National Parks, Wildlife Sanctuaries and Biosphere Reserves of India
India protects its wildlife through a network of national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, biosphere reserves, tiger reserves and conservation reserves, all of them governed mainly by the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. A national park is an area reserved strictly for wildlife, where no grazing, cultivation or other human activity is allowed, while a wildlife sanctuary is a protected area where limited human activity such as grazing or the collection of forest produce may sometimes be permitted. A biosphere reserve is much larger and more ambitious: it conserves biodiversity while also allowing local communities to live and work in it in a sustainable way. Because the number, status and years of these protected areas are easy to ask as one-mark questions, students of Assam and central exams must know the important firsts, the largest and the smallest, and the reserves of Assam and the North-East.
National parks and sanctuaries: the basic ideas
National parks and wildlife sanctuaries together are called protected areas. A national park is usually notified for a particular species or habitat and is the more strictly protected of the two; tourism is regulated and human settlement is not allowed. A sanctuary may allow certain traditional rights, which is why the boundary line between a sanctuary and a national park is an exam favourite. Both are created and managed under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, and many sanctuaries are later upgraded to national parks when their protection is strengthened. Some sanctuaries are famous for a single animal, such as the Wild Ass Sanctuary of the Kutch region of Gujarat, which is also the largest wildlife sanctuary of India, and the Keoladeo Ghana National Park at Bharatpur in Rajasthan, which is known as a Birds Paradise for its migratory birds.
The great national parks of India
The oldest national park of India is Jim Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand, established in 1936 as the Hailey National Park, and the largest national park is the high-altitude Hemis National Park in Ladakh, which is also the habitat of the snow leopard. The smallest national park is the South Button Island National Park in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, where the Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park and the Campbell Bay National Park are also located. The only floating national park in the world is the Keibul Lamjao National Park in Manipur, famous for the Sangai or brow-antlered deer, which lives on floating masses of vegetation called phumdis. Tiger lovers remember Ranthambore National Park in Rajasthan, and lion lovers remember Gir National Park in Gujarat, the only natural home of the Asiatic lion. The national park of Tamil Nadu famous for elephants is Mudumalai, part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve.
The protected areas of Assam and the North-East
Assam is one of the most important wildlife states of India. Kaziranga National Park, on the floodplain of the Brahmaputra, is world-famous for the one-horned rhinoceros; it was declared a national park in 1974 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985. The Manas National Park is the natural habitat of the golden langur and is known as a Big Five habitat because it shelters the tiger, the rhino, the elephant, the wild buffalo and the swamp deer; it is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Dibru-Saikhowa National Park is famous for the swamp deer, and the Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary is among the largest rhino reserves of Assam. The Chakrashila Wildlife Sanctuary is known for the golden langur, and the oldest wildlife sanctuary of Assam is the Pabho (Pabha) Wildlife Sanctuary, declared in 1980. In the wider North-East, the Nokrek Biosphere Reserve lies in Meghalaya, and the three biosphere reserves of the region are Manas, Nokrek and Dibru-Saikhowa.
Biosphere reserves of India
A biosphere reserve has three zones: a strictly protected core, a buffer zone used for research and limited activity, and an outer transition zone where people live and work. The first biosphere reserve of India is the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, established in 1986, and there are now 18 biosphere reserves in the country. In the Himalayas the important examples are the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve and the Khangchendzonga Biosphere Reserve, which protect high mountain ecosystems, glaciers and rare species. The biosphere reserves programme connects India to UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere (MAB) programme and shows how conservation and local livelihoods can be combined instead of treated as enemies.
World Heritage Sites and tiger reserves
The natural UNESCO World Heritage Sites of India include Kaziranga, Manas and the Sundarbans, all three of them of special importance to eastern and North-Eastern India. Tiger conservation is organised through Project Tiger, which was launched on 1 April 1973 and is run by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA). The first tiger reserve of India is the Jim Corbett Tiger Reserve, and the largest tiger reserve is the Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve in Andhra Pradesh. A sanctuary such as the one at Bharatpur shows that protection works for birds as well as mammals, and the tiger reserves show that a single umbrella species can protect an entire forest.
Conservation: successes and challenges
The protected-area network has saved several species from extinction within India, including the one-horned rhino, the Asiatic lion and the tiger, and it has preserved wetlands that migratory birds need for their long journeys. The main challenges are poaching, habitat loss and fragmentation, the decline of the prey base, human-wildlife conflict, and the pressure of roads, mining and encroachment around the reserves. Conservation succeeds best when local communities benefit from tourism and when the corridors that link one protected area to another are kept open, because isolated populations cannot survive for long.
