Two new National Parks for Assam

Both are protected areas which are those areas in which human occupation or at least the exploitation of resources is limited. Let us understand the difference between them:

An area, whether within a sanctuary or not, can be notified by the state government to be constituted as a National Park, by reason of its ecological, faunal, floral, geomorphological, or zoological association or importance, needed to for the purpose of protecting & propagating or developing wildlife therein or its environment.
No human activity is permitted inside the national park except for the ones permitted by the Chief Wildlife Warden of the state under the conditions given in CHAPTER IV of Wildlife Protection Act 1972.
There are around 104 national parks in India. (as of Dec 2020).

Any area other than area with any reserve forest or the territorial waters can be notified by the State Government to constitute as a sanctuary if such area is of adequate ecological, faunal, floral, geomorphological, natural or zoological significance, for the purpose of protecting, propagating or developing wildlife or its environment.
Some restricted human activities are allowed inside the Sanctuary area details of which are given in CHAPTER IV of Wildlife Protection Act 1972.
There are 566 wildlife sanctuaries in India (as of December 2020).

Assam government has notified two new national parks for the state namely – Dihing Patkai National Park and Raimona National Park.
Assam had five national parks — Kaziranga, Nameri, Orang, Manas and Dibru-Saikhowa. With the above two, Assam ranks third in the country with 7 national parks (but 2nd largest state).

Assam

Madhya Pradesh has 12 national parks (highest in the country), followed by Andaman and Nicobar Islands (UT), which has 9 National Parks.

It encompasses the erstwhile Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary, the Jeypore Reserve Forest and the western block of the Upper Dihing Reserve Forest.
Dihing Patkai Between eastern Assam’s Dibrugarh and Tinsukia districts.
It is a major elephant habitat and has 310 species of butterflies.
Dirak and Burhi Dihing rivers flow through this park.
The park has 47 species each of reptiles and mammals, including the tiger and clouded leopard.
This area was vulnerable to illegal coal mining and poaching.

This National adjoins the Buxa Tiger Reserve in West Bengal to its west, Phipsoo Wildlife Sanctuary in Bhutan to its north and Manas National Park to the east.
It is home to 11 types of forest vegetation.
It is within Bodoland Territorial Region. (A tribal region of Assam).
Raimona is home to the golden langur, elephant, tiger, clouded leopard and Indian gaur besides sustaining several species of orchids, more than 150 species of butterflies, 170 species of birds and 380 species of plants.
Sankosh and Saralbhanga Rivers flow through this park.

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