Natural World Heritage Sites in India
Posted originally on July 25, 2020 by Nimisha Singla for teachforgreen
Our country which spans about 300 million hectares has not only richness in its culture to offer, but also immense natural wealth which has continued to sustain generations after generations.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations which seeks to build peace, eradicate poverty, promote sustainability through international cooperation and intercultural dialogue. A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is of special cultural or physical significance. UNESCO has a list of 1092 sites, such as forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, across the world which UNESCO considers is in the interest of the international community to preserve each site — a UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site.
India is home to 7 such sites. Let us take a quick virtual tour to all of them!
1. Great Himalayan National Park, Himachal Pradesh
http://natureconservation.in/great-himalayan-national-park-complete-detail-updated/
Declared a site in 2014, it supports over 800 species of flora and over 375 fauna species including mammals, reptiles, amphibians, birds, and insects which are protected under the strict guidelines of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. This biodiversity hotspot includes 25 forest types as well as the upper mountain glacial and snow meltwater sources of several rivers.
2. Western Ghats, Maharashtra-Goa-Karnataka-Tamil Nadu-Kerela
https://www.travelwithneelima.com/2016/10/sahyadris-2016-monsoon-chase.html?m=1
The western ghats are even older than the Himalaya mountain range and were declared a World Heritage site in 2012. Also known as the Sahyadri mountain range, it has over 5,000 species of flowering plants, 139 mammals, 500 birds. At least 325 globally threatened species occur in the Western Ghats. They have a unique influence on the ecological and weather patterns of the entire Indian peninsula.
3. Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers National Parks, Uttarakhand
Nested in the high mountain wilderness of Nanda Devi, both parks are breathtakingly beautiful. The Valley of Flowers National Park, with a diverse combination of flora and rare and endangered fauna, including Asiatic Black Bear, Snow Leopard, Musk Deer is part of the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve which includes the rugged mountains of the Great Himalayas. The Reserve is a World Heritage site since 2004.
4. Sundarbans National Parks, West Bengal
https://images.app.goo.gl/xsUrWZBKpgCaaLM97
The Sundarbans contain the world’s largest mangrove forests and one of the most biologically productive of all natural ecosystems. It supports the single largest population of tigers in the world which have adapted to an almost amphibious life. Declared a World Heritage site since 1987, the islands are also of great economic importance as a storm barrier, shore stabilizer, nutrient and sediment trap, a source of timber and natural resources, along with supporting a wide variety of organisms. They derive their name from the ‘Sundari Trees’ once found in the region.
5. Kaziranga National Park, Assam
It is inhabited by the world’s largest population of one-horned rhinoceroses, as well as many mammals, including tigers, elephants, panthers and bears, and thousands of birds. One of the few regions left untouched by humans, this park was declared a World Heritage Site in 1985.
6. Keoladeo National Park, Rajasthan
whc.unesco.org/en/documents/136852
Formerly known as Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary, some 360+ species of birds from Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, China, and Siberia can be found here. Because of its strategic location, thousands of birds migrate here during the winters and the park was the only known wintering site for the critically endangered Siberian Crane. The property has effective legal protection under the provisions of Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and Indian Forest Act, 1927.
7. Manas Wildlife Sanctuary, Assam
https://images.app.goo.gl/UEPnkZ1bSdoSC8t87
Located in the foothills of the Himalayas in the northeastern state of Assam, it was declared a world heritage site in 1985. The Manas sanctuary is home to a great variety of wildlife, including many endangered species, such as the Assam Roofed Turtle, Hispid Hare, Golden Langoor, pygmy hog, Indian rhinoceros and Indian elephant.
Well, there is only so much that pictures and briefs can give us a taste of! Hopefully, we all will get a chance to witness all this beauty abound in nature.
References:
http://wiienvis.nic.in/Database/whs_pas_8227.aspx
https://www.trodly.com/blog/article/seven-unesco-natural-world-heritage-sites-in-india
