Before we know about which are the top 10 largest National Parks in India we must have the knowledge of what the National Park is and also Some Important Facts about National Parks.

National Park Definition

“An area set aside by a national government for the preservation of the natural environment”. A national park is a government-protected region where numerous species of wildlife species and plants/trees are preserved. The goal of these national parks is to preserve various types of wildlife and flora that are rapidly becoming extinct due to increased human development competition at national levels. National park(s) are developed to protect this wildlife and flora.

Important Facts about National Parks

All of India’s national parks are classified within the IUCN‘s (International Union for Conservation of Nature) category II (second) of protected areas.

• India established its first national park, Jim Corbett National Park, in Uttarakhand in 1936. The initiative known as Project Tiger was launched in 1973 at Jim Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand.
• India now has 106 national parks and Indian law(s) determines the limits of each national park in the country. That encompass 44,378 km², accounting for 1.35 percent of the country’s total land area (National Wildlife Database, December 2020).
• In 1970, India had only five national parks. To protect the habitats of conservation-dependent species, India passed the Wildlife Protection Act 35(4) in 1972 and Project Tiger in 1973.

Distribution of Tiger Reserves in India; Image Credit: National Tiger Conservation Authority

As aforementioned, the Protected Area Network Report proposes 75 more National Parks totaling area 16,608 km². After implementing the aforementioned report, the national park network will expand by 176 new parks. The largest national park in India is Hemis National Park, established in 1981 and covers a total area of 4400 km² , which is located in the Ladakh’s Leh area, Union Territory of India.

South Button Island National Park is the smallest national park in India, which is located in the Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. In the year 1987, this national park was founded. Rani Jhansi Marine National Park is part of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands’ southernmost national park.

Top 10 largest national parks in India

Here is a list of the top 10 largest national parks in India.

1. Hemis National Park, Ladakh
2. Desert National Park, Rajasthan
3. Gangotri National Park, Uttarakhand
4. Namdapha National Park, Arunachal Pradesh
5. Khangchendonga National Park, Sikkim
6. The Guru Ghasidas (Sanjay) National Park, Chhattisgarh
7. Sunderban National Park, West Bengal
8. Indravati (Kutru) National Park, Chhattisgarh
9. Papikonda National Park, Andhra Pradesh
10. Kanha National Park, Madhya Pradesh

About Hemis National Park

Hemis National Park in Ladakh is the largest National Park in India. It covers an area of 3,350 km². Established in 1981, the park provides a safe home to the threatened snow leopard. Other faunas of the park include Brown bears, Red fox, Tibetan wolf, Bharal, etc.

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