Nokrek Biosphere Reserve, Meghalaya's UNESCO-designated reserve on the Tura Range

Background

Nokrek Biosphere Reserve lies on the Tura Range, part of the Meghalaya Plateau in the Garo Hills. It was designated a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 2009 under the Man and the Biosphere Programme. The reserve covers about 82,000 hectares of entirely terrestrial area. Nokrek peak, the highest point in the Garo Hills, rises to 1,412 metres, while the reserve's average altitude is around 600 metres. About 90 per cent of the reserve is covered by evergreen forest. The reserve holds the Ganol, Dareng and Simsang rivers, of which the Simsang is the longest and largest. It is home to tigers, leopards, elephants and hoolock gibbons, described by UNESCO as among the most endangered apes in India.