How to Use These Cards

Each entry below is still built like an index card — name → state → year → hook — but every single reserve now gets its own two-to-three sentence card instead of being buried inside a state cluster. Read a section, cover it, and try to rebuild the cards from memory before checking. The state groupings are kept as organisational headers (exams love "which state has how many"), but under each header every reserve stands on its own.

The headline numbers to anchor first (2025–26): India has 58 Tiger Reserves and 18 Biosphere Reserves, of which 13 carry UNESCO's Man and Biosphere (MAB) recognition. Both totals grew within the last two years — Madhav (Madhya Pradesh) became the 58th Tiger Reserve in 2025, and Cold Desert (Himachal Pradesh) became India's 13th UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in September 2025. Date-stamp these figures in your notes and re-check the NTCA and UNESCO websites before an exam, since a new reserve can be notified at any time and these totals are a moving target.