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National Park: A National Park is a large area of land which is demarcated by the local government so that the area is properly protected. The areas that are transformed into national parks have natural scenic beauty and a lot of flora and fauna. These lands are partially protected areas and the government ensures that these lands are properly conserved and managed. National parks are also a big part of tourism and any state which has such parks attracts a lot of tourists who visit them to experience the natural beauty of the parks and get to see the wildlife from close quarters.
Wildlife Sanctuaries- Wildlife Sanctuaries are a bit different from a national park. While the national park puts focus on the entire land area and realises that there is a need to preserve the area from any kind of human intervention or pollution, a wildlife sanctuary primarily emphasises the protection of wildlife in an area. Endangered or rare species of plants and animals are protected in their natural habitat by demarcating wildlife sanctuaries for them so that the area maintains its natural characteristics and continues to stay as a proper dwelling habitat for the concerned animal species.
Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary
The Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary is now known as the Keoladeo National Park and it was declared as a UNESCO world heritage site in the year 1985. This 28.73 square kilometres area is located in Bharatpur, Rajasthan, and from the 1850s to the early 1980s, this area was widely used as a duck shooting reserve by the then Maharajas of Bharatpur. In 1982, the government of India declared this area as a wildlife sanctuary and banned all sorts of illegal activities like shooting and hunting. Today, this sanctuary has become heaven and home for different migratory birds that come from countries like China, Turkmenistan, Siberia, and Afghanistan.
Bharatpur National Park is home to more than 366 species of plants. Adding to that, it also houses more than 25 species of mammals and 379 species of plants. A wide number of aquatic birds are also included in those 366 species of birds. Many migratory birds arrive and stay in the winter months and avoid their much colder native habitats. This bird sanctuary is a very popular tourist spot and attracts a lot of tourists, especially in the autumn and winter months.
Valley of Flowers National Park
The Valley of Flowers National Park is situated in the Chamoli district in Uttarakhand, India. The area is a valley area as the name suggests, with the Himalaya ranges behind it, and is extremely popular as a tourist spot for its extraordinary beauty. People from all around the world visit this place for its natural beauty and the best time to visit this place is from May to October because most flowers bloom in that period. This valley is a core zone of the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve and is spread across an area of 87 square kilometres. About 70% of the valley is under perpetual snow and a lot of endangered animals are also present. The endangered animals include the Himalayan Brown Bear, Common Langur, Snow Leopard, Tahr (a goat like mammal), Serow, and the Himalayan Black Bear as well.
The Valley of Flowers National Park was declared as a UNESCO world heritage site in 2005 for having extraordinary scenic and natural beauty, endangered plant and animal species, and a proper conservational management structure. All sorts of animal grazing activities in the valley were banned by the government in 1982 as per the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972.
Conclusion
Wildlife sanctuaries and national parks are very important zones of biodiversity and ensure that biodiversity is conserved properly. With the rapid urbanisation, pollution increase, deforestation, and climate change, it becomes all the more crucial to make sure these areas are protected and preserved forever.
