Rayat Shikshan Sanstha’s

R.R. Shinde Science Junior College,

Hadapsar, Pune – 28

Enviroment
Project
Name : Gavhane Prasad Bhimrao
Std : 12 th Div : C ( Computer Science )
Roll No : 40
 INDEX

1. Preface

2. Gir National Park

3. Mudumalai National Park

4. Jim Corbett National Park

 PREFACE

This is a project about national parks of India.

India's first national park (an IUCN category II protected
area) was established in 1935 as Hailey National Park, now
known as Jim Corbett National Park. By 1970, India only
had five national parks. In 1972, India enacted the Wildlife
Protection Act and Project Tiger to safeguard the habitats
of conservation reliant species. Further federal legislation
strengthening protections for wildlife was introduced in
the 1980s. As of April 2007, there are 96 national parks.
All national park lands encompass a combined 38,029.18
km², 1.16% of India's total surface area.

A total of 166 national parks have been

authorized. Plans are underway to establish the remaining
scheduled parks. All of India's national parks are listed
below alongside their home state or territory and the date
that they were established. For an overview of Indian
protected areas in general, please see protected areas of
India.
 GIR NATIONAL PARK

The Gir Forest National Park and Wildlife

Sanctuary is a forest and wildlife sanctuary in Gujarat,
India. Established in 1965, with a total area of 1412 km²
(about 258 km² for the fully protected area (the National
Park) and 1153 km² for the Sanctuary), the park is
located 65 km to the south-east of Junagadh and 60 km
to south west of Amreli.
It is the sole home of the pure Asiatic Lions
(Panthera leo persica) and is considered to be one of the
most important protected areas in Asia due to its
supported species. The ecosystem of Gir, with its diverse
flora and fauna, is protected as a result of the efforts of
the Government forest department, wildlife activists and
NGOs. The forest area of Gir and its lions were declared
as "protected" in the early 1900s by the then Nawab of
the princely state of Junagadh. This initiative assisted in
the conservation of the lions whose population had
plummeted to only 15 through slaughter for trophy
hunting.
The April 2010 census recorded the lion-count
in Gir at 411, an increase of 52 compared to 2005. The
lion breeding programme covering the park and
surrounding area has bred about 180 lions in captivity
since its inception.
Wildlife
The count of 2,375 distinct fauna species of Gir includes about
38 species of mammals, around 300 species of birds, 37 species
of reptiles and more than 2,000 species of insects.
The carnivores group mainly comprises Asiatic lions, Indian
Leopards, Sloth bears, Jungle cats, Striped Hyenas, Golden
Jackals, Indian Mongoose, Indian Palm Civets, and Ratels.
Desert cats and Rusty-spotted cats exist but are rarely seen.
The main herbivores of Gir are Chital, Nilgai (or Bluebull),
Sambar, Four-horned Antelope, Chinkara and Wild boar.
Blackbucks from the surrounding area are sometimes seen in
the sanctuary.

A panorama of the reservoir

Among the smaller mammals, Porcupine and Hare are common
but the Pangolin is rare. The reptiles are represented by the
mugger Marsh crocodile (highest population among all
protected areas in India), the Indian Star Tortoise and the
Monitor Lizard in the water areas of the sanctuary. Snakes are
found in the bushes and forest. Pythons are sighted at times
along the stream banks. Gir has been used by the Gujarat State
Forest Department which adopted the Indian Crocodile
Conservation Project in 1977 and released close to 1000 Marsh
crocodile reared in Gir rearing centre into the Kamaleshwar
lake and other reservoirs and small water bodies in and around
Gir.
The plentiful avifauna population has more than 300 species of
birds, most of which are resident. The scavenger group of birds
has 6 recorded species of Vultures. Some of the typical species
of Gir include Crested Serpent Eagle, endangered Bonelli's
Eagle, Crested Hawk-eagle, Brown Fish Owl, Great Horned Owl,
Bush Quail (or Quailbush), Pygmy Woodpecker, Black-headed
Oriole, Crested Treeswift and Indian Pitta. The Indian Grey
Hornbill was not found in the last census of 2001.
 Jim Corbett National Park
Jim Corbett National Park—named after the hunter
and conservationist Jim Corbett who played a key role in its
establishment—is the oldest national park in India. The park
was established in 1936 as Hailey National Park. Situated in
Nainital district of Uttarakhand the park acts as a protected
area for the critically endangered Bengal tiger of India, the
secure survival of which is the main objective of Project Tiger,
an Indian wildlife protection initiative.
The park has sub-Himalayan belt geographical and
ecological characteristics. An ecotourism destination,it contains
488 different species of plants and a diverse variety of
fauna.The increase in tourist activities, among other problems,
continues to present a serious challenge to the park's
ecological balance.
Corbett has been a haunt for tourists and wildlife
lovers for a long time. Tourism activity is only allowed in
selected areas of Corbett Tiger Reserve so that people get an
opportunity to see its splendid landscape and the diverse
wildlife. In recent years the number of people coming here has
increased dramatically. Presently, every season more than
70,000 visitors come to the park from India and other
countries.
The Jim Corbett National Park is a haven for the
adventure seekers and wildlife adventure lovers alike. Corbett
National Park is India's first national park which comprises
520.8 km2. area of hills, riverine belts, marshy depressions,
grass lands and large lake. The elevation ranges from 1,300 feet
to 4,000 feet. Winter nights in Corbett national park are cold
but the days are bright and sunny. It rains from July to
September.
 Fauna

