Protected Area Network in India - India Environment Portal

Protected Area Network in India
India is one of the 17 mega diverse countries of the world. With only 2.4% of the world’s
land area, 16.7% of the world’s human population and 18% livestock, it contributes about 8%
of the known global biodiversity, however, putting enormous demands on our natural
resources. India is home to world’s largest wild tigers population and has got unique
assemblage of globally important endangered species like Asiatic lion, Asian Elephant, Onehorned
Rhinoceros, Gangetic River Dolphin, Snow Leopard, Kashmir Stag, Dugong, Gharial,
Great Indian Bustard, Lion Tailed Macaque etc.
Protected Area Network in India:
A National Board for Wildlife (NBWL),chaired by the Prime Minister of India provides for
policy framework for wildlife conservation in the country. The National Wildlife Action Plan
(2002-2016) was adopted in 2002, emphasizing the people’s participation and their support
for wildlife conservation. India’s conservation planning is based on the philosophy of
identifying and protecting representative wild habitats across all the ecosystems. The Indian
Constitution entails the subject of forests and wildlife in the Concurrent list. The Federal
Ministry acts as a guiding torch dealing with the policies and planning on wildlife conservation,
while the provincial Forest Departments are vested with the responsibility of implementation
of national policies and plans.
A network of 662 Protected Areas (PAs) has been established, extending over 1,58,508
sq. kms. (4.83% of total geographic area), comprising 100 National Parks, 514 Wildlife
Sanctuaries, 44 Conservation Reserves and 4 Community Reserves. 39 Tiger Reserves and
28 Elephant Reserves have been designated for species specific management of tiger and
elephant habitats. UNESCO has designated 5 Protected Areas as World Heritage Sites. As
the ecosystems and species do not recognise political borders,the concept of Trans-boundary
Protected Areas has been initiated for coordinated conservation of ecological units and
corridors with bilateral and/or multilateral cooperation of the neighbouring nations. There are
4 categories of the Protected Areas viz, National Parks, Sanctuaries, Conservation Reserves
and Community Reserves.
Sanctuary is an area comprised within any reserve forest or the territorial waters, which is
of adequate ecological, faunal, floral, geomorphological, natural or zoological significance.
The Sanctuary is declared for the purpose of protecting, propagating or developing wildlife or
its environment. Certain rights of people living inside the Sanctuary could be permitted.
Further during the settlement of claims, before finally notifying the Sanctuary, the Collector
may, in consultation with the Chief Wildlife Warden, allow the continuation of any right of any
person in or over any land within the limits of the Sanctuary.
National Park is an area within a Sanctuary or outside having adequate ecological,
faunal, floral, geomorphological, natural or zoological significance. The National Park is also
declared for the purpose of protecting, propagating or developing wildlife or its environment,
like that of a Sanctuary. The difference between a Sanctuary and a National Park mainly lies
in the vesting of rights of people livening inside. Unlike a Sanctuary, where certain rights
can be allowed, in a National Park, no rights are allowed. No grazing of any livestock
shall also be permitted inside a National Park while in a Sanctuary, the Chief Wildlife Warden

