About

• The Kaziranga national park is located in Assam and was formed in 1908 on the recommendation of Mary Curzon (wife of Lord Curzon).
• Located on the edge of the Eastern Himalayan biodiversity hotspot, the park is famous for its Indian one-horned rhinoceros. About 2200 rhinoceros exist in this park, approximately 2/3rd of their total world population. 
• Other animals that can be seen in Kaziranga are Hoolock Gibbon, Tiger, Leopard, Indian Elephant, Sloth Bear, Wild water buffalo, swamp deer, etc. 
• Due to the difference in altitude between the eastern and western areas of the park, one can see four types of vegetation in the park: alluvial inundated grasslands, alluvial savanna woodlands, tropical moist mixed deciduous forests, and tropical semi-evergreen forests.
• River Brahmaputra flows adjacent to the park.
• In 1985, the park was declared as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Kaziranga was declared as a Tiger Reserve in 2006.

Related Information

Protected Areas in India

1. National Parks:

• National Parks are secured under the Wildlife protection Act, 1972.
• These are designated protected  areas with the strictest level of protection. 
• 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. 
• National Parks prioritize the preservation of entire ecosystems, encompassing flora, fauna, natural landscapes, and geological formations.
• No alteration of the boundaries of a National Park shall be made except on a resolution passed by the Legislature of the State.
• A national park can never be downgraded to a wildlife sanctuary.

2. Wildlife Sanctuaries:

• Wildlife sanctuaries are secured under the Wildlife protection Act, 1972.
• The State Government may designate some areas as wildlife sanctuaries if they are thought to be of significant ecological, geomorphological, and natural value.
• It is species-centric in its conservation approach.
• Limited human interference is permitted in wildlife sanctuaries. Grazing, firewood collection by tribals is allowed but strictly regulated.
• A sanctuary can be promoted to a national park.

3. Conservation Reserves:

• Conservation Reserves can be declared by the State Governments in any area owned by the Government, particularly the areas adjacent to National Parks and Sanctuaries and those areas which link one Protected Area with another.
• Such a declaration should be made after having consultations with the local communities.
• The rights of people living inside a Conservation Reserve are not affected.

4. Community Reserves:

• Community Reserves can be declared by the State Government in any private or community land, not comprised within a National Park, Sanctuary or a Conservation Reserve, where an individual or a community has volunteered to conserve wildlife and its habitat.
• As in the case of a Conservation Reserve, the rights of people living inside a Community Reserve are not affected.
• Conservation reserves and community reserves were first introduced in the Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Act of 2002. 

5. Tiger Reserves:

• In India, Tiger reserves were set up as a part of Project Tiger initiated in 1973.
• Tiger Reserves are notified by State Governments as per provisions of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 on advice of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA).
• Tiger reserves are created on the basis of a ‘core-buffer’ strategy.
  • Core area 
    • A particular expanse of land is identified and marked as the ‘core area of the reserve. 
    • These areas are kept free of  human activities. 
    • It usually has the legal status of a National Park or Wildlife Sanctuary.
  • Buffer zone
    • The buffer areas usually surround the core area and are comparatively less frequented by  wildlife. 
    • It is subjected to ‘conservation-oriented land use’ and hence Certain everyday activities necessary for daily life and living of surrounding villages are allowed.