Protected Areas of India for UPSC: National Parks, Sanctuaries, Tiger Reserves, Biosphere Reserves and the 2025-26 Numbers
How UPSC Tests Protected Areas
🎯 Exam priority: Tier-1 and map-based (about one environment question in five is about protected areas, wetlands and ecosystems). UPSC has asked: Pakhui Wildlife Sanctuary's State (2018); which sanctuaries sit in the Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve (2019); which national park lies wholly in the temperate-alpine zone (the Valley of Flowers, 2019); what follows when an area is notified a Community Reserve (2023); and in 2025 and 2026 a State-description pair (Arunachal's two national parks) and a Madhav National Park question.
Three kinds of skill are needed. (1) Category definitions: what separates a national park from a sanctuary or a biosphere reserve. (2) Location: which State, and which landscape. (3) Current numbers from the Ministry's 2025-26 reports. The lists below are built from the source files so that the tiger and biosphere reserves can be learnt State by State.
Categories of Protected Area and What Separates Them
Categories of protected area
Category | Who declares it / what it is | Key rule or fact |
National park | State government, under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 | Stricter than a sanctuary: no grazing and no private rights; mainly protects the ecosystem and the wildlife |
Wildlife sanctuary | State government, under the same Act | Some regulated human activity is allowed; the Chief Wild Life Warden controls and manages it |
Conservation reserve | State (and, after the 2022 amendment, the Centre can also notify) on government land next to national parks and sanctuaries | Buffers and corridors between protected areas |
Community reserve | Introduced by the 2002 amendment; community or private land | Managed by a Community Reserve Management Committee, not by the Chief Wild Life Warden; hunting is not allowed (2023 PYQ) |
Tiger reserve | Notified by the State on the recommendation of the National Tiger Conservation Authority | A core (critical tiger habitat) and a buffer; funded under Project Tiger |
Biosphere reserve | Designated under UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere Programme; the Ministry supports it with grants | Three zones: a strictly protected core, a buffer for research, education and sustainable activity, and an outer transition zone for economic and human development |
Eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) | Declared by the Ministry around a protected area | A transition zone that regulates, not bans, development to keep the carrying capacity of the area |
Elephant reserve | Under Project Elephant (1992) | Covers elephant landscapes and corridors; 33 in 2025 against 26 in 2014 |
Remember the difference between a legal protected area (national park, sanctuary, conservation and community reserve) and a designation layered on top (tiger reserve, biosphere reserve, Ramsar site): a single place often holds several (the Sundarbans is a tiger reserve, a biosphere reserve, a national park and a Ramsar site).
The 2025-26 Numbers: Protected Areas, Elephant Reserves, ESZs and Evaluation
The 2025-26 numbers
688 national parks and wildlife sanctuaries. Including community and conservation reserves, the Protected Area network rose to 1,134 (from 745 in 2014), covering 187,162.91 sq km, or 5.69 per cent of India's area.
58 tiger reserves in 18 States, covering about 85,000 sq km (46 reserves in 2014); the newest, Madhav Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh, was added in 2025.
33 elephant reserves (26 in 2014) and 150 elephant corridors identified across 15 States.
13 biosphere reserves in UNESCO's World Network (the highest in South Asia); 18 are notified in India. Cold Desert was the latest to join the UNESCO network.
Eco-sensitive zones: 355 final notifications covering 498 protected areas, covering 73,602.71 sq km as on 31 December 2025.
Management effectiveness: the 2020-25 evaluation of 438 national parks and sanctuaries gave an overall mean score of 64.41 per cent, which it rates 'Good'.
The Project Cheetah news also has a protected-area angle: cheetahs were introduced into the Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary in 2025 (the species was first reintroduced at Kuno).
Tiger Reserves, State by State
Tiger reserves, State by State
The 58 reserves in 18 States, listed from the saved list (cross-checked with the Ministry's count). Madhya Pradesh has the most (nine), followed by Maharashtra and Karnataka (six and five). Learn them in clusters: North-East (Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram), Terai and Himalaya (Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar), Central India (Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Jharkhand), Western Ghats and south (Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana), Rajasthan and West Bengal.
