Protected Areas of India: Biosphere Reserves, National Parks and Sanctuaries

They are in-situ conservation. In-situ means we protect the species inside its own natural habitat. Biosphere reserves, national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and sacred groves are all in-situ. Ex-situ (zoos, botanical gardens, seed banks, cryopreservation) is when the species is taken OUT of its habitat. NEET repeatedly tests this in-situ vs ex-situ split, so fix it in memory.

A biosphere reserve has three zones. (1) Core zone: the innermost area, legally protected, NO human activity allowed. (2) Buffer zone: limited, regulated activity like research and education. (3) Transition zone: the outermost area where settlements and farming are allowed. NEET 2017 asked which zone allows no human activity - the answer is the core zone.

Both are in-situ protected areas, so for NEET they are grouped together. The fine difference: a national park has stricter protection and no human activity or grazing is allowed inside it, while a wildlife sanctuary gives protection mainly to animals and may allow some limited human activity like grazing or collection of forest produce. NCERT lists both simply as legally protected areas, so questions rarely go deeper than that.

As per NCERT Class XII, India has 14 biosphere reserves, 90 national parks and 448 wildlife sanctuaries. Learn these three numbers exactly - direct fill-in-the-blank style questions have used them. Note the real-world figures keep rising, but for NEET always answer with the NCERT numbers.

A sacred grove is also in-situ conservation, but it is a cultural/religious method, not a government-notified protected area. Tracts of forest were set aside and worshipped, giving total protection to trees and wildlife. Sacred groves are found in Meghalaya (Khasi and Jaintia Hills), Aravalli Hills of Rajasthan, Western Ghats of Karnataka and Maharashtra, and parts of Madhya Pradesh. NEET often puts sacred groves in the in-situ list to trap you into calling it ex-situ.

Biosphere reserves, national parks and wildlife sanctuaries. Sacred groves are also in-situ but are a cultural tradition, listed separately.

The core zone. It is the innermost, legally protected area. Buffer and transition zones allow increasing levels of human use.

All protected areas (biosphere reserves, national parks, sanctuaries) are in-situ conservation - the species is conserved in its natural habitat.

NCERT states India has 90 national parks, along with 14 biosphere reserves and 448 wildlife sanctuaries.

A wildlife safari park is ex-situ conservation, unlike a wildlife sanctuary which is in-situ. NEET uses this near-identical wording as a trap.