One can find desert, snow-clad and forest-covered mountains, valleys, dense jungles, pristine sea beaches and beautiful and significant rivers in this country. For its exceptional diversity, India boasts several natural UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
The Kaziranga National Park in Assam is one of the most important national parks in India. (Photo credit: depositphotos)
New Delhi: India is a land of great natural diversity. One can find desert, snow-clad and forest-covered mountains, valleys, dense jungles, pristine sea beaches and beautiful and significant rivers. For its exceptional diversity, India boasts several natural UNESCO World Heritage Sites. In this article, we will learn about those important heritage sites.
Great Himalayan National Park Conservation Area
Located in Himachal Pradesh, the Great Himalayan National Park Conservation Area has riverine forests, high alpine peaks and alpine meadows. It covers a total area of 90,540 hectares and includes the upper mountain glacial and snow meltwater sources of several rivers, and the catchments of water supplies that are vital to millions of downstream users. It saves the forests which are affected by the monsoon and alpine meadows. It has 25 types of forest along with rich fauna and the place has outstanding significance for biodiversity conservation.
Kaziranga National Park
The Kaziranga National Park in Assam is one of the most important national parks in India. It is home to most of the Indian rhinoceroses in the world and also houses elephants, wild water buffalo, and swamp deer. BirdLife International has declared the park as an Important Bird Area. It is situated on the edge of the Eastern Himalaya biodiversity hotspot and was established as a reserve forest in 1905.
Keoladeo National Park
Keoladeo National Park is a famous wildlife sanctuary in Rajasthan’s Bharatpur. It is home to thousands of birds including the migratory ones from Eurasia. The park is a major tourist spot and an important nature travel destination which is visited by people from outside India as well. Many amateur and professional birdwatchers, wildlife photographers and ornithologists visit the place during the hibernal season.
Manas Wildlife Sanctuary
The Manas Wildlife Sanctuary in Assam is a national park, tiger reserve and elephant reserve. It is situated in the Himalayan foothills and is bordered by Bhutan’s Royal Manas National Park. It is famous for its rare and endangered endemic wildlife like the hispid hare, the Assam roofed turtle, pygmy hog and golden langur and is also famous for its wild water buffalo.
Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers National Parks
The Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers National Parks are located in Uttarakhand. It is made up of two core areas, the Nanda Devi National Park and the Valley of Flowers National Park, plus an encompassing Combined Buffer Zone and both the core areas are located at a distance of 20 km. Initially, in 1988, the site was named Nanda Devi National Park but it brought the Valley of Flowers National Park into its fold in 2005 and it was renamed to Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers National Parks.
Sundarbans National Park
The Sundarbans National Park in West Bengal is the largest mangrove forest in the world. It is located in the Ganges Delta and most of the Sundarbans, of which the park is a part, is located in Bangladesh. It is home to the famous Royal Bengal Tiger and is also home to a variety of bird, reptile and invertebrate species, including the salt-water crocodile. In 1973, the park became the core area of the Sundarban Tiger Reserve. In 1977, it became a wildlife sanctuary and became a national park in 1984. Since 2019, it is a Ramsar site and is considered a World Network of Biosphere Reserve since 1989.
Khangchendzonga National Park
Located in Sikkim, Khangchendzonga National Park is a biosphere reserve and it is the first ‘Mixed Heritage Site’ in India which means that it was included in the UNESCO World Heritage Site list both for its cultural and natural significance. It has been named after the mountain Kangchenjunga, which is the third-highest peak in the world.
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