Quick revision
For quick revision, keep the "firsts" and the "largest" ready. Firsts: Jim Corbett the oldest national park (1936) and the first tiger reserve, the Nilgiri the first biosphere reserve (1986), the Pabho the oldest wildlife sanctuary of Assam (1980) and Chilika or the relevant wetland the first Ramsar site of a different chapter. Largest and smallest: Hemis the largest national park, South Button Island the smallest, the Wild Ass Sanctuary the largest wildlife sanctuary and Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam the largest tiger reserve. Assam records: Kaziranga for the rhino, 1974 as the year it became a national park, Manas for the golden langur and the Big Five, Dibru-Saikhowa for the swamp deer, Pobitora for rhinos and Chakrashila for the golden langur. Finally, remember Keibul Lamjao as the only floating national park, with the Sangai, and Gir as the only home of the Asiatic lion.
How to prepare this topic
- Group the facts by the animal, not by the place: rhino with Kaziranga and Pobitora, Asiatic lion with Gir, Sangai with Keibul Lamjao, golden langur with Manas and Chakrashila, wild ass with Kutch and snow leopard with Hemis.
- Learn the years that repeat in exams: 1936 for Jim Corbett, 1973 for Project Tiger, 1974 for Kaziranga as a national park, 1980 for Pabho, 1985 for Kaziranga as a World Heritage Site and 1986 for the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve.
- Separate the three protected-area terms clearly: national park is the strictest, sanctuary allows limited human use, biosphere reserve combines conservation with sustainable living.
- Keep the Assam list ready in one place, because many questions are set specifically on Kaziranga, Manas, Dibru-Saikhowa, Pobitora, Chakrashila and Pabho.
- Revise the largest, smallest and only examples, since these are the easiest one-mark questions the examiner can set.
Common exam traps
- Jim Corbett is both the oldest national park and the first tiger reserve; do not mix it up with the first biosphere reserve, which is the Nilgiri.
- Kaziranga is famous for the one-horned rhino, while Manas is famous for the golden langur and the Big Five.
- The Wild Ass Sanctuary is a wildlife sanctuary, not a national park, even though it is the largest of its kind.
- Keibul Lamjao is the only floating national park and protects the Sangai; it is not in Assam but in Manipur.
- A biosphere reserve is not the same as a national park, because people are allowed to live and work in its transition zone.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a national park, a wildlife sanctuary and a biosphere reserve?
A national park is reserved strictly for wildlife, with no grazing, cultivation or human settlement allowed. A wildlife sanctuary is also protected, but limited human activity such as grazing may be permitted. A biosphere reserve is larger and has three zones - a strictly protected core, a buffer for research and a transition zone where people live and work sustainably. All of them are protected mainly under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
Which are the largest, oldest and smallest national parks of India?
The largest national park is Hemis National Park in Ladakh, which is also the habitat of the snow leopard. The oldest is Jim Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand, established in 1936 as the Hailey National Park. The smallest is the South Button Island National Park in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The only floating national park in the world is Keibul Lamjao in Manipur, famous for the Sangai or brow-antlered deer.
Which national parks are famous for the rhino, the lion and the tiger in India?
Kaziranga National Park in Assam is world-famous for the one-horned rhinoceros; it was declared a national park in 1974 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985. Gir National Park in Gujarat is the only natural habitat of the Asiatic lion. Ranthambore National Park in Rajasthan is famous for tigers, and the Manas National Park of Assam is known for the golden langur as well as being a Big Five habitat.
What are the biosphere reserves of India and which was the first?
The first biosphere reserve of India is the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, established in 1986, and there are about 18 biosphere reserves in the country. In the Himalayas the important ones are the Nanda Devi and Khangchendzonga biosphere reserves. In the North-East, the Manas, Nokrek and Dibru-Saikhowa biosphere reserves are located, with Nokrek in Meghalaya. A biosphere reserve combines conservation with sustainable use by local communities.
Which protected areas of Assam and the North-East are asked in exams?
In Assam, Kaziranga is famous for the one-horned rhino, Manas for the golden langur and the Big Five, Dibru-Saikhowa for the swamp deer and Pobitora as a major rhino reserve. The Chakrashila Wildlife Sanctuary is known for the golden langur, and the oldest wildlife sanctuary of Assam is the Pabho (Pabha) Wildlife Sanctuary, declared in 1980. Kaziranga, Manas and the Sundarbans are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.