National Parks in India

National Parks:

✪ The Wild Life (Protection) Act of 1972 provided for the declaration of National Parks by the State Government in addition to the declaration of wildlife sanctuaries.

✪ Areas that are considered to be of adequate ecological, geomorphological and natural significance are declared as National Parks.

Difference between National Park and Sanctuaries:

✪ Activities such as grazing of livestock are regulated in sanctuaries, in National Parks, these are prohibited.

✪ Wildlife sanctuary can be created for a particular species whereas the national park is not primarily focused on a particular species.

✪ The Central Government may also declare, Wild Life Sanctuary and National Park under certain conditions.

National parks in North East India

I. Arunachal Pradesh:

1. Mouling National Park:

✧ Climate: No dry season. Extremely Humid. Heavy Rainfall.

✧ Vegetation: At lower latitudes- Tropical forests. At higher latitudes-Temperate forests.

2. Namdapha National Park:

✧ Namdapha flying squirrel is endemic to the park. It’s IUCN status: Critically Endangered.

II. Assam:

1. Dibru-Saikhowa National Park:

✧ Vegetation: Grasslands, Moist mixed deciduous forests, Semi-evergreen forests

✧ Gangetic dolphin, Asian elephant etc found here.

2. Kaziranga National Park:

✧ Vegetation: Elephant Grass, tropical moist broadleaf forests

✧ Famous for one-horned rhinoceros. Royal Bengal Tiger, Asian elephant, wild water buffalo swamp deer etc are also found.

3. Manas National Park:

✧ It is sharing common border with the Royal Manas National Park in Bhutan.

✧ Famous for its population of the wild water buffalo (EN).

4. Nameri National Park:

✧ This National park shares its northern boundary with the Pakke Tiger Reserve of Arunachal Pradesh.

5. Rajiv Gandhi Orang National Park:

✧ Famous for Gangetic dolphin, Indian pangolin, Great Indian rhinoceros, pygmy hog (EN) etc

III. Manipur:

1. Keibul-Lamjao National Park:

✧ Presence of Loktak Lake

✧ Famous for Dancing deer.

✧ It is a swamp with floating decomposed plant materials locally called phumdis.

IV. Meghalaya:

1. Balphakram National Park

2. Nokrek Ridge National Park

V. Mizoram:

1. Murlen National Park

2. Phawngpui Blue Mountain National Park

✧ Phawngpui mountain (Blue Mountain- highest peak in the state)

✧ The state bird of Mizoram: Mrs. Hume's pheasant is found here.

VI. Nagaland:

1. Intanki National Park

VII. Sikkim:

1. Khangchendzonga National Park:

✧ UNESCO World Heritage Site

✧ The first "Mixed Heritage" site of India.

VIII. Tripura:

1. Bison (Rajbari) National Park:

✧ It is in the Trishna Wildlife Sanctuary.

✧ Famous for Indian Gaur

2. Clouded Leopard National Park:

✧ It is a part of Sipahijola Wildlife Sanctuary.

✧ Famous for clouded leopard

National parks in South

I. Andaman & Nicobar Islands:

1. Campbell Bay & Galathea National Parks:

❖ Southernmost National Park of India~ Galathea National Park

❖ Famous for Nicobar pigeon.

2. Mahatama Gandhi Marine National Park:

❖ Corals prevalent in the area

❖ Fringing reefs are most common reefs.

3. Mount Harriett National Park:

❖ It is a butterfly hotspot.

4. Rani Jhansi Marine National Park

5. Saddle Peak National Park

❖ Famous for dolphins, whales and saltwater crocodile.

II. Goa:

1. Mollem National Park

III. Karnataka:

1. Anshi National Park:

❖ Famous for wild boars, elephant, Bengal tiger, black panther, wild boars, bonnet macaque, Malabar civet, Malabar giant squirrel etc

2. Bandipur National Park:

❖ Famous for sandalwood

3. Bannerghatta National Park:

4. Kudremukh National Park:

❖ Famous for lion-tailed macaque

5. Nagarahole (Rajiv Gandhi) National Park:

❖ An Important Bird Area.

