Which of the following are in Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (a) Neyyar, Peppara and Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuaries; and Kalakad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve
Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve, at the southern end of the Western Ghats, takes in three Kerala wildlife sanctuaries (Shendurney, Peppara and Neyyar) and the Kalakad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve of Tamil Nadu.
- ✓ (a) UNESCO's description of the reserve names exactly these: the Shendurney, Peppara and Neyyar wildlife sanctuaries and the Kalakad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve. The reserve spans districts of Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
- ✗ (b) This mixes sites from the Nilgiri and Wayanad hills further north in the Western Ghats; none is part of Agasthyamala.
- ✗ (c) Kaundinya, Gundla Brahmeswaram and Papikonda are sanctuaries of Andhra Pradesh, and Mukurthi is in the Nilgiris of Tamil Nadu, so the set cannot belong to Agasthyamala.
- ✗ (d) Kawal, Sri Venkateswara and Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam are in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, far from Agasthyamala.
Remember · Agasthyamala BR (Tamil Nadu and Kerala): Shendurney, Peppara, Neyyar sanctuaries plus Kalakad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve.
Sources
- UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Programme: Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve ↗ “The reserve includes three wildlife sanctuaries, Shendurney, Peppara and Neyyar, as well as the Kalakad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve.”
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2019, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·