Assam to expand Kaziranga National Park

The Assam government has approved to expand the Kaziranga National Park by 3053 hectares.

Key Facts

• This would make the Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve to grow to 1085.53 sq km.
• Currently, the core area of the park is 430 sq km.

Benefits

• These additions are habitat corridors
• It would help to provide connectivity to Orang and Nameri National Parks across river Brahmaputra.
• It also provides connectivity to the hills of Karbi Anglong to the south of the park.
• These additional areas are encroachment-evicted areas and suitable wildlife habitat on river islands that are vulnerable to encroachment.
• It would consolidate the wildlife areas to provide better wildlife conservation.
• It would also lead to the reduction in human-wildlife negative interactions.

About Kaziranga National Park

Kaziranga National Park is one of India’s oldest reserve areas. It is located in Golaghat and Nagaon, in the Karbi Anglong district of Assam in northeast India. The park is administered by the forest department of the Assam State Government. The park was declared ‘protected’ after Mary Curzon (Wife of Lord Curzon) failed to spot a single rhinoceros in the area. The park has elephants, swamp deer, wild water buffalo, etc. It also has a wide range of flora. It also contains 15 threatened species of fauna. It is a breeding ground for species like leopards and Bengal tigers. It also has many species of birds and is designated as an ‘Important Bird Area’ by Birdlife International. Recently, in March 2020, Kaziranga National Park was selected among the 17 Iconic Tourist Sites of the country by the Indian Government.

Other National Parks in Asaam

At present, Assam has five national parks—Kaziranga National Park, Manas National Park, Nameri National Park, Dibru-Saikhowa National Park and Orang National Park.

National Parks in India

National parks in India are the protected areas under IUCN category II. India’s first national park was established in 1936 as Hailey National Park, now known as Jim Corbett National Park, Uttarakhand. By 1970, India only had five national parks. In 1972, India enacted the Wildlife Protection Act and Project Tiger to safeguard the habitats of conservation reliant species. As of May 2020, there are 105 national parks under protected areas of India category II comprising 1.23% of India’s total surface area.

Month: Current Affairs - September, 2020