❖ Famous for Bengal tiger, Indian leopard, Indian elephant etc

IV. Kerala

1. Anamudi Shola National Park:

❖ Famous for lion-tailed macaques, Nilgiri tahr, Nilgiri marten etc

2. Eravikulam National Park

3. Mathikettan Shola National Park

4. Pambadum Shola National Park

5. Silent Valley National Park:

❖ Parts of Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve

❖ Famous for Lion-tailed macaques

V. Maharashtra:

1. Gugamal National Park

2. Nawegaon National Park

3. Pench (Jawaharlal Nehru) National Park

4. Sanjay Gandhi (Borivilli) National Park

5. Tadoba National Park

VI. Odisha:

1. Bhitarkanika National Park:

❖ Famous for Saltwater (Estuarine) Crocodile, Mangroves.

2. Simlipal National Park

VII. Tamil Nadu:

1. Annamalai (Indira Gandhi) National Park:

❖ Famous for Lion-tailed macaque

2. Guindy National Park

3. Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park:

❖ Famous for Dugong, a marine mammal

4. Mudumalai National Park:

❖ Famous for Indian elephant, Bengal tiger, gaur, Indian white-rumped vulture, India Vulture.

5. Mukurthi National Park:

❖ Famous Nilgiri tahr

VIII. Telangana:

1. Kasu Brahmananda Reddy National Park

2. Mahaveer Harina Vanasthali National Park

3. Mrugavani National Park'

IX. Andhra Pradesh:

1. Papikonda National Park

❖ Famous for Rhesus macaque and Bonnet macaque

2. Rajiv Gandhi (Rameswaram) National Park

3. Sri Venkateswara National Park:

❖ Part of Seshachalam Hills Biosphere Reserve.

❖ Famous for red sandalwood

X. Bihar:

Valmiki National Park:

❖ Location: India-Nepal border

❖ Famous for Bengal tiger, Indian rhinoceros.

XI. Chhattisgarh:

1. Guru Ghasidas National Park:

❖ Located in the Narmada Valley

❖ Dry deciduous forests eco-region

❖ Famous for Bengal tiger, Indian leopard, spotted deer

2. Indravati National Park:

❖ Famous for Wild Asian buffalo (EN), gaur (Indian bison), nilgai, blackbuck, chausingha.

❖ Named after Indravati River

3. Kanger Valley National Park:

❖ Home for the state bird of Chhattisgarh~ Bastar hill myna.

❖ Named after Kanger River

❖ Famous for limestone deposits

XII. Gujarat:

1. Blackbuck (Velavadar) National Park:

❖ Type of Vegetation: Savanna grassland.

❖ Famous for blackbuck and lesser florican

2. Gir National Park:

❖ Home for Asiatic lions

❖ Dry deciduous scrub forest.

❖ Famous for Asiatic lion, mugger crocodile, Indian leopard

3. Marine (Gulf of Kachchh) National Park:

❖ Famous for Corals, Olive ridleys and leather backs, dugongs

4. Vansda (Bansda) National Park:

❖ Deciduous forest type vegetation

❖ Famous for Indian giant squirrel (Malabar giant squirrel)

XIII. Haryana:

1. Kalesar National Park

2. Sultanpur National Park

XIV. Himachal Pradesh:

1. Great Himalayan National Park

❖ UNESCO World Heritage

❖ Famous for Blue sheep, snow leopard, Himalayan brown bear, Himalayan tahr, etc.

2. Inderkilla National Park:

❖ Famous for Himalayan Ibex (Siberian Ibex).

3. Khirganga National Park:

❖ Famous for Snow Leopard, Himalayan Ibex, blue sheep etc

4. Pin Valley National Park:

❖ Famous for Snow Leopard and Himalayan Ibex (also referred to as Siberian Ibex).

