Kaziranga Sanctuary Reopens With Tribute To British-Era Officer

Relevance: Prelims; GS3 - Biodiversity & Conservation

(Source: The Hindu, 10/16/2023)

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Why in the news?

• Recently, Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage Site known as the safest haven for one-horned rhinoceros, reopened with a literary tribute to a British-era forest officer Patrick D. Stracey who rid its name from any hunting connotations.
• It was closed from May to October due to warnings of Brahmaputra river floods.

Surge in Tourist Visits to Kaziranga National Park

• In the 2022-23 season, Kaziranga National Park welcomed a remarkable 3,14,796 tourists, a substantial increase compared to the 1,76,181 visitors recorded in 2018-19.
• The majority of these tourists flocked to the Kohora area, totaling 1,53,233 visitors, while Bagori also saw a significant influx, with 1,38,511 visitors.
• The park encompasses not only its well-known ranges but also includes the less-visited Agoratoli and Burapahar areas on the southern bank of the Brahmaputra.

About Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve

• Kaziranga National Park is a renowned conservation area in India, located in the northeastern region within the districts of Golaghat and Nagaon in the state of Assam.
• It has a significant rich history, with its establishment dating back to 1904, and was officially designated as a National Park in 1974 and later gained recognition as a tiger reserve in 2007.
• Kaziranga was recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1985.
• Kaziranga National Park is also acknowledged as an Important Bird Area by Birdlife International, a testament to its diverse avian population, which includes both migratory and resident bird species.
• Rivers and Highways: National Highway 37 passes through the park area. The park also has more than 250 seasonal water bodies, besides the Diphlu River running through it.
• Fauna: Situated along the banks of the mighty Brahmaputra River, this park is particularly renowned for its "big four" species, namely the Indian Rhinoceros, Asian Elephant, Royal Bengal Tiger, and Asiatic Water Buffalo.
  • It is also one of the last remaining homes of the endangered and endemic western hoolock gibbon, the only species of apes found in India.
  • It is one of the last homes of the critically endangered Bengal florican.
• Flora: It is a mix of eastern wet alluvial grasslands, semi-evergreen forests and tropical moist deciduous forests. It is primarily famous for its dense and tall elephant grasses intermixed with small swamplands. It also includes an abundant cover of water lilies, water hyacinths and lotus.

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FAQs

MCQ

Question: Match List I (National Park/Sanctuary) with List II (State) and select the correct answer using the codes given below: (UPSC 2004)

Codes:

(a) A-3; B-2; C-1; D-4

(b) A-1; B-4; C-3; D-2

(c) A-3; B-4; C-1; D-2

(d) A-1; B-2; C-3; D-4