The Central government protected areas which exhibit a vast collection of natural vegetation and wildlife are known as national parks. Apart from conservation, activities like public recreation and tourism also gets boosted through national parks. 

National Parks in India

National Parks cover a considerable portion of India’s geographical landmass. They account for about 1.35% of the total area. National Parks in India represent only one category among four eco-protected areas of the country. These zones are maintained following the regulations published by IUCN, a global organization that looks after the preservation of natural vegetation and wildlife. Till the year 1970, there were only five national parks in India. By 1972 the Government very well realized the necessity to save tigers as well as other endangered species that are indigenous to this country. Therefore many forest areas were brought under the vigilance of the Wildlife Protection Act (1972) and another separate mission was launched in the following year under the name ‘Project Tiger’. The largest national park in India covers a total territorial space of 4400 sq. Km. It is named the Hemis National Park and is situated in the Himalayan foothills of Jammu and Kashmir. Humans are not allowed to access the forest resources of these protected zones. 

List of National Parks in India

As per the latest reports, there are a total of 106 national parks in India. This number can rise to 176 if the undergoing wildlife conservation endeavors of the central government achieve the complete shape. In the following part of the article, we shall go through a brief list of national parks in India.

• Assam situated in the north-eastern part of the country has the third-highest number of national parks. There are seven national parks altogether in Assam out of which we are all well aware of the Kaziranga National Park. The latest addition has been the Dihing-Patkai which is identified as a predominant elephant habitat in 2021. The other national parks are the Raimona, Manas, and Rajiv Gandhi National Park
• The central region of Madhya Pradesh holds a record number of 10 national parks, the most situated in any Indian state. This factor makes it a hotspot for global wildlife lovers. The most notable national parks in Madhya Pradesh include the Bandhavgarh, Panna, Kanha, Satpura, Madhav, and Van Vihar National Parks. All these protected areas are inhabited by endangered species of the cat family like the tigers and leopards
• Nine national parks are distributed over 6407 sq. Km. across 325 islands of the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago. These protected areas conserve marine and territorial wildlife. The latest addition was Rani Jhansi National Park in 1996. Other renowned national parks are Mahatma Gandhi or Wandoor marine National Park, Middle and north Button NPs, and the Saddle Peak National Park
• Uttarakhand houses the famous Nanda Devi as well as Jim Corbett National Parks. Nanda Devi is visited by nature enthusiasts to cherish the vast collection of flora. It also provides shelter to the endangered Himalayan snow leopard. Jim Corbett National Park founded in 1936 happens to be the first Indian national park
• Rajasthan in the western frontier is the only state that has a desert ecosystem. Keoladeo National Park has been included in the list of world heritage locations published by UNESCO. The Ranthambore and Desert national parks also catch the attraction of tourists across the globe
• Jammu and Kashmir deserve a notable mention in this list as the Hemis national park is located in this state. This is the largest national park in India where the mysterious species of Asiatic ibex, snow leopards, brown bears, and Tibetan wolves, live
• Tamil Nadu and Kerala have also exerted sufficient stress to protect their wildlife. A famous national park in Kerala is Eravikulam which is spread along the western ghats. Other famous national parks in Kerala include the Periyar (famous for elephants), Silent Valley (famous for a Macaque species), and the Shola national park. Tamil Nadu is famous for the Gulf of Mannar national park which conserves marine wildlife

Conclusion

The national parks in India strictly serve wildlife conservation purposes. By developing such protected zones the national government has been able to protect many vulnerable species that would otherwise have gone extinct by now due to illegal hunting activities. Several laws were passed to punish the offenders who would intervene in these protected ecozones.