5. Simbalbara National Park

XV. Jammu & Kashmir UT:

1. City Forest (Salim Ali) National Park:

❖ Named after the Indian ornithologist Salim Ali.

❖ Famous for Kashmiri stag (hangul), musk deer, Himalayan black bear etc

2. Dachigam National Park:

❖ Famous for Hangul (Kashmir stag), Musk deer

3. Kishtwar National Park

XVI. Ladakh:

Hemis National Park:

✷ Famous for its snow leopards, Himalayan griffon vulture

XVII. Jharkhand:

Betla National Park:

✷ Elephants, Bengal tiger, sloth bear

XVII. Madhya Pradesh:

1. Bandhavgarh National Park:

✷ In 1951, India’s first white tiger was captured in this region

✷ Moist deciduous forests

2. Dinosaur (Ashmadha) Fossils National Park:

✷ In this site, Dinosaur eggs and fossils and fossilised trees dating back 60 million years were discovered

3. Indira Priyadarshini Pench National Park:

✷ Named after Pench River

✷ Dry deciduous forests

4. Kanha National Park:

✷ This National park is inspiration for Rudyard Kipling’s "The Jungle Book".

✷ Famous for barasingha (swamp deer)

5. Madhav National Park:

✷ Named after Madho Rao Scindia

✷ Famous for chinkara (Indian gazelle).

✷ Sakhya Sagar and Madhav Sagar lakes are two important lakes in the park.

6. Mandla Plant Fossil National Park:

✷ Situated in in the Narmada Valley

7. Panna National Park:

✷ Famous for fish-eating freshwater crocodiles.

8. Sanjay National Park

9. Satpura National Park

10. Van Vihar National Park

XVIII. Rajasthan:

1. Desert National Park:

✷ Famous for Great Indian bustard

2. Keoladeo Ghana National Park:

✷ UNESCO World Heritage Site.

✷ Regular wintering area in India for the Siberian crane

✷ Famous for Migratory waterfowl, Siberian crane, painted storks, sarus crane

3. Mukundra Hills National Park

4. Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve, National Park

5. Sariska National Park

XIX. Uttar Pradesh:

1. Dudhwa National Park:

✷ Famous for Indian rhinoceros

2. Pilibhit Tiger Reserve

XX. Uttarakhand:

1. Gangotri National Park

2. Govind Pashu Vihar National Park :

✷ Snow Leopard Project

3. Jim Corbett National Park:

✷ Oldest national park in India.

✷ Established in 1936. To protect the Bengal tiger.

✷ Named after Jim Corbett

✷ First to come under the Project Tiger initiative.

4. Nanda Devi National Park:

✷ UNESCO World Heritage Site.

✷ Famous for Himalayan black bear.\

5. Rajaji National Park:

✷ Named after C. Rajagopalachari

6. Valley of Flowers National Park:

✷ Endemic alpine flowers.

✷ Famous for Asiatic black bear, snow leopard, musk deer

XXI. West Bengal:

1. Buxa National Park:

✦ Famous for Bengal tiger, Asian elephant

2. Gorumara National Park:

✦ Primarily known for Indian rhinoceros.

✦ Rolling forests and riverine grasslands and is known as the Dooars in Bengal

3. Jaldapara National Park:

✦ Largest population of the Indian one-horned rhinoceros after Kaziranga National Park.

✦ Famous for Indian one-horned rhinoceros, Indian leopard, Indian elephants etc

4. Neora Valley National Park:

✦ Himalayan broadleaf forests.

✦ Famous for Red Panda

5. Sunderban National Park:

✦ A biosphere reserve

✦ Ramsar Site and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

✦ Mangrove forests (Sundarbans got its name from the Sundari mangrove tree).

✦Famous for Royal Bengal Tiger, saltwater crocodile, river terrapin, olive ridley turtle, Ganges river dolphin.