About Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve (NBR):

• Location:
  • It is located in the Nilgiri Mountains of the Western Ghats.
  • It encompasses parts of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Karnataka.
• It was the first biosphere reserve in India, established in 1986.
• The total area of the reserve is 5,520 sq. km. It is the largest protected forest area in India.
• The Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary, Wyanaad Wildlife Sanctuary, Bandipur National Park, Nagarhole National Park, Mukurthi National Park, and Silent Valley are the protected areas present within this reserve.
• Vegetation: It harbours a wide spectrum of ecosystem types, such as tropical evergreen forests, Montane sholas and grasslands, semi-evergreen forests, moist deciduous forests, dry deciduous forests, and thorn forests. 
• Climate: The annual rainfall of the reserve ranges from 500 mm to 7000 mm, with temperatures ranging from 0°C during the winter to 41°C during the summer.
• Tribal Population: Tribal groups like the Todas, Kotas, Irullas, Kurumbas, Paniyas, Adiyans, Edanadan Chettis, Cholanaickens, Allar, Malayan, etc., are native to the reserve.
• It is India’s first biosphere reserve under UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere Programme.
• Flora:
  • About 3,300 species of flowering plants can be seen here. Of the 3,300 species, 132 are endemic to the NBR.
  • Some of the plants entirely restricted to the NBR include species of Adenoon, Calacanthus, Baeolepis, Frerea, Jarodina, Wagatea, Poeciloneuron, etc.
• Fauna:
  • It includes the largest known population of two endangered animal species, namely the Nilgiri Tahr and the Lion-tailed macaque and the largest South Indian population of elephant, tiger, gaur, sambar, and chital.