State | Number | Tiger reserves |
Andhra Pradesh | 1 | Nagarjunsagar Srisailam |
Arunachal Pradesh | 3 | Kamlang, Namdapha, Pakke |
Assam | 4 | Kaziranga, Manas, Nameri, Orang |
Bihar | 1 | Valmiki |
Chhattisgarh | 4 | Achanakmar, Guru Ghasidas-Tamor Pingla, Indravati, Udanti-Sitanadi |
Jharkhand | 1 | Palamau |
Karnataka | 5 | Bandipur, Bhadra, Biligiri Ranganatha Temple (BRT), Kali, Nagarahole |
Kerala | 2 | Parambikulam, Periyar |
Madhya Pradesh | 9 | Bandhavgarh, Kanha, Madhav, Panna, Pench (MP), Ratapani, Sanjay-Dubri, Satpura, Veerangana Durgavati |
Maharashtra | 6 | Bor, Melghat, Nawegaon-Nagzira, Pench (MH), Sahyadri, Tadoba-Andhari |
Mizoram | 1 | Dampa |
Odisha | 2 | Satkosia, Similipal |
Rajasthan | 5 | Dholpur-Karauli, Mukundra Hills, Ramgarh Vishdhari, Ranthambore, Sariska |
Tamil Nadu | 5 | Anamalai, Kalakad-Mundanthurai, Mudumalai, Sathyamangalam, Srivilliputhur-Megamalai |
Telangana | 2 | Amrabad, Kawal |
Uttar Pradesh | 3 | Dudhwa, Pilibhit, Ranipur |
Uttarakhand | 2 | Corbett, Rajaji |
West Bengal | 2 | Buxa, Sundarbans |
Pakke (the 2018 PYQ's 'Pakhui') is in Arunachal Pradesh and is next to Nameri in Assam.
Biosphere Reserves, Recurring Parks and How UPSC Could Ask Next
Biosphere reserves: 18 notified, 13 in the UNESCO network
Biosphere reserve | State(s) | Designated | In UNESCO's network? |
Nilgiri | Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka | 1986 | Yes, 2000 |
Nanda Devi | Uttarakhand | 1988 | Yes, 2004 |
Nokrek | Meghalaya | 1988 | Yes, 2009 |
Great Nicobar | Andaman & Nicobar Islands | 1989 | Yes, 2013 |
Gulf of Mannar | Tamil Nadu | 1989 | Yes, 2000 |
Manas | Assam | 1989 | No |
Sundarbans | West Bengal | 1989 | Yes, 2001 |
Simlipal | Odisha | 1994 | Yes, 2009 |
Dibru-Saikhowa | Assam | 1997 | No |
Dihang-Dibang | Arunachal Pradesh | 1998 | No |
Pachmarhi | Madhya Pradesh | 1999 | Yes, 2009 |
Khangchendzonga | Sikkim | 2000 | Yes, 2018 |
Agasthyamalai | Tamil Nadu, Kerala | 2001 | Yes, 2016 |
Achanakmar-Amarkantak | Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh | 2005 | Yes, 2012 |
Great Rann of Kutch | Gujarat | 2008 | No |
Cold Desert | Himachal Pradesh | 2009 | Yes, 2025 |
Seshachalam Hills | Andhra Pradesh | 2010 | No |
Panna | Madhya Pradesh | 2011 | Yes, 2020 |
Reading the table for the exam. The Agasthyamala reserve (2019 PYQ) spans Tamil Nadu and Kerala and includes the Neyyar, Peppara and Shendurney sanctuaries and the Kalakad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve. Nilgiri was the first reserve (1986) and Panna the latest notified (2011); Cold Desert (Himachal Pradesh) is the newest in the UNESCO list (2025). Two transboundary or multi-State names to keep apart: Manas (Assam) is a biosphere reserve but not in the UNESCO list, while Dihang-Dibang has been proposed for inclusion.
Parks and places that recur in questions
Valley of Flowers National Park (Uttarakhand): wholly in the temperate-alpine zone, unlike Manas, Namdapha and Neora Valley, which span tropical and subtropical zones (2019).
Arunachal Pradesh has two national parks, Namdapha and Mouling; its capital Itanagar is named after the Ita Fort (2025).
Madhav National Park (Shivpuri, Madhya Pradesh) was declared a tiger reserve in 2025; it lies wholly in Madhya Pradesh (2026; check the Ramsar status of Sakhya Sagar on the Ramsar list in the wetlands article).
How UPSC Could Ask This Next
State-of-park pairs (Pakke in Arunachal Pradesh; Dampa in Mizoram; Satkosia in Odisha) and 'which of the following is not in State X'.
Landscape lists: which sanctuaries make up a biosphere reserve.
Category rules: who manages a community reserve, what an ESZ is, how a tiger reserve differs from a national park.
Numbers in the news: 58 tiger reserves, 1,134 protected areas, the newest reserve and the newest biosphere reserve in UNESCO's list.
Further Reading
NCERT Biology (Class 12) and Geography textbooks, the India State of Forest Report, the MoEFCC Annual Report, the Economic Survey and the official lists cited in this note — the primary sources behind every figure above.
Test Yourself: Practice Questions and PYQs
Twelve practice questions on protected-area categories, the 2025-26 numbers, tiger reserves and biosphere reserves, followed by the real UPSC Prelims questions and the exact Mains question.
