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In India, following three types of natural habitats are being maintained:
1. National parks
2. Wildlife sanctuaries
3. Biosphere reserves
India has over 600 protected areas, which includes over 90 national parks, over
500 animal sanctuaries and 15 biosphere reserves.
(1) National parks
A national park is an area which is strictly reserved for the betterment of the
wildlife and where activities like forestry and grazing on cultivated area are not
permitted. In these parks, even private ownership rights are not allowed.
Their boundaries are well marked and circumscribed. They are usually small
reserves spreading in an area of 100 to 500 sq. km. In national parks, the
emphasis is given on the preservation of a single plant or animal species.
List of some major national parks of India
S. No. Name State Year of Area
establish- (km2)
ment
1. Corbett National Park Uttarakhand 1921 1318.5
2. Dudhwa National Park Uttar Pradesh 1977 490.29
3. Gir National Park Gujarat 1965 258.71
4. Kanha National Park Madhya Pradesh 1955 940
5. KangerGhati National Park (Kanger Valley) Chhattisgarh 1982 200
6. Kaziranga National Park Assam 1974 471.71
7. Nanda Devi National Park Uttarakhand 1982 630.33
8. Sariska National Park Rajasthan 1955 866
9. Silent Valley National Park Kerala 1980 237
10. Sundarbans National Park West Bengal 1984 1330.12
(2) Wildlife sanctuaries
A sanctuary is a protected area, which is reserved for the conservation of only
animals in which the human activities (like harvesting of timber, collecting minor
forest products, and private ownership rights) are allowed as long as they do not
In India, following three types of natural habitats are being maintained:
1. National parks
2. Wildlife sanctuaries
3. Biosphere reserves
India has over 600 protected areas, which includes over 90 national parks, over
500 animal sanctuaries and 15 biosphere reserves.
(1) National parks
A national park is an area which is strictly reserved for the betterment of the
wildlife and where activities like forestry and grazing on cultivated area are not
permitted. In these parks, even private ownership rights are not allowed.
Their boundaries are well marked and circumscribed. They are usually small
reserves spreading in an area of 100 to 500 sq. km. In national parks, the
emphasis is given on the preservation of a single plant or animal species.
List of some major national parks of India
S. No. Name State Year of Area
establish- (km2)
ment
1. Corbett National Park Uttarakhand 1921 1318.5
2. Dudhwa National Park Uttar Pradesh 1977 490.29
3. Gir National Park Gujarat 1965 258.71
4. Kanha National Park Madhya Pradesh 1955 940
5. KangerGhati National Park (Kanger Valley) Chhattisgarh 1982 200
6. Kaziranga National Park Assam 1974 471.71
7. Nanda Devi National Park Uttarakhand 1982 630.33
8. Sariska National Park Rajasthan 1955 866
9. Silent Valley National Park Kerala 1980 237
10. Sundarbans National Park West Bengal 1984 1330.12
(2) Wildlife sanctuaries
A sanctuary is a protected area, which is reserved for the conservation of only
animals in which the human activities (like harvesting of timber, collecting minor
forest products, and private ownership rights) are allowed as long as they do not
