National Parks

National Parks:

They are the areas that are set by the government to conserve the natural environment.

• A national park has more restrictions as compared to a wildlife sanctuary.
• Their boundaries are fixed and defined.
• The main objective of a national park is to protect the natural environment of the area and biodiversity conservation.

What is allowed and what is not allowed inside National Parks:

• Here, no human activity is allowed.
• Grazing of livestock and private tenurial rights are not permitted here.
• Species mentioned in the Schedules of the Wildlife Act are not allowed to be hunted or captured.
• No person shall destroy, remove, or exploit any wildlife from a National Park or destroy or damage the habitat of any wild animal or deprive any wild animal of its habitat within a national park.
• They cannot be downgraded to the status of a ‘sanctuary’.

Declaration of National Parks:

• National parks can be declared both by the Central Government and State governments. No alteration of the boundaries of a national park shall be made except on a resolution passed by the State Legislature.

Important facts about the National Parks in India

• Number of National 105
• Total area covered 40,501 sq.km.
• Maximum National Park state P. (9), Andaman & Nikobar (9)
• First National Park Jim Corbett National Park
• Largest National Park Hemis National Park
• Smallest National Park South Button National Park
• Latest National Park Kuno National Park

There are 104 existing national parks in India covering an area of 43,716 km2, which is 1.33% of the geographical area of the country (National Wildlife Database, Dec. 2020).

List of National Parks (As on December, 2020)