Practice Questions
Q1. Which one of the following is true of a Community Reserve under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972?
(a) It is declared on forest land only by the Central Government
(b) It was introduced by the 2002 amendment and is managed by a Community Reserve Management Committee
(c) It is managed directly by the Chief Wild Life Warden
(d) It permits hunting by the local community
Show answer
Answer: (b) — Community reserves cover community or private land and are run by a committee of Panchayat/Gram Sabha representatives and a forest official; hunting is not allowed.
Q2. Consider the following statements:
1. National parks are given stricter protection than wildlife sanctuaries under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.
2. A conservation reserve is declared on government land adjacent to national parks or sanctuaries.
3. A biosphere reserve is divided into core, buffer and transition zones.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
(a) 2 and 3 only
(b) 1, 2 and 3
(c) 1 and 2 only
(d) 1 and 3 only
Show answer
Answer: (b) — All three are correct.
Q3. According to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change's Annual Report 2025-26, the total number of Protected Areas in India (including community and conservation reserves) is
(a) 1,134
(b) 745
(c) 688
(d) 980
Show answer
Answer: (a) — The Annual Report gives 688 national parks and sanctuaries and 1,134 protected areas in total (745 in 2014).
Q4. The Protected Area network covers about what share of India's geographical area, as reported in the Annual Report 2025-26?
(a) 21.76 per cent
(b) 12 per cent
(c) 5.69 per cent
(d) 2.5 per cent
Show answer
Answer: (c) — The 1,134 protected areas cover 187,162.91 sq km, or 5.69 per cent. (2.5 per cent is the share under tiger reserves; 21.76 per cent is forest cover.)
Q5. India has how many tiger reserves in how many States, as of the Ministry's 2025-26 reports?
(a) 53 in 18 States
(b) 58 in 15 States
(c) 62 in 20 States
(d) 58 in 18 States
Show answer
Answer: (d) — Project Tiger supports 58 tiger reserves in 18 range States; the newest is Madhav Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh.
Q6. Which State has the largest number of tiger reserves?
(a) Maharashtra
(b) Karnataka
(c) Madhya Pradesh
(d) Assam
Show answer
Answer: (c) — Madhya Pradesh has nine.
Q7. Pakke (Pakhui) Wildlife Sanctuary and Tiger Reserve is in
(a) Manipur
(b) Arunachal Pradesh
(c) Meghalaya
(d) Nagaland
Show answer
Answer: (b) — It is in East Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh, next to Nameri in Assam.
Q8. Consider the following pairs:
Biosphere reserve : State
1. Agasthyamalai : Tamil Nadu and Kerala
2. Cold Desert : Himachal Pradesh
3. Khangchendzonga : Sikkim
4. Seshachalam Hills : Odisha
How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?
(a) Only three
(b) Only two
(c) All four
(d) Only one
Show answer
Answer: (a) — Seshachalam Hills is in Andhra Pradesh, not Odisha; the other three are correct.
Q9. Which one of the following biosphere reserves was the latest to be included in UNESCO's World Network of Biosphere Reserves, according to the Ministry's 2025-26 report?
(a) Panna
(b) Cold Desert
(c) Great Rann of Kutch
(d) Khangchendzonga
Show answer
Answer: (b) — Cold Desert was added in 2025. India now has 13 reserves in the network, the highest in South Asia.
Q10. Which of the following is a feature of an Eco-Sensitive Zone around a protected area?
(a) It is a category under the Biological Diversity Act
(b) It prohibits all human activity within it
(c) It regulates, rather than bans, development to keep the area's carrying capacity
(d) It is declared by the State Government alone
Show answer
Answer: (c) — ESZs act as a transition zone from areas needing high protection to areas of lower protection, and are declared by the Ministry.
Q11. Which one of the following national parks lies completely in the temperate-alpine zone?
(a) Neora Valley National Park
(b) Valley of Flowers National Park
(c) Manas National Park
(d) Namdapha National Park
Show answer
Answer: (b) — The Valley of Flowers (Uttarakhand) lies wholly in the temperate-alpine zone; the others span lower belts too.
Q12. Statement-I: The Ministry has said that Madhav National Park in Madhya Pradesh was declared a tiger reserve in 2025.
Statement-II: Madhav is the newest of India's 58 tiger reserves.
Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?
(a) Statement-I is incorrect but Statement-II is correct
(b) Both statements are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
(c) Statement-I is correct but Statement-II is incorrect
(d) Both statements are correct but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
Show answer
Answer: (b) — The PIB review lists Madhav Tiger Reserve as the new reserve that took the count to 58.
UPSC Previous Year Questions (PYQs)
Real UPSC Prelims questions, checked against the official paper and answer key (the 2026 question uses UPSC's provisional key).
