RAS question
Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve is located in:
Correct answer: (A) Uttarakhand.
Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve is located in Uttarakhand.
Explanation
Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve is a Uttarakhand site, so Uttarakhand is the correct location. Uttarakhand Tourism's page for Nanda Devi National Park describes it as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a biosphere reserve, and Nanda Devi received UNESCO recognition in 2004. For RAS, the trap is to connect famous protected areas with their state rather than only remembering their names: Nanda Devi must be linked specifically with Uttarakhand. In India’s biosphere-reserve framework, it was designated in 1988, and India has 18 biosphere reserves, of which 12 are in the UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) Tamil Nadu/Kerala/Karnataka is a different state grouping, while Nanda Devi is placed in Uttarakhand.
- (C) West Bengal is not the correct location; Nanda Devi is identified with Uttarakhand.
- (D) Tamil Nadu is not the location of Nanda Devi; Uttarakhand is the correct state.
Concept
This tests the Environment and Ecology mapping of biosphere reserves to their states and conservation status. It recurs in RAS because protected areas, UNESCO recognition and Indian biosphere-reserve facts are compact, high-yield static GK.