may regulate, control or prohibit it. In addition, while any removal or exploitation of wildlife of
forest produce from a Sanctuary requires the recommendation of the State Board for Wildlife,
removal etc., from a National Park requires recommendation of the National Board for Wildlife
(However, as per orders of Hon’ble Supreme Court dated 9 th May 2002 in Writ Petition (Civil)
No. 337 of 1995, such removal/ exploitation from a Sanctuary also requires recommendation
of the Standing Committee of National Board for Wildlife).
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 declaration should be made
after having consultations with the local communities. Conservation Reserves are declared for
the purpose of protecting landscapes, seascapes, flora and fauna and their habitat. The rights
of people living inside a Conservation Reserve are not affected.
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.
Community Reserves are declared for the purpose of protecting fauna, flora and traditional or
cultural conservation values and practices. As in the case of a Conservation Reserve, the
rights of people living inside a Community Reserve are not affected.
Regulations/ laws relating to Protected Areas (PAs):
The PAs are constituted and governed under the provisions of the Indian Wild Life
(Protection) Act, 1972, which has been amended from time to time, with the changing ground
realities concerning wildlife crime control and PAs management. Implementation of this Act is
further complemented by other Acts viz. Indian Forest Act, 1927, Forest (Conservation) Act,
1980, Environmental (Protection) Act, 1986 and Biological Diversity Act, 2002 and
the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights)
Act, 2006. The Wildlife Crime Control Bureau of the Central Government supplements the
efforts of provincial governments in wildlife crime control through enforcement of CITES and
control of wildlife crimes having cross-border, inter-state and international ramifications. In
order to strengthen and synergise global wildlife conservation efforts, India is a party to major
international conventions viz. Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of
wild fauna and flora (CITES), International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN),
International Whaling Commission (IWC), UNESCO-World Heritage Committee and
Convention on Migratory Species (CMS).
Main issues concerning the management of Protected Areas: Wildlife conservation
and management in India is currently facing a myriad of complex challenges that are both
ecological and social in nature. Issues such as habitat loss/fragmentation, overuse of biomass
resources in the context of biotic pressures, increasing human-wildlife conflicts, livelihood
dependence on forests and wildlife resources, poaching and illegal trade in wildlife parts and
products, need for maintaining a broad base of public support for wildlife conservation
exemplify and characterize the contemporary wildlife conservation scenario in India. The
government and the civil society are taking several measures to address these issues.
Improved synergies and better coordination amongst the wide array of stakeholders are
needed to meet the challenges of conserving India’s diverse wilderness resources.
State-wise details of the Protected Area Network of the country

S.No.
State/UT
No. of
National
Parks
No. of Wildlife
Sanctuaries
No. of
Conservation
Reserves
No. of
Community
Reserves
1 Andhra Pradesh 5 22 0 0
2 Arunachal
Pradesh
2 11 0 0
3 Assam 5 18 0 0
4 Bihar 1 13 0 0
5 Chhatisgarh 3 11 0 0
6 Goa 1 6 0 0
7 Gujarat 4 22 0 0
8 Haryana 3 7 2 0
9 Himachal
Pradesh
10 Jammu
&Kashmir
2 32 0 0
4 15 35 0
11 Jharkhand 1 11 0 0
12 Karnataka 5 21 2 1
13 Kerala 6 15 0 1
14 Madhya
Pradesh
9 25 0 0
15 Maharashtra 6 35 1 0
16 Manipur 2 5 0 0
17 Meghalaya 2 3 0 0
18 Mizoram 2 7 0 0
19 Nagaland 1 3 0 0
20 Orissa 2 18 0 0
21 Punjab 0 12 0 2
22 Rajasthan 5 23 1 0
23 Sikkim 1 7 0 0
24 Tamil Nadu 5 21 1 0
25 Tripura 2 4 0 0
26 Uttar Pradesh 1 23 0 0
27 Uttaranchal 6 6 2 0
28 West Bengal 5 15 0 0
29
Andaman &
Nicobar
9 96 0 0

30 Chandigarh 0 2 0 0
31 Dadar & Nagar
Haweli
0 1 0 0
32 Lakshadweep 0 1 0 0
33 Daman & Diu 0 1 0 0
34 Delhi 0 2 0 0
35. Pondicherry 0 0 0 0
TOTAL 100 514 44 4
Centrally Sponsored Schemes for Wildlife Conservation
The Ministry of Environment and Forests provides some financial assistance to the
State/Union Territory Governments for protection and management of the Protected Areas
under the three main Centrally Sponsored Schemes viz.,
Centrally Sponsored Scheme-‘Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats’
Project Tiger
Project Elephant
Funds released under the above schemes during the XI Five Year Plan are as under:
Funds Released under the CSS- “Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats” during
XI Five Year Plan (Rs. In Lakhs)
Sl. No. Name of the State/UTs 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11
1. A& N Islands 82.86 73.48 85.91 87.872
2. Andhra Pradesh 168.055 92.378 102.02 64.341
3. Arunachal Pradesh 125.05 193.31 193.14 213.197
4. Assam 81.775 161.095 114.79 186.63
5. Bihar 4.00 37.558 42.29 19.889
7. Chhattisgarh 379.197 323.235 851.15 281.966
8. Chandigarh 0.00 00 00 12.29
9. Dadra & Nagar Haveli 11.78 15.62 14.88 00
10. Goa 31.59 41.94 71.03 32.879
11. Gujarat 332.084 318.52 426.10 1106.749
12. Haryana 70.03 86.02 17.22 15.114