Over 585 species of resident and migratory birds have

been categorized, including the crested serpent eagle,
blossom-headed parakeet and the red junglefowl — ancestor
of all domestic fowl. 33 species of reptiles, seven species of
amphibians, seven species of fish and 37 species of dragonflies
have also been recorded.
Bengal tigers, although plentiful, are not easily spotted due to
the abundance of camouflage in the reserve.Thick jungle, the
Ramganga river, and plentiful prey make this reserve an ideal
habitat for tigers who are opportunistic feeders and prey upon
a range of animals. The tigers in the park have been known to
kill much larger animals such as buffalo and even elephant for
food.The tigers prey upon the larger animals in rare cases of
food shortage.[6] There have been incidents of tigers attacking
domestic animals in times when there is a shortage of prey.
 Ecotourism

Early-morning encounter with a Sambar deer in Jim

Corbett National Park, on a guided elephant tour from the
Dhikala tourist lodge.
Though the main focus is protection of wildlife, the
reserve management has also encouraged ecotourism. In 1993,
a training course covering natural history, visitor management
and park interpretation was introduced to train nature guides.
A second course followed in 1995 which recruited more guides
for the same purpose. This allowed the staff of the reserve,
previously preoccupied with guiding the visitors, to carry out
management activities uninterrupted. Additionally, the Indian
government has organized workshops on ecotourism in Corbett
National Park and Garhwal region to ensure that the local
citizens profit from tourism while the park remains protected.
 Mudumalai National Park

The Mudumalai National Park and Wildlife

Sanctuary , now also declared a Tiger Reserve, lies on the
northwestern side of the Nilgiri Hills (Blue Mountains), in
Nilgiri District, about 160 km (99 mi) north-west of
Coimbatore in the westernmost part of Tamil Nadu, on
the interstate boundaries with Karnataka and Kerala
states in South India. Mudumalai, which means 'first hills’,
is one of the first wildlife sanctuaries established in India.
The sanctuary is divided into 5 ranges - Masinagudi,
Thepakadu, Mudumalai, Kargudi and Nellakota.
Here one can often spot herds of endangered Indian
elephants, vulnerable Gaur, and Chital. The sanctuary is a
haven for Bengal Tigers and Indian Leopards and other
threatened species. There are at least 266 species of
birds in the sanctuary, including critically endangered
species like the Indian White-rumped Vulture and the
long-billed vulture.
The Western Ghats, Nilgiri Sub-Cluster (6,000 km2 (2,300
sq mi)), including all of Mudumalai National Park, is
under consideration by the UNESCO World Heritage
Committee for selection as a World Heritage Site.
 Fauna
There is a high diversity of animal life in the sanctuary with
about 50 species of fishes, 21 species of amphibians, 34 species
of reptiles, 227 species of birds and 55 species of mammal.
Mammal diversity is higher in the dry deciduous and dry thorn
forests than in the other habitats. Thirteen percent of all
mammal species in India are present in Mudumalai wildlife
sanctuary.

Of 15 cat species in India, 4 live in Mudumalai: Bengal tiger,

Indian leopard, Jungle cat and Leopard cat.
Mudumalai Tiger Reserve has the highest density of tigers in
the country. For every 8.67 km2, there is now at least one tiger
in Mudumalai.There are 44 to 80 Tigers (E) in the Mudumalai
forest. The single largest tiger population in India (Mudumalai -
Nagarhole - Wynad) includes the Mudumalai tigers. These
tigers are a breeding source for populating the Northern and
Eastern parts of the Western Ghats. This population exists at
high density due to the high density of prey species thriving in
its deciduous forests.
 Sundarbans National Park

The Sundarbans is a National Park, Tiger Reserve,

UNESCO World Heritage Site and a Biosphere Reserve located
in the Sundarbans delta in the Indian state of West Bengal. This
region is densely covered by mangrove forests, and is one of
the largest reserves for the Bengal tiger. It is also home to a
variety of bird, reptile and invertebrate species, including the
salt-water crocodile.
In 1911, it was described as a tract of waste country
which had never been surveyed, nor had the census been
extended to it. It then stretched for about 165 miles (266 km)
from the mouth of the Hugli to the mouth of the Meghna, and
was bordered inland by the three settled districts of the
Twenty-four Parganas, Khulna and Backergunje. The total area
(including water) was estimated at 6,526 square miles (16,902
km2).
The present Sundarbans National Park was declared as the core
area of Sundarbans Tiger Reserve in 1973 and a wildlife
sanctuary in 1977. On May 4, 1984 it was declared a National
Park. It was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list in
1987.[1] Whole Sundarbans area was declared as Biosphere
Reserve in 1989.
 Fauna
The Sundarbans forest is home to more than 400
tigers. The Royal Bengal Tigers have developed a unique
characteristic of swimming in the saline waters, and are world
famous for their man-eating tendencies.
Apart from the Royal Bengal Tiger; Fishing Cats, Macaques,
Wild Boar, Common Grey Mongoose, Fox, Jungle Cat, Flying
Fox, Pangolin, Chital, are also found in abundance in the
Sundarbans.
Roll No : 40 Exam Seat No.

“Education through self help is our motto” - KARMAVEER

RAYAT SHIKSHAN SANSTHA’S

R.R. Shinde Science & Vocational Junior College
Hadapsar, Pune - 28

Certificate
Date : / /20

This is to certify that Mr. Gavhane Prasad Bhimrao

has satisfactorily carried out the required practical work,
prescribed by the H.S.C. Board, Pune for the F.Y.J.C. / S.Y.J.C.
course in Environment Study in the year 2011 - 2012 .

Teacher in Charge Examiners Principle