Great Nicobar Biosphere Reserve

The Nicobars lie in the Bay of Bengal, eastern Indian Ocean, 190 km (120 mi) to the north of the Indonesian island of Sumatra.

[1] In year 2013 it was included in the list of Man and Biosphere program of UNESCO to promote sustainable development based on local community effort and sound science.

[3][4] The environment is classified by the World Wide Fund for Nature as tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests biome, and located in the Indomalayan realm.

In terms of fauna, there are over 1800 species in this biosphere reserve, some of which include: Nicobar scrubfowl (Megapodius nicobariensis, a megapode bird), the edible-nest swiftlet (Aerodramus fuciphagus), the Nicobar long-tailed macaque (Macaca fascicularis umbrosa), saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus), Andaman water monitor (Varanus salvator andamanensis),[5] giant leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea), Malayan box turtle (Cuora amboinensis), Nicobar tree shrew (Tupaia nicobarica), reticulated python (Python reticulatus) and the giant robber crab (or coconut crab, Birgus latro).

[3][4] The Great Nicobar Biosphere Reserve also incorporates territories and traditional lands of the indigenous Nicobarese and Shompen people.