Protected Areas: National Parks, Tiger and Biosphere Reserves
Protected Areas: National Parks, Tiger and Biosphere Reserves
India protects wildlife through national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, tiger reserves, biosphere reserves and Ramsar wetlands. NTPC asks which state a park or reserve is in, which animal it is famous for, and the "first" and "largest" of each type. Learn each park with its state and its signature animal.
1. Types of Protected Area
| Type | Key facts |
|---|---|
| National park | No human activity allowed inside; boundaries fixed by law |
| Wildlife sanctuary | Some activities such as grazing may be allowed |
| Tiger reserve | Under Project Tiger (1973), run with the National Tiger Conservation Authority |
| Biosphere reserve | Core, buffer and transition zones; first in India was Nilgiri (1986) |
| Ramsar site | Wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention (1971) |
| First national park | Hailey National Park (1936), now Jim Corbett, Uttarakhand |
| Largest national park | Hemis, Ladakh |
| Largest tiger reserve | Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam, Andhra Pradesh |
| Largest biosphere reserve | Kachchh (Great Rann of Kutch), Gujarat |
2. National Parks and Their Signature Animals
| National park | State | Known for |
|---|---|---|
| Kaziranga | Assam | One-horned rhinoceros |
| Gir | Gujarat | Asiatic lion |
| Keibul Lamjao | Manipur | Floating park on Loktak Lake; Sangai deer |
| Kanha | Madhya Pradesh | Barasingha (swamp deer) |
| Dachigam | Jammu and Kashmir | Hangul (Kashmir stag) |
| Hemis | Ladakh | Snow leopard |
| Sundarbans | West Bengal | Royal Bengal tiger and mangroves |
| Periyar | Kerala | Elephants and tigers |
| Silent Valley | Kerala | Lion-tailed macaque |
| Ranthambore | Rajasthan | Tigers |
| Great Himalayan | Himachal Pradesh | UNESCO World Heritage Site |
| Valley of Flowers | Uttarakhand | Alpine flowers |
3. Biosphere and Tiger Reserves to Remember
| Reserve | State |
|---|---|
| Cold Desert Biosphere Reserve | Himachal Pradesh |
| Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve | Uttarakhand |
| Similipal | Odisha |
| Nokrek | Meghalaya |
| Pachmarhi | Madhya Pradesh |
| Agasthyamala | Kerala and Tamil Nadu |
| Srivilliputhur-Megamalai Tiger Reserve | Tamil Nadu (51st tiger reserve, 2021) |
| Ramsar sites Chilika and Keoladeo | India's first Ramsar sites (1981) |
✗ Gir is famous for the Bengal tiger | ✓ Gir in Gujarat is the only home of the Asiatic lion
✗ Keibul Lamjao is in Assam | ✓ It is in Manipur, floating on Loktak Lake
हिंदी नोट: काज़ीरंगा (असम) एक सींग वाले गैंडे और गिर (गुजरात) एशियाई शेर के लिए प्रसिद्ध है। केइबुल लामजाओ (मणिपुर) तैरता हुआ राष्ट्रीय उद्यान है। शीत मरुस्थल बायोस्फीयर रिज़र्व हिमाचल प्रदेश में है। प्रोजेक्ट टाइगर 1973 में शुरू हुआ।
Exam Pointer: Verified NTPC patterns: a newly notified tiger reserve (March 2021 CBT-1) and the state of the Cold Desert Biosphere Reserve (March 2026 Graduate CBT-1). Park-animal and Ramsar questions are tagged syllabus-based.
Pariksha Pattern: Every Way NTPC Asks This Topic
Pattern 1: Tiger reserves
[PYQ: NTPC CBT-1 14-Mar-2021 Shift-2]
EXAM LEVEL
Q. In which year was Project Tiger launched?
1973.
Answer: 1973
EXAMATLAS LEVEL
Q. Which reserve became India's 51st tiger reserve in 2021, and in which state is it? Which is the largest tiger reserve?
Srivilliputhur-Megamalai in Tamil Nadu became the 51st. The largest tiger reserve is Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam in Andhra Pradesh.
Answer: Srivilliputhur-Megamalai, Tamil Nadu; Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam
Pattern 2: Biosphere reserves
[PYQ: NTPC Graduate CBT-1 19-Mar-2026 Shift-3]
EXAM LEVEL
Q. Which was the first biosphere reserve of India?
The Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, set up in 1986.
Answer: Nilgiri
EXAMATLAS LEVEL
Q. Match the biosphere reserve with its state: Cold Desert, Similipal, Nokrek.
Cold Desert is in Himachal Pradesh, Similipal in Odisha and Nokrek in Meghalaya.
Answer: Himachal Pradesh, Odisha, Meghalaya
Pattern 3: National parks and their animals
[Pattern: syllabus-based, PYQ-style]
EXAM LEVEL
Q. Which national park is famous for the one-horned rhinoceros?
Kaziranga National Park, Assam.
Answer: Kaziranga
EXAMATLAS LEVEL
Q. Which pair is wrongly matched: Dachigam and hangul, Kanha and barasingha, Silent Valley and Asiatic lion, Hemis and snow leopard?
Silent Valley is known for the lion-tailed macaque; the Asiatic lion lives in Gir. The other pairs are correct.
Answer: Silent Valley and Asiatic lion
Pattern 4: Firsts, largest and wetlands
[Pattern: syllabus-based, PYQ-style]
EXAM LEVEL
Q. Which was India's first national park, and what was it first called?
Jim Corbett National Park, Uttarakhand, set up in 1936 as Hailey National Park.
Answer: Jim Corbett (Hailey National Park)
EXAMATLAS LEVEL
Q. Which is the largest national park in India, and which were India's first two Ramsar sites?
Hemis National Park in Ladakh is the largest. Chilika Lake (Odisha) and Keoladeo (Rajasthan) became the first Ramsar sites in 1981.
Answer: Hemis; Chilika and Keoladeo
60-Second Revision
- Kaziranga rhino; Gir lion; Keibul Lamjao Sangai; Kanha barasingha; Dachigam hangul.
- First NP: Hailey 1936 (Jim Corbett); largest NP: Hemis.
- Project Tiger 1973; 51st tiger reserve Srivilliputhur-Megamalai (2021).
- Cold Desert BR: Himachal Pradesh; first BR Nilgiri 1986.