STATIC GK : IMPORTANT NATIONAL PARKS AND SANCTUARIES OF INDIA
🦁🐯 Important National Park / Sanctuary of India 🦁🐯
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Nature has blessed India with mixed geographical conditions, making it a suitable place for a wide range of flora and fauna to flourish. Its unique topography dotted with green lush terrains, mountains, dense forests, plains, uneven landscapes, etc. have resulted in a lot of physical and climatic conditions. The country’s varied topographies are shelters for an extraordinary number of species that are on the verge of extinction, hence allowing them to live in their natural habitat.
Due to mass extinctions of wildlife, the country has established numerous wildlife sanctuaries and national parks for conversation of such species. While the first national park of India was opened in 1936 as Jim Corbett National Park, India only had 5 national parks till 1970. It came as a shock when the total number of wild tigers reduced to just 1800. This led to the formation of Project Tiger and Wildlife Protection Act in the next two years to regulate and increase the tiger count. At present with more than 100 national parks and 50 tiger reserves, the country has been able to preserve its flora and fauna up to a remarkable extent which is an ongoing process. Today, the country stands as a wildlife tourism hub for nature lovers with a large number of rare wildlife species.
We have picked up the top 12 national parks in India to visit which will take you to an adrenaline-pumping journey deep into the woods where you will get to witness some of the most extraordinary wild-species. Pick your camera and start a jungle safari to see beautiful big cats to one-horned rhinos.
🔸 Bandipur National Park➖ Karnataka
🔸 Buxa Tiger Reserve➖ West Bengal
🔸 Bandhavgarh National Park➖ Madhya Pradesh
🔸 Corbett National Park➖ Uttarakhand
🔸 Chandraprabha Sanctuary➖ Uttar Pradesh
🔸 Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary➖ Karnataka
🔸 Dachigam Sanctuary➖ Kashmir
🔸 Dudhwa National Park➖ Uttar Pradesh
🔸 Gir National Park➖ Gujarat
🔸 Hazaribagh Sanctuary➖ Hazaribagh (Jharkhand)
🔸 Indian Wild Ass Sanctuary➖ Rann of Kutch (Gujarat)
🔸 Jaldapara National Park➖ West Bengal
🔸 Keoladeo Ghana National Park➖ Bharatpur (Rajasthan)
🔸 Keibul Lamjao National Park➖ Manipur
🔸 Kanha National Park➖ Madhya Pradesh
🔸 Karakoram Wildlife Sanctuary➖ Jammu and Kashmir
🔸 Kaziranga National Park➖ Assam
🔸 Manas National Park➖ Assam
🔸 Mudumalai National Park➖ Tamil Nadu
🔸 Nokrek National Park➖ Meghalaya
🔸 Namdapha National Park➖ Arunachal Pradesh
🔸 Nagarhole National Park➖ Karnataka
🔸 Nawegoan National Park➖ Bhandare (Maharashtra)
🔸 Periyar Sanctuary➖ Kerala
🔸 Panchmarhi➖ Hoshangabad (Madhya Pradesh)
🔸 Ranthambore National Park➖ Rajasthan
🔸 Rohla National Park➖ Kullu (Madhya Pradesh)
🔸 Sunderban Tiger Reserve➖ West Bengal
🔸 Sariska National Park➖ Rajasthan
🔸 Simlipal National Park➖ Odisha
🔸 Tadoba National Park➖ Chandrapur (Maharashtra)
🔸 Tadwai Sanctuary➖ Warrangal (Andhra Pradesh)
🔸 Tungabhadra Sanctuary➖ Bellary (Karnataka)
| Name and Location | Important Species |
| 1. Kanha National Park, Mandla and Balaghat (MP) | Chital, gaur, tiger, nilgai, sambar, barasingha |
| 2. Kaziranga National Park, Jorhat (Assam) | One-horned rhinoceros, elephant, wild buffalo, wild boar, tiger, leopard |
| 3. Kinnersani Sanctuary, khammam(AP) | Chital, tiger, gaur, wolf, nilgai |
| 4. Manas Sanctuary, Barpeta (Assam) | One-horned rhinoceros, gaur, elephant, wild buffalo |
| 5. Namdapha Sanctuary, Tirap(Arunachal Pradesh) | Elephant, tiger, panther, wild buffalo |
| 6. Pachmarhi Sanctuary Hoshangabad (MP) | Barking deer, bison, bear, tiger |
| 7. Palamau Sanctuary, Daltonganj (Jharkhand) | Barking deer, gaur, chital, elephant, panther |
| 8. Periyar Sanctuary, Idukki (Kerala) | Elephant, chital, nilgai |
| 9. Rohla National Park, Kullu (Himachal Pradesh) | Brown bear, musk deer, snow leopard, snow pigeon, snow cock |
| 10. Simlipal Sanctuary, Mayurbhanj, (Orissa) | Elephant, gaur, chital, tiger, flying squirrel |
| 11. Tadoba National Park, Chandrapur (Mah.) | Chital, chinkara, panther, tiger, sloth bear, gaur |
| 12. Wild Ass Sanctuary, Little Rann of Kutchch,(Guj.) | Wild ass, wolf, nilgai, chinkara |
| 13. Bandipur National Park, Mysore (Karnataka) | chital, elephant, panther, barking deer, four-horned antelope |
| 14. Bhimbandh Sanctuary, Monghyr(Bihar) | Leopard, tiger, wild boar, wolf |
| 15. Chandraprabha Sanctuary ,Varanasi (UP) | Tiger, panther, sambar, sloth bear, peafowl |
| 16. Corbett National Park,Garhwal (Uttarakhand) | Four-horned antelope, elephant, tiger, panther, sambar |
| 17. Dampa Sanctuary, Aizawl (Mizoram) | Barking deer, Himalayan bear, tiger, elephant |
| 18. Dudhwa National Park, Lakhimpur Kheri (Uttarakhand) | Barking deer, chital, sloth bear, tiger, panther |
| 19. Ghandhi Sagar Sanctuary, Mandsaur (MP) | Barking deer, chinkara, chital |
| 20. Ghana Bird Sanctuary, Bharatpur (Rajasthan) | Black-buck, sambar, wild boar, chital |
| 21. Gir National Park, Junagarh (Gujarat) | Asiatic lion, Panther, chital, nilgai, four-horned antelope |
| 22. Hazaribagh Sanctuary, Hazaribagh (Jharkhand) | Chital, nilgai, sambar, tiger |
| 23. Silent Valley National Park (Kerala) | Lion-Tailed Macaque |
Note:
- Jim Corbett National Park – India’s first national park was established in 1936 as Hailey National Park, now known as Jim Corbett National Park, Uttarakhand.
- Madhya Pradesh and Andaman and Nicobar Islands have the largest number of national parks in the country (9 each).
Policy:
National forest policy -1952, 1988
Project tiger –1973s
Project elephant– 1992
Project crocodile– 1975
Project dolphin — 2008
Reserves:
Total number of BIOSPHERE reserves in India–18
Total number of ELEPHANT reserves in India –29
Total number of TIGER reserves in India –48
Total number of CROCODILE reserves in India –4
