Kaziranga National Park: Assam

Context

The Central Empowered Committee (CEC), constituted by the Supreme Court, has asked the Assam government to take action on illegal construction in the identified wildlife corridors of the Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve.

Key-Points

• Location: Located in the state of Assam and covers 42,996 Hectare (ha). It is the single largest undisturbed and representative area in the Brahmaputra Valley floodplain.
• Legal Status
  • It was declared a National Park in 1974.
  • It has been declared a tiger reserve since 2007.

• Global Situation

  • It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985.
  • Recognized as an important Bird Area by BirdLife International.

• Biodiversity

  • It is home to one of the world's most horned rhinos.

    • Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary has the largest single-horned rhino population in the world and the second highest rhino population in Assam behind Kaziranga National Park.

  • Most of the conservation efforts in Kaziranga are focused on the 'four major species' - the rhino, the elephant, the Royal Bengal tiger and the Asiatic water buffalo.

    • The 2018 census showed 2,413 rhinos and about 1,100 elephants.
    • According to the tiger census conducted in 2014, Kaziranga had the third largest population in India after Jim Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand and Bandipur National Park in Karnataka.

  • Kaziranga is also home to 9 of the 14 species of animals found on the Indian subcontinent.

• 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.