India has a comprehensive system of protected areas covering ~5% of its geographical area. The network includes 18 Biosphere Reserves, 106+ National Parks, 570+ Wildlife Sanctuaries, and 55 Tiger Reserves.
Biosphere Reserves
Biosphere Reserves are UNESCO-designated areas for conservation, research, and sustainable development.
| Reserve |
State(s) |
Year |
Area (km²) |
Key Ecosystem |
| Nilgiri |
TN, Kerala, Karnataka |
1986 |
5,520 |
Western Ghats — tropical forest |
| Nanda Devi |
Uttarakhand |
1988 |
2,236 |
Himalayan — alpine |
| Sundarbans |
West Bengal |
1989 |
9,630 |
Mangrove — largest in world |
| Gulf of Mannar |
Tamil Nadu |
1989 |
10,500 |
Coral reef, seagrass |
| Khangchendzonga |
Sikkim |
2000 |
2,620 |
Himalayan — glacial, alpine |
| Similipal |
Odisha |
2009 |
5,569 |
Tropical moist deciduous |
| Dibru-Saikhowa |
Assam |
1997 |
765 |
Wetlands, flooded grasslands |
| Achanakmar-Amarkantak |
MP, Chhattisgarh |
2005 |
3,835 |
Tropical forests, rivers |
| Great Nicobar |
Andaman & Nicobar |
2013 |
885 |
Tropical rainforest, coral reefs |
| Agasthyamalai |
Kerala, Tamil Nadu |
2016 |
3,500 |
Western Ghats — endemic species |
| Kutch |
Gujarat |
2008 |
12,454 |
Desert, salt marsh, wetlands |
| Panna |
Madhya Pradesh |
2011 |
2,998 |
Dry deciduous forest |
| Nokrek |
Meghalaya |
2009 |
820 |
Subtropical wet hill forest |
National Parks
| Park |
State |
Area (km²) |
Key Species |
| Jim Corbett |
Uttarakhand |
1,319 |
Bengal tiger, elephant, leopard |
| Kaziranga |
Assam |
484 |
One-horned rhinoceros (largest population), tiger, elephant |
| Kanha |
Madhya Pradesh |
940 |
Tiger, barasingha (swamp deer), wild dog |
| Bandhavgarh |
Madhya Pradesh |
448 |
Highest tiger density in India |
| Sunderbans |
West Bengal |
1,330 |
Bengal tiger (mangrove adaptation), saltwater crocodile |
| Ranthambore |
Rajasthan |
392 |
Tiger, leopard, sloth bear |
| Gir |
Gujarat |
1,412 |
Asiatic lion (only wild population) |
| Periyar |
Kerala |
925 |
Elephant, tiger, lion-tailed macaque |
| Sariska |
Rajasthan |
866 |
Tiger, leopard |
| Manas |
Assam |
500 |
Elephant, pygmy hog, tiger |
| Valmiki |
Bihar |
335 |
Tiger |
| Anshi (Kali) |
Karnataka |
340 |
Tiger, black panther |
| Nagarhole |
Karnataka |
643 |
Tiger, elephant |
| Kudremukh |
Karnataka |
600 |
Lion-tailed macaque, tiger |
| Satpura |
Madhya Pradesh |
524 |
Leopard, sloth bear, wild dog |
| Dachigam |
Jammu & Kashmir |
141 |
Hangul (Kashmir stag — endangered), brown bear |
| Hemis |
Ladakh |
4,400 (largest in India) |
Snow leopard, Tibetan wolf, ibex |
| Great Himalayan |
Himachal Pradesh |
1,171 |
Snow leopard, Himalayan tahr |
| Namdapha |
Arunachal Pradesh |
1,985 |
Largest NP in NE India; 4 big cat species |
Tiger Reserves
India has 55 Tiger Reserves covering ~75,000 sq km — about 2.5% of the country’s area. As per Project Tiger (launched 1973):
| Metric |
1973 |
2006 |
2014 |
2022 |
2024 |
| Tiger population |
1,827 |
1,411 |
2,226 |
3,167 |
~3,600 (est.) |
Top Tiger Reserves:
- Nagarhole (Karnataka) — highest density
- Corbett (Uttarakhand) — highest absolute number
- Bandipur (Karnataka) — contiguous with Nagarhole
- Kanha (MP) — best-managed
- Kaziranga (Assam) — also rhino habitat
- Sundarbans (WB) — unique mangrove tiger habitat
- Periyar (Kerala) — scenic; high elephant density
Wildlife Sanctuaries (Selected)
| Sanctuary |
State |
Key Species |
| Bhitarkanika |
Odisha |
Saltwater crocodile (largest population), Olive Ridley turtles |
| Sultanpur |
Haryana |
Migratory birds (Siberian cranes, flamingos) |
| Kolleru |
Andhra Pradesh |
Bird sanctuary (pelicans, storks) |
| Chilika (Nalbana) |
Odisha |
Migratory birds, Irrawaddy dolphins |
| Mukurhi |
Maharashtra |
Bird sanctuary; near Lonavala |
| Nalsarovar |
Gujarat |
Bird sanctuary |
| Vedanthangal |
Tamil Nadu |
Waterbird sanctuary (oldest in India — 18th century) |
Elephant Reserves
India has 33 Elephant Reserves covering ~80,000 sq km.
| Reserve |
State |
Elephant Population |
| Nilgiri |
TN, Kerala, Karnataka |
~6,000 (largest population in Asia) |
| Anamalai |
Tamil Nadu |
~800 |
| Biligiri |
Karnataka |
~300 |
| Singhbhum |
Jharkhand |
~800 |
| Kaziranga-Karbi Anglong |
Assam |
~3,000 |
| Chhattisgarh |
CG |
~250 |
Conservation Challenges
| Threat |
Impact |
| Habitat fragmentation |
Roads, railways, mining within/cutting through forests |
| Human-wildlife conflict |
500+ human deaths/year; 10,000+ crop damage incidents |
| Poaching |
Tiger, rhino, elephants v – poached for international wildlife trade |
| Invasive species |
Lantana camara, Parthenium, Prosopis juliflora affecting native biodiversity |
| Climate change |
Shifting forest types; glacial retreat; sea-level rise in Sundarbans |
| Illegal mining |
Inside/around protected areas (reported in Sariska, Satpura, Kudremukh) |
Major Environmental Legislation
| Law |
Year |
Purpose |
| Wildlife (Protection) Act |
1972 |
Protects threatened species; establishes national parks/sanctuaries |
| Forest (Conservation) Act |
1980 |
Regulates diversion of forest land for non-forest uses; requires central approval |
| Environment (Protection) Act |
1986 |
Umbrella legislation; sets environmental standards |
| Biological Diversity Act |
2002 |
Implements Convention on Biological Diversity |
| National Green Tribunal Act |
2010 |
Specialized tribunal environment-related civil cases |
| Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act |
2016 |
₹60,000+ crore collected for afforestation |
