National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries: Law, Species, States
Protected areas of India for exams: the Wild Life Protection Act, park and sanctuary differences, conservation projects, and famous parks with their species and states.
By GK24 Editorial Team· Published · 4 min read
Protected areas are the part of environment and ecology that comes up in every exam family, and the questions are almost always of one kind: a park is named and you must supply its state or its famous animal, or a legal term is named and you must supply the distinction behind it. The chapter rewards a memorised list far more than an argument, so it is worth building that list carefully and revising it as pairs.
The law behind protected areas
The Wild Life Protection Act of 1972 is the foundation. It created the machinery for declaring protected areas, listed species in schedules according to the degree of protection they receive, banned hunting of protected species and provided for wildlife boards and wardens. An amendment in 2002 added two newer categories, the conservation reserve and the community reserve, meant for land next to existing protected areas and for land owned or used by communities. The Constitution supports this framework: Article 48A directs the state to protect forests and wildlife, and Article 51A places a fundamental duty on every citizen to protect the natural environment and to have compassion for living creatures. Forests and the protection of wild animals and birds sit in the Concurrent List, so the Union and the states legislate together.
National park against wildlife sanctuary
| Point | National park | Wildlife sanctuary |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Protection of the whole ecosystem, that is flora, fauna and landscape together | Chiefly the protection of animal species, with the habitat |
| Human activity | Not permitted; grazing and cultivation are prohibited and rights are settled before notification | Certain regulated activities and some settled rights may be allowed |
| Boundaries | Fixed and defined; no alteration without a resolution of the state legislature | Defined but relatively less rigid |
| Relation | A sanctuary may be upgraded into a national park | A national park is never downgraded into a sanctuary |
| Declared by | State government by notification, under the Act of 1972 | State government by notification, under the same Act |
A biosphere reserve is a wider idea and usually contains parks and sanctuaries inside it. It has a core zone, where no human activity is allowed, a buffer zone with limited research and education activity, and a transition zone where communities live and work. The Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, notified in 1986, was the first in India.
The conservation projects
- Project Tiger, begun in 1973, with Jim Corbett among its first reserves; tiger reserves are managed under it and the National Tiger Conservation Authority oversees them.
- The Crocodile Conservation Project, begun in 1975, for the gharial, the mugger and the saltwater crocodile.
- Project Elephant, begun in 1992, which created elephant reserves and corridors.
- Project Snow Leopard, begun in 2009, for the high Himalayan range.
Parks worth memorising with their species
| Park | State or union territory | Known for |
|---|---|---|
| Jim Corbett, declared in 1936 as Hailey National Park | Uttarakhand | The first national park of India; the Bengal tiger |
| Gir | Gujarat | The only natural home of the Asiatic lion |
| Kaziranga | Assam | The one-horned rhinoceros; a World Heritage Site |
| Keoladeo Ghana, at Bharatpur | Rajasthan | Waterbirds and migratory birds; a World Heritage Site |
| Sundarbans | West Bengal | Mangrove forest and the Royal Bengal tiger |
| Dachigam | Jammu and Kashmir | The hangul or Kashmir stag |
| Silent Valley | Kerala | Evergreen forest and the lion-tailed macaque |
| Kanha | Madhya Pradesh | The barasingha or swamp deer, and the tiger |
| Desert National Park | Rajasthan | The great Indian bustard and desert wildlife |
| Hemis | Ladakh | The snow leopard; the largest national park in India |
| Eravikulam | Kerala | The Nilgiri tahr |
| Bhitarkanika | Odisha | Mangroves and the saltwater crocodile; nearby Gahirmatha for olive ridley turtles |
How to revise this chapter
Group the parks by state first, because a question that names a state is easier than one that names a park. Then attach one animal to each name, and where a park is famous for a bird or a plant rather than a big cat, mark it specially, since that is what the setter picks. Keep the World Heritage parks in a separate line: Kaziranga, Manas, Keoladeo Ghana, the Sundarbans, Nanda Devi with the Valley of Flowers, and the Great Himalayan National Park. Finally hold four years in memory, 1936 for the first national park, 1972 for the Act, 1973 for Project Tiger and 1992 for Project Elephant, because a date question in this chapter is almost always one of those four.
