Which set of the following biosphere reserves in India is included in the World Network of Biosphere Reserves ?

India has 18 notified biosphere reserves, of which 12 are currently included in the UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves (WNBR). According to the provided records, the sites included in the WNBR are Nilgiri, Gulf of Mannar, Sundarban, Nanda Devi, Nokrek, Pachmarhi, Simlipal, Great Nicobar, Achanakmar-Amarkantak, Agasthyamalai, Khangchendzonga, and Panna [5]. Option 1 (Gulf of Mannar, Nokrek, Panchmarhi, and Simlipal) consists entirely of sites listed in the WNBR [3]. In contrast, options 2, 3, and 4 are incorrect because they include the Seshachalam biosphere reserve, which is a notified reserve in India but has not yet been included in the UNESCO World Network [4]. While Panna and Khangchendzonga are part of the network, the presence of Seshachalam in the other sets invalidates those options.

Sources

1. [1] Geography of India ,Majid Husain, (McGrawHill 9th ed.) > Chapter 5: Natural Vegetation and National Parks > BIOSPHERE RESERVES > p. 49
2. [4] CONTEMPORARY INDIA-I ,Geography, Class IX . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 5: Natural Vegetation and Wildlife > Figure 5.7 : Wildlife Reserves > p. 46
3. [5] INDIA PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT, Geography Class XI (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 5: Natural Vegetation > BIOSPHERE RESERVES > p. 50
4. [2] Environment and Ecology, Majid Hussain (Access publishing 3rd ed.) > Chapter 4: BIODIVERSITY > zoning of Biosphere reserves > p. 37
5. [3] Geography of India ,Majid Husain, (McGrawHill 9th ed.) > Chapter 5: Natural Vegetation and National Parks > Table 5.8 > p. 51