13. Himachal Pradesh 233.319 241.983 265.92 253.80
14. Jammu & Kashmir 221.54 470.87 375.397 537.336
15. Jharkhand 98.128 99.753 80.267 63.64
16. Karnataka 630.643 625.150 566.71 412.252
17. Kerala 493.574 864.96 432.48 366.786
18. Madhya Pradesh 800.915 613.34 541.98 635.366
19. Maharashtra 331.325 390.22 273.679 343.32
20. Manipur 105.894 100.095 118.31 88.316
21. Meghalaya 64.88 58.007 59.75 58.03
22. Mizoram 169.46 289.09 186.85 707.763
23. Nagaland 19.11 28.415 34.115 33.595
24. Orissa 357.081 576.88 390.95 315.331
25. Punjab 0.00 40.29 36.26 25.12
26. Rajasthan 347.24 414.58 496.746 348.068
27. Sikkim 159.22 187.73 240.93 183.78
28. Tamil Nadu 274.64 727.91 518.67 334.449
29. Tripura 36.00 0.00 13.00 2.84
30. Uttar Pradesh 332.362 307.173 274.45 296.179
31. Uttarakhand 76.671 216.09 145.08 134.90
32. West Bengal 356.215 345.78 381.318 276.385
33. Delhi 0.00 0.00 0.00 00
34. Daman & Diu 4.721 6.12 6.05 00
TOTAL 6399.359 7947.592 7357.442 7438.183
DETAILS OF FUNDS RELEASED UNDER THE CENTRALLY SPONSORED SCHEME
“PROJECT TIGER” DURING XI Five Year Plan
(Rs in lakhs)
Sl. No. States
Release
Release
Release
Release
2007-08
2008-09
2009 -10
2010-11
1 Andhra Pradesh 73.9175 56.9830 138.2540 155.6450
2 Arunachal
Pradesh
110.2542 246.1710 64.7100 226.7020
3 Assam 95.6140 1092.3790 194.2900 1509.4720
4 Bihar 98.3205 49.6730 8.8560 158.3550
5 Chhattisgarh 35.2250 169.8700 1383.5020 1813.7250
6 Jharkhand 45.1600 115.3770 117.1386 130.6160

7 Karnataka 1159.7149 689.8390 657.0620 1660.0500
8 Kerala 153.2449 267.0900 311.4200 323.4600
9 Madhya Pradesh 2975.9411 6998.5420 2582.4762 3962.730
10 Maharashtra 295.7191 411.1250 373.5170 2789.0600
11 Mizoram 82.9000 241.4500 2171.000 187.6900
12 Orissa 43.2800 625.9900 221.7400 815.2900
13 Rajasthan 410.6800 2708.9500 10694.1700 2368.925
14 Tamil Nadu 45.0000 690.8060 258.3540 520.9450
15 Uttarakhand 202.0050 462.8500 246.2050 339.9450
16 U.P 134.8900 417.5130 431.5170 407.4600
17 West Bengal 308.6741 228.3940 298.7850 502.4800
Total 6,270.5403 15,473.002 20,152.997 17,872.391
STATE WISE FUNDS RELEASED UNDER PROJECT ELEPHANT
During XI Five Year Plan
(In Rs Lakh)
STATES 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11
Andhra Pradesh 60.00 45.00 17.85 15.00
Arunachal Pradesh 54.50 65.00 60.00 10.00
Assam 144.00 175.19 160.26 139.55
Chhatisgarh 83.77 60.43 111.22 75.00
Haryana 0 0 0 100.00
Jharkhand 132.17 80.00 80.00 80.00
Karnataka 212.65 249.00 247.16 300.76
Kerala 147.70 356.80 286.70 265.39
Maharashtra 56.86 77.76 49.18 29.00
Meghalaya 68.39 50.00 80.483 103.838
Mizoram 1.33 0 0
Nagaland 26.60 17.45 50.00 41.30
Orissa 148.50 180.60 100.00 113.50
Tamil Nadu 124.978 269.163 358.58 226.879
Tripura 12.00 28.96 14.80 0
Uttar Pradesh 55.33 58.24 38.45 80.15

Uttarakhand 126.46 209.45 221.55 206.82
West Bengal 185.725 176.096 207.06 410.406
Total 1640.963 2099.139 990.44 2197.593