Exam Point of View
Nearly every question is a matching one. A park is given and its state or its flagship species is asked, or a species is given and its park is asked. The reliable traps are Gir against Kaziranga, Dachigam against Hemis, and Keoladeo Ghana being a bird park rather than a tiger reserve. A second set of questions asks for the legal difference between a park and a sanctuary, where the key points are that human activity is barred in a park and that a park is declared and altered only through a formal process. Dates are limited and repeat: 1936, 1972, 1973 and 1992. Avoid answering with counts of parks or reserves, since those change and the examiner usually asks for names instead.
Important Facts
| Governing law | The Wild Life Protection Act, 1972, amended in 2002 to add conservation and community reserves |
|---|---|
| First national park | Hailey National Park, 1936, now Jim Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand |
| Asiatic lion | Gir National Park, Gujarat |
| One-horned rhinoceros | Kaziranga National Park, Assam |
| Hangul or Kashmir stag | Dachigam National Park, Jammu and Kashmir |
| Lion-tailed macaque | Silent Valley National Park, Kerala |
| Barasingha or swamp deer | Kanha National Park, Madhya Pradesh |
| Great Indian bustard | Desert National Park, Rajasthan |
| Snow leopard | Hemis National Park, Ladakh, the largest national park in India |
| Bird park | Keoladeo Ghana National Park at Bharatpur, Rajasthan |
| Conservation projects | Project Tiger 1973, Crocodile Project 1975, Project Elephant 1992, Project Snow Leopard 2009 |
| First biosphere reserve | Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, notified in 1986 |
Practice MCQs on this topic
Which was the first national park established in India, in 1936?
- A.Hailey National Park, now Jim Corbett National Park
- B.Kaziranga National Park
- C.Gir National Park
- D.Kanha National Park
Show answer
Declared in 1936 in the hills of present-day Uttarakhand, it was named after the governor of the United Provinces, later renamed Ramganga and finally named after the hunter turned naturalist Jim Corbett.
Read the full explanation →Gir National Park is the natural home of which animal?
- A.The one-horned rhinoceros
- B.The Asiatic lion
- C.The snow leopard
- D.The hangul
Show answer
Gir, in the Saurashtra region of Gujarat, is the only place where the Asiatic lion survives in the wild, and its dry deciduous forest and scrub make the habitat that keeps the population alive.
Read the full explanation →Kaziranga National Park is famous for the conservation of which species?
- A.The Asiatic lion
- B.The one-horned rhinoceros
- C.The Nilgiri tahr
- D.The great Indian bustard
Show answer
Kaziranga lies on the floodplain of the Brahmaputra in Assam, where tall elephant grass and seasonal flooding suit the rhinoceros, and the park is inscribed as a natural World Heritage Site.
Read the full explanation →Project Tiger was launched in India in which year?
- A.1972
- B.1973
- C.1975
- D.1992
Show answer
Project Tiger was launched a year after the Wild Life Protection Act came into force, and it created tiger reserves in which the core area is kept free of human activity while a buffer area allows regulated use; the National Tiger Conservation Authority now oversees the programme.
Read the full explanation →National parks and wildlife sanctuaries in India are declared under which law?
- A.The Indian Forest Act, 1927
- B.The Wild Life Protection Act, 1972
- C.The Environment Protection Act, 1986
- D.The Biological Diversity Act, 2002
Show answer
It is the law under which a state government notifies a national park or a sanctuary, under which species are placed in schedules according to the protection they need, and under which hunting of protected animals is prohibited.
Read the full explanation →Keoladeo Ghana National Park at Bharatpur is best known for which of the following?
- A.Tigers
- B.Waterbirds and migratory birds
- C.Wild asses
- D.Mangrove forest
Show answer
Keoladeo Ghana in Rajasthan is a shallow wetland created long ago as a duck shooting reserve of the rulers of Bharatpur, and it now shelters large numbers of resident and migratory birds every winter; it is a World Heritage Site.
Read the full explanation →Dachigam National Park is associated with the conservation of which animal?