Q1. (2018) In which one of the following States is Pakhui Wildlife Sanctuary located?
(a) Nagaland
(b) Meghalaya
(c) Manipur
(d) Arunachal Pradesh
Show answer
Answer: (d) — Pakhui (Pakke) Wildlife Sanctuary and Tiger Reserve is in East Kameng district, Arunachal Pradesh, next to Nameri in Assam.
Q2. (2019) Which of the following are in Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve?
(a) Kaundinya, Gundla Brahmeswaram and Papikonda Wildlife Sanctuaries; and Mukurthi National Park
(b) Neyyar, Peppara and Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuaries; and Kalakad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve
(c) Kawal and Sri Venkateswara Wildlife Sanctuaries; and Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve
(d) Mudumalai, Sathyamangalam and Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuaries; and Silent Valley National Park
Show answer
Answer: (b) — Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve in the southern Western Ghats includes the Neyyar, Peppara and Shendurney sanctuaries and the Kalakad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve.
Q3. (2019) Which one of the following National Parks lies completely in the temperate alpine zone?
(a) Neora Valley National Park
(b) Valley of Flowers National Park
(c) Manas National Park
(d) Namdapha National Park
Show answer
Answer: (b) — Valley of Flowers National Park in Uttarakhand lies wholly in the temperate-alpine zone. Manas, Namdapha and Neora Valley span lower tropical and subtropical belts as well.
Q4. (2023) Consider the following statements: Once the Central Government notifies an area as a 'Community Reserve' 1. the Chief Wildlife Warden of the State becomes the governing authority of such forest 2. hunting is not allowed in such area 3. people of such area are allowed to collect non-timber forest produce 4. people of such area are allowed traditional agricultural practices How many of the above statements are correct?
(a) Only one
(b) Only three
(c) Only two
(d) All four
Show answer
Answer: (c) — A Community Reserve is run by a Community Reserve Management Committee, not by the Chief Wildlife Warden, so 1 is wrong. Hunting is barred (2 is right) and the community keeps non-timber produce use (3 is right), but cultivation is not permitted (4 is wrong), so two statements hold.
Q5. (2025) Consider the following pairs :
State : Description
I. Arunachal Pradesh : The capital is named after a fort, and the State has two National Parks
II. Nagaland : The State came into existence on the basis of a Constitutional Amendment Act
III. Tripura : Initially a Part 'C' State, it became a centrally administered territory with the reorganization of States in 1956 and later attained the status of a full-fledged State
How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?
(a) Only two
(b) All the three
(c) None
(d) Only one
Show answer
Answer: (b) — Itanagar is named after the Ita Fort and Arunachal has two national parks (Namdapha and Mouling). Nagaland became a State through a Constitution amendment (1962) and Tripura went from a Part C State to a Union Territory in 1956 and a State in 1972, so all three pairs are correct.
Q6. (2026, provisional key) With reference to Madhav National Park, which of the following statements is/are correct ?
1. It was declared a Tiger Reserve in India in 2025.
2. Sakhya Sagar, which is designated as a Ramsar Site, is situated within this National Park.
3. Its area is shared between Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.
(a) 1 and 2
(b) 3 only
(c) 1 only
(d) 2 and 3
Show answer
Answer: (a) — Madhav National Park in Shivpuri, Madhya Pradesh was declared a tiger reserve in 2025 and Sakhya Sagar, a lake, lies inside it. The park is wholly in Madhya Pradesh, so 3 is wrong. (Provisional key; the Ramsar status of Sakhya Sagar is the part to re-check against the Ramsar list.)
Mains Practice Questions
Use these to frame full-length answers. You don't have to answer one exactly — they show the angles UPSC tests, so let them guide which points you cover.
Distinguish between national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, conservation reserves and community reserves. Evaluate how community reserves can strengthen conservation.
What are biosphere reserves? Discuss their zonation and the difference between a biosphere reserve notified by India and one in UNESCO's World Network.
What are eco-sensitive zones and how do they balance conservation with development around protected areas?
Discuss the expansion of the protected area network in India since 2014 and the challenges that remain in managing it effectively.
Discuss how the contradiction between rapid infrastructure development and disaster-risk reduction in ecologically sensitive areas of India can be managed, with suitable examples.
UPSC Mains — Previous Years’ Questions on this topic (last 10 years)
These are the actual GS Mains questions UPSC has asked on this theme — real proof of how, and when, it is tested. Try to write a full answer to each.
2026 (GS-III): Discuss how the contradiction between 'rapid infrastructure development' and 'disaster-risk reduction' in ecologically-sensitive areas of India can be managed, with suitable examples. (Answer in 150 words)