Pragnya IAS · Chapter 7 of 15 · Protected areas & world recognition

Wildlife sanctuaries in India map

Meet the 550-plus sanctuary network — wider than the national parks — and the single-species strongholds UPSC asks about.

INDIA · REFERENCE LOCATIONSMap keys

State geometry: geoBoundaries India (CC BY 2.5 IN), simplified for this plate. Numbered points are approximate study references, not legal protected-area boundaries or measured thematic fields.

STUDY NOTE 1

The wider net

India has more than 550 wildlife sanctuaries against about a hundred national parks. Sanctuaries are notified by state governments; some human activities may continue inside them, while national parks demand stricter protection.

STUDY NOTE 2

Single-species strongholds

Gir (Gujarat) is the last home of the Asiatic lion. Keoladeo Ghana’s wintering birds, Chilika’s lagoon life, Askot’s musk deer and the Wayanad–Brahmagiri elephant forests are the classic sanctuary anchors.

STUDY NOTE 3

Sanctuary versus park

Both are protected under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. Boundaries of a sanctuary can be altered more easily; grazing and settlement rights may persist. A national park is stricter, and no grazing is permitted.

STUDY NOTE 4

Pairs to remember

Kishanpur (UP) and Askot (Uttarakhand) appeared together in the 2020 musk-deer question. Periyar began as a sanctuary before becoming a tiger reserve — the same ground can carry successive labels.

Map reading activity

List three differences between a sanctuary and a national park. Mark Gir, Chilika, Askot and Wayanad on an outline map.

What does this important wildlife sanctuaries lesson explain?

UPSC map practice & Geography Optional connection

For UPSC Prelims environment questions and GS III, pair each protected area or convention site with its state, ecosystem and flagship species. Use a labelled sketch to show distribution; lists and counts change, so note the update date rather than memorising a frozen tally. These are Pragnya-authored exercises, not official UPSC previous-year questions.

References & original artwork

This lesson covers chapter 7 of the supplied reference curriculum. Pragnya IAS notes, activities and questions are independently authored; source PDF pages, branding, personal watermarks and unverified PYQs are not republished. India state geometry: geoBoundaries (CC BY 2.5 IN), simplified. These are educational concept views, not legal boundaries or official protected-area maps.