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).
