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A national park (NP) is a fragment of land allotted mainly by the government to protect the environment. Typically, a national park is established for conservation of natural environment and biodiversity . In a national park, most of the terrain, animals and plants that inhabit them are preserved in their natural condition. There are several national parks in India that the government protects. The Great Himalayan National Park (GHNP) is one of them and is considered one of the highest national parks in the world. The GNHP was constituted in 1984.
About Great Himalayan National Park
The Great Himalayan National Park (GHNP) is in Himachal Pradesh’s Seraj Forest Division, 60 kilometres from Kullu district headquarters. The national park lies between 1500 and 6000 m, surrounded by Rupi Bhaba Sanctuary, Kanwar Wildlife Sanctuary and Pin Valley National Park. It gives beautiful, spectacular views of the Himalayas mountains. The national park has a 754 square kilometres area. Two hundred fifty-six square kilometres of land were separated from the parking area in 1994 and designated as an ecozone or border zone. The Great Himalayan National Park has 160 communities in its ecozone. The GHNP houses various plants and wildlife, including 30+ mammals, 180+ birds, three reptiles, nine amphibians, eleven annelids, 19 mollusc species and 132 species of insects. No poaching is allowed, as the inhabitants are under the strict limits of the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972. The Great Himalayan National Park was included on the UN’s UNESCO World Heritage List in June 2014 under “significant relevance for biodiversity and wildlife conservation.”. There are 800 species of fauna and 350 species of flora in the GHNP.
Timeline
The creation of GHNP as part of the Indian conservation area took 20 years from conception to completion. Here is a quick rundown of events:
In 1980, an introductory park study of the Sainj, Jiwanal and Tirthan watersheds in the Banjar region of the Kullu district was conducted.
The state of Himachal Pradesh (HP) announced its plan to build the GHNP with a buffer zone in 1984.
The Great Himalayan National Park’s inaugural planning was published in 1987.
In 1988, local community rights were litigated and settled.
In 1992, The Himachal Animal Project re-evaluated wildlife richness, cattle grazing, and herb collecting and reviewed the current management plan.
From 1994 to 1999, the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, conducted research to aid in the park’s administration as part of the Conservation of Biodiversity Project (CoB).
In 1999, after completing the settling petitions, a decision of award was issued. Individuals who held rights to fuelwood in the parking area received monetary compensation and a program of alternative income-generating activities for everyone residing in the buffer zone or ecozone. The GHNP is India’s newest and most recent national park. In 2014, the 38th World Heritage Panel conference in Doha, Qatar, granted GHNP a world Heritage site.
Flora
With its extensive altitude range and generally undisturbed ecosystems, the GHNP hosts many plant life. Although herding has altered certain sections, this is among the few sites in the Himalayan regions where the woods and alpine meadows resemble their natural condition. The subalpine zone has the most species, followed by the alpine and upper temperate zones. The park offers a diverse range of vegetation, from tall pines and coniferous trees of the lower valleys to the heavy cushions and horizontal branches of the Himalayan grasses and junipers.
Fauna
More than 350 zoological species call the Great Himalayan National Park home. The GHNP is home to various plants and wild animals, including 30+ mammals, 180+ birds, three reptiles, nine amphibians, eleven annelids, 19 molluscs, and 130 insects. Himalayan brown bear, Himalayan tahr, blue sheep, snow leopard, birds and musk deer are all found in the high elevation ecosystem of 3,500 m and above the park’s hills and mountains. Most Himalayan species are protected under the significant priority security Category I of the Indian Wildlife Preservation Act constituted in 1972. For more than ten years, the Himachal Government prohibited hunting throughout the state.
Conclusion
All human attempts to conserve wildlife are included in wildlife protection to protect wildlife from going extinct. Wildlife protection is concerned with the wild species that need to be protected and managed wisely. Some species are threatened with extinction as a result of climate change. Throughout history, man’s advancement has exploited nature. National parks are where biodiversity, fauna and flora are protected. The GHNP is rich in biodiversity and conservation.
