World’s first 5-country biosphere reserve

• UNESCO designated Mura-Drava-Danube (MDD) as the world’s first ‘five-country biosphere reserve.
• It stretches across Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Hungary and Serbia.
• The total area of the reserve — a million hectares — in the so-called ‘Amazon of Europe’, makes it the largest riverine protected area on the continent.

• Source-WWF
• Rivers-The biosphere reserve covers 700 kilometres of the Mura, Drava and Danube rivers.
• Fauna:
• It is home to continental Europe’s highest density of breeding white-tailed eagle, as well as endangered species such as the little tern, black stork, otters, beavers and sturgeons.
• it is also an important annual resting and feeding place for more than 250,000 migratory birds, according to WWF.

Significance of the reserve:

• The reserve is inhabited by almost 900,000 people.
• It is home to floodplain forests, gravel and sand banks, river islands, oxbows and meadows.
• The biosphere “represented an important contribution to the European Green Deal (climate action plan) and contributed to the implementation of the EU Biodiversity Strategy in the Mura-Drava-Danube region.”
• The strategy’s aim is to revitalise 25,000 km of rivers and protect 30% of the European Union’s land area by 2030.

Nokrek Biosphere Reserve

• Location: Meghalaya (part of Garo Hills)
• Rivers: Ganol, Dareng and Simsang
• Details:
• Climate: Tropical- High humidity, Monsoon Rains, High Temperature
• Flora:
• Forest Type: Evergreen and semi-evergreen deciduous forests
• Endemic Flora: Grand rasamala, White meranti, Lali, Chempaka, Wild lemon
• Endemic Fauna: Stump tailed macaque, Pig-tailed macaque, Giant flying squirrel
• Protected areas:  Nokrek National Park

Manas biosphere reserve

• Location: Assam
• Rivers: Manas-Beki
• Details:
• Climate: Tropical Monsoon
• Flora:  The monsoon forests of Manas lie in the Brahmaputra Valley semi-evergreen forests ecoregion.
• Main Forest types: semi-evergreen forests mixed moist and dry deciduous forests, alluvial grasslands, creeper swamp forest, Eastern seasonal Swamp Forest, Cane and bamboo brakes
• Endemic Flora: Catechu tree, Sissoo, White siris
• Endemic Fauna: Pygmy hog, Golden lungur , Assam roofed turtle

Source:  List of Biosphere Reserves in India