Western Ghats and includes protected areas such as Shendurney, Peppara and Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuaries and the Kalakad-Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve.
Agasthyamalai was designated as a Biosphere Reserve in India in 2001 and was included in the UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves in 2016. According to UNESCO, it covers about 350,000 hectares and supports more than 2,000 species of higher plants.