- A.The hangul or Kashmir stag
- B.The barasingha
- C.The lion-tailed macaque
- D.The olive ridley turtle
Show answer
Dachigam lies close to Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir and is the last stronghold of this deer, which moves between the upper and lower parts of the park with the seasons.
Read the full explanation →Silent Valley National Park, known for the lion-tailed macaque, is located in which state?
- A.Karnataka
- B.Kerala
- C.Tamil Nadu
- D.Maharashtra
Show answer
Silent Valley lies in the Nilgiri hills of Kerala and protects one of the last stretches of undisturbed tropical evergreen forest in the Western Ghats, whose best known resident is the lion-tailed macaque.
Read the full explanation →Which is the largest national park of India by area?
- A.Hemis National Park
- B.Kaziranga National Park
- C.Sundarbans National Park
- D.Gir National Park
Show answer
Hemis lies in the cold, high altitude desert of Ladakh, covers a very large stretch of mountain terrain, and is the best known habitat of the snow leopard, along with the bharal and the Tibetan wolf.
Read the full explanation →Conservation reserves and community reserves were introduced as categories of protected area by which measure?
- A.The Indian Forest Act of 1927
- B.The amendment of 2002 to the Wild Life Protection Act
- C.The Environment Protection Act of 1986
- D.The Forest Rights Act of 2006
Show answer
It added two categories beyond the national park and the sanctuary: a conservation reserve, usually on state land adjoining a protected area and meant to guard a corridor between habitats, and a community reserve, on private or community land where the people themselves agree to protect wildlife.
Read the full explanation →In which of the following are grazing and human activity generally not permitted at all?
- A.A wildlife sanctuary
- B.A national park
- C.A community reserve
- D.The transition zone of a biosphere reserve
Show answer
In a national park the whole ecosystem is protected, rights are settled before the area is notified, grazing and cultivation are prohibited and the boundary cannot be altered except through a resolution of the state legislature.
Read the full explanation →The Desert National Park in Rajasthan is best known for which bird?
- A.The Siberian crane
- B.The great Indian bustard
- C.The Indian peafowl
- D.The hornbill
Show answer
The Desert National Park, spread over sand dunes and open grassland near Jaisalmer and Barmer, is the best known habitat of this tall, heavy ground bird, whose numbers have fallen sharply and which is the state bird of Rajasthan.
Read the full explanation →Frequently Asked Questions
What is the main difference between a national park and a wildlife sanctuary?
A national park protects an entire ecosystem and bars human activity such as grazing and cultivation, with rights settled before it is notified and boundaries that cannot be altered without a resolution of the state legislature. A wildlife sanctuary is aimed mainly at protecting animal species and may allow certain regulated activities and settled rights. A sanctuary can later be upgraded into a national park.
Which was the first national park of India and when was it declared?
The first was declared in 1936 in present-day Uttarakhand and was named Hailey National Park after the governor of the then United Provinces. It was later renamed Ramganga National Park and finally Jim Corbett National Park, after the hunter and naturalist Jim Corbett. It was also among the first reserves brought under Project Tiger in 1973.
What are the three zones of a biosphere reserve?
A biosphere reserve has a core zone, which is legally protected and where no human activity is allowed, a buffer zone around it where limited research, education and restoration work is permitted, and an outer transition zone where local communities live, farm and carry on their livelihoods. The Nilgiri reserve, notified in 1986, was the first such reserve in India.
What are conservation reserves and community reserves?
They are the two categories of protected area added by the amendment of 2002 to the Wild Life Protection Act. A conservation reserve is usually state-owned land next to a national park or sanctuary, declared to protect a corridor or a link between protected habitats. A community reserve is private or community land where the community itself volunteers to protect wildlife.
Which Indian national parks are World Heritage Sites?
Kaziranga and Manas in Assam, Keoladeo Ghana at Bharatpur in Rajasthan, the Sundarbans in West Bengal, Nanda Devi along with the Valley of Flowers in Uttarakhand and the Great Himalayan National Park in Himachal Pradesh are inscribed as natural World Heritage Sites. Examiners usually ask for one of these names alongside three parks that are not on the list.
Sources
- Biology (Class XII), chapter on biodiversity and conservation — NCERT
- The Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 — Government of India
