Protected Areas of India
Protected areas are those in which human occupation or at least the exploitation of resources is limited. The definition that has been widely accepted across regional and global frameworks has been provided by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in its categorization guidelines for protected areas. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the enabling laws of each country or the regulations of the international organizations involved. The term "protected area" also includes Marine Protected Areas, the boundaries of which will include some area of ocean, and Transboundary Protected Areas that overlap multiple countries which remove the borders inside the area for conservation and economic purposes.
Protected Areas of India from 2000 to 2019 (December, 2019)
Year
|
No. of National Parks
|
Area Under National Parks (km2)
|
No. of Wild Life Sanctuaries
|
Area Under Wild Life Sanctuaries (km2)
|
No. of Community Reserves
|
Area Under Community Reserves (km2)
|
No. of Conservation Reserves
|
Area Under Conservation Reserves (km2)
|
No. of Protected Areas
|
Total Area under Protected Areas (km2)
|
2000
|
89
|
37803.10
|
485
|
108862.50
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
574
|
146665.60
|
2006
|
96
|
38392.12
|
503
|
111229.48
|
1
|
0.31
|
4
|
42.87
|
604
|
149664.78
|
2007
|
98
|
38428.88
|
507
|
111529.04
|
5
|
21
|
7
|
94.82
|
617
|
150073.74
|
2008
|
99
|
39441.74
|
510
|
113123.35
|
5
|
21
|
45
|
1259.84
|
659
|
153845.93
|
2009
|
99
|
39441.74
|
512
|
113395.36
|
5
|
21
|
45
|
1259.84
|
661
|
154117.94
|
2010
|
102
|
40283.62
|
516
|
113842.87
|
5
|
21
|
47
|
1382.28
|
670
|
155529.77
|
2011
|
102
|
40283.62
|
518
|
113998.75
|
5
|
21
|
52
|
1801.29
|
677
|
156104.66
|
2012
|
103
|
40500.13
|
526
|
114933.44
|
5
|
21
|
59
|
2012.93
|
693
|
157467.50
|
2013
|
102
|
40500.13
|
532
|
117123.63
|
19
|
30.94
|
64
|
2232.61
|
717
|
159887.31
|
2014
|
103
|
40500.13
|
535
|
118290.66
|
43
|
58.22
|
64
|
2232.61
|
745
|
161081.62
|
2015
|
103
|
40500.13
|
541
|
118866.44
|
44
|
59.51
|
71
|
2548.82
|
759
|
161974.90
|
2016
|
103
|
40500.13
|
543
|
118917.71
|
45
|
59.66
|
72
|
2566.20
|
763
|
162043.70
|
2017
|
103
|
40500.13
|
544
|
118931.80
|
46
|
72.61
|
76
|
2587.95
|
769
|
162092.49
|
2018
|
104
|
40501.13
|
544
|
118931.80
|
46
|
72.61
|
77
|
2594.03
|
771
|
162099.47
|
2019
|
101*
|
40,564.03
|
553
|
119,756.97
|
163
|
833.34
|
86
|
3,858.25
|
903
|
1,65,012.59
|
* Three Button Islands National Parks (North Button Island, Middle Button Island & South Button Island) of Andaman & Nicobar Islands have been merged with Rani Jhansi Marine National Park.
Source: National Wildlife Database, Wildlife Institute of India
Note: These data are based on availability of data from Forest Department and Gazette Notification notified by the Ministries.
- Community Reserves and Conservation Reserves have been established in India from 2006 onwards. Hence these values are zero.
Protected Areas of India (As on December, 2019)
|
No.
|
Total Area (km2)
|
Coverage % of Country
|
National Parks (NPs)
|
101*
|
40,564.03
|
1.23
|
Wildlife Sanctuaries (WLSs)
|
553
|
119,756.97
|
3.64
|
Conservation Reserves (CRs)
|
86
|
3,858.25
|
0.12
|
Community Reserves
|
163
|
833.34
|
0.03
|
Protected Areas (PAs)
|
903
|
1,65,012.59
|
5.02
|
* Three Button Islands National Parks (North Button Island, Middle Button Island & South Button Island) of Andaman & Nicobar Islands have been merged with Rani Jhansi Marine National Park.
Geographical Area of India (http://knowindia.gov.in/)
|
=
|
32,87,263 km2
|
Forest cover of India (FSI, 2017)
|
=
|
7,08,273 km2
|
Percentage Area under Forest cover
|
=
|
21.54 % of Geographical Area of India
|
Download India State of Forest Report 2017 (Source: Forest Survery of India)
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Protected Areas Point Location in Bhuvan Portal (more...)

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IUCN - World Database on Protected Areas
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The World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) is the largest assembly of data on the world's terrestrial and marine protected areas, containing more than 161,000 protected areas as of October 2010, with records covering 236 countries and territories throughout the world. The WDPA is a joint venture between the United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA).
Data for the WDPA is collected from international convention secretariats, governments and collaborating NGOs, but the role of custodian is allocated to the Protected Areas Programme of UNEP-WCMC, based in Cambridge, UK, who have hosted the database since its creation in 1981. The WDPA delivers invaluable information to decision-makers around the world, particularly in terms of measuring the extent and effectiveness of protected areas as an indicator for meeting global biodiversity targets. In October 2010, UNEP-WCMC launched the social media-based website Protected Planet, which allows users to interact with and improve the data that is currently recorded on the World Database on Protected Areas.
(Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Database_on_Protected_Areas)
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