Great Himalayan National Park

Also called: GHNP · Topic: Biodiversity and its Conservation · NCERT: Class 7, Ch 1 "Geographical Diversity of India"

Meaning

The Great Himalayan National Park (GHNP) is a national park in Kullu district, Himachal Pradesh, in the western Himalaya. UNESCO made it a natural World Heritage Site in 2014 under the name "Great Himalayan National Park Conservation Area" [7].

It matters because it protects rare mountain animals of the western Himalaya: the snow leopard, the Himalayan tahr and the western tragopan. It is also a good example of conservation in which local villages take part.

Explanation

What kind of protected area it is

• GHNP is a national park. This is the strictest kind of protected area (PA) under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.
• A national park is kept strictly for wildlife, and its boundaries are fixed by law.

• Forestry, grazing and cultivation are not allowed inside it.

• A wildlife sanctuary has fewer limits. For example, people may collect minor forest produce (honey, leaves, gum and similar items) there if it does not harm wildlife.

• National parks are a small part of India's protected land:
• All national parks together cover 44,402.95 km², which is only 1.35% of India [3].
• All protected areas together cover about 5.32% of India [2].

Why it is a World Heritage Site

• A World Heritage Site is a place that UNESCO lists under the World Heritage Convention (1972) for its "outstanding universal value" (importance to the whole world, not just one country).
• Sites can be natural, cultural or mixed (both). GHNP is a natural site.
• It was inscribed in 2014 as the "Great Himalayan National Park Conservation Area" [7].
• It is one of India's seven natural World Heritage Sites [5][7].

Key animals of the park

Animal	What it is	Why it matters
Snow leopard	A big cat of the high, cold mountains	A top predator that shows the high Himalaya is healthy
Himalayan tahr	A wild goat	Lives on steep, rocky mountain slopes
Western tragopan	A pheasant (a large, colourful ground bird)	A western Himalayan bird that needs undisturbed forest

Role of local villages

• Local villages take part in conservation at GHNP.
• How this helps:
• Villagers live near the park and depend on the forest.
• When they share in protecting it, they have less reason to work against the park.

• As a result, wildlife is safer and people's needs are also respected.

• This fits a wider change in India. Conservation is moving away from "fortress conservation" (keeping people out) towards working with local people.

Where it occurs

• India: Kullu district, Himachal Pradesh, in the western Himalaya.
• It is the only natural World Heritage Site in Himachal Pradesh on India's list [5][7].
• Other Himalayan natural World Heritage Sites in India:
• Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers National Parks, Uttarakhand: 1988, extended 2005.

• Khangchendzonga National Park, Sikkim: 2016, a mixed site [6].

• Where it sits in time among India's natural World Heritage Sites:

• Kaziranga, Manas and Keoladeo (1985)
• → Sundarbans (1987)
• → Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers (1988)
• → Western Ghats (2012)
• → GHNP (2014)
• → Khangchendzonga (2016)

Don't confuse with

• Khangchendzonga National Park (Sikkim, 2016): this is India's only mixed World Heritage Site, because the mountain is sacred to local Buddhist and Lepcha people [6]. GHNP is a natural site only.
• Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers National Parks: these are also western Himalayan World Heritage Sites, but they are in Uttarakhand (1988, extended 2005). GHNP is in Himachal Pradesh (2014).
• Wildlife sanctuary: a sanctuary allows some activities, such as collecting minor forest produce. A national park like GHNP bans grazing, forestry and cultivation.
• Protected forest: this is a type of forest land that is kept safe from further depletion. GHNP is a protected area under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, which is a different legal category.

Prelims Hooks

• GHNP → Kullu district, Himachal Pradesh (western Himalaya).
• World Heritage Site: 2014, listed as the "Great Himalayan National Park Conservation Area" [7]. It is a natural site, not a mixed one.
• Animal matches: snow leopard (big cat), Himalayan tahr = wild goat, western tragopan = pheasant.
• Order of inscription: Western Ghats (2012) → GHNP (2014) → Khangchendzonga (2016).
• Trap: India's only mixed World Heritage Site is Khangchendzonga (Sikkim), not GHNP [6].
• Trap: grazing is banned in a national park such as GHNP, but some activities are allowed in a sanctuary.

Mains Points

• People and parks can work together (GS-III):
• Village participation at GHNP shows conservation working with local people instead of keeping them out.
• It belongs with wider trends: 220 community reserves [2] and Gram Sabha (the assembly of all adult voters of a village) consultation on sanctuary management plans under the 2022 amendment [4].

• This lowers conflict and protects people's livelihoods.

• Protected land is too small, so landscapes need to be linked:

• National parks cover only 1.35% of India [3], and all protected areas only about 5.32% [2].
• The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (2022) asks countries to protect 30% of land by 2030.

• Wide-ranging animals of the high Himalaya, such as the snow leopard, need corridors (strips of land that link two habitats) and conservation reserves around parks like GHNP.

• The World Heritage label brings protection and responsibility:

• It brings international attention and monitoring to a fragile western Himalayan ecosystem.
• It helps India report progress on its CBD (Convention on Biological Diversity) targets.

Related concepts

• National park
• Wildlife sanctuary
• Corbett National Park
• Kaziranga National Park
• Keoladeo National Park
• Sundarbans
• Sundarbans National Park
• Natural World Heritage Sites of India

Read more

• Protected forests and protected areas: national parks, sanctuaries and World Heritage sites