Pachmarhi Biosphere Reserve

Pachmarhi Biosphere Reserve is a protected area in the Satpura Range of Madhya Pradesh, combining three separate zones: Bori, Pachmarhi and Satpura. The vegetation shifts from teak woodlands in the western sections to sal forests in the east, with elevations ranging from valley floors to highland ridges.

The Indian government established the protected area in 1999 to preserve the forest habitats of the central highlands. UNESCO recognized it a decade later as a biosphere reserve, confirming its value for biological diversity.

The Gond and Baiga tribes maintain their traditional practices in the reserve, using fourteen documented plant species for their daily needs.

The reserve opens from October through March, when temperatures sit between 10 and 25 degrees Celsius (50 and 77 degrees Fahrenheit). These months work best for observing wildlife, as the weather stays cool and dry.

This area marks the boundary between the floras of eastern and western India, where tree species overlap. Teak grows alongside sal forests here, a combination found in few other regions of the country.