Class 12 Biology Wildlife Sanctuaries Study Notes

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Wildlife sanctuaries refer to an area that is reserved exclusively for wildlife protection. It is managed by government agencies in accordance with the Wildlife Protection Act 1972.

The history of India in context to religious and cultural traditions have emphasised the protection of nature and environment. Sanctuaries and national parks are ecologically unique and biodiversity-rich regions which play a major role in the protection of the environment.

Wildlife sanctuaries refer to an area that is reserved exclusively for wildlife protection. It is managed by government agencies in accordance with the Wildlife Protection Act 1972. The main aim of sanctuaries is to protect the animal from hunting and poaching and to provide them a favorable condition to live.

Check Here: CBSE Class 12 Biology Syllabus(Updated)

National Park

The main aim of the national park is to protect the natural environment. They are enjoyed by the public because they are involved in leisure and enjoyment activities. It is also helpful for school students to learn and study about flora and fauna and the landscapes that are present in their natural state. India is rich in biodiversity.

It consists of 7.5% of mammals, 6.2% of reptiles, 12.6% of birds, 6% of flora species under the ecozone. The forests in India cover the ranges from the tropical rainforest, the Western Ghats, northeast India to the coniferous forest in the Himalaya region.

There are around 99 world-recognized national parks in India in different parts of the country. All the national parks in India are recognized by the international union for the conservation of nature and it holds the second category of protected areas.

There are many kinds of species living in the terrestrial ecosystem. The species include tiger, apes, alligator, lions, deer along with various kinds of flora and fauna.

National Parks in India

There are around 100 national parks in India. It is a heaven for wildlife. The first-ever national park in India is Hailey national park. It is an example of ecological conservation.

The other national parks in India are mentioned below:

Bandipur National Park in Karnataka
Bandhavgarh National Park in Madhya Pradesh
Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary in Karnataka
Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary in Kerala
Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand
Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary in Karnataka
Dudhwa National Park in Uttar Pradesh
Gir National Park and Sasan Gir Sanctuary in Gujarat
Hemis National Park in Jammu and Kashmir
Kanha National Park in Madhya Pradesh
Kaziranga National Park in Assam
Keoladeo Ghana National Park in Rajasthan
Manas National Park in Assam
Nagarhole National Park in Karnataka
Panna National Park in Madhya Pradesh
Periyar National Park in Kerala
Pench National Park in Madhya Pradesh
Ranthambore National Park in Rajasthan
Sariska National Park in Rajasthan
Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra
The Great Himalayan National Park in Himachal Pradesh

Check Here: State-wise Break up of National Parks in India

Sanctuary

Sanctuaries are the place that is meant to protect the endangered species from hunting and poaching. Animals in the sanctuaries are not bred for commercial purposes; they are solely for the safety, security and health of all the animals.

In the early days, some of the national parks were sanctuaries. After the implementation of conservative measures by the Government of India, there was a 30% increase in tigers during the year 2015.

In India, national parks and wildlife sanctuaries are the most visited place. Also, people find more chances for sightseeing, camping, safari tour, fishing, river crossing, etc. For reasons like research and education.

Wildlife Sanctuaries in India

Dachigam Wildlife Sanctuary
Sunderbans Wildlife Sanctuary
Manas Wildlife Sanctuary
Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary
Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary
Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary
Mundanthurai Wildlife Sanctuary
Annamalai Wildlife Sanctuary
Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary
Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary

Check Here: List of Proposed National Parks in India

Importance of Wildlife Sanctuaries

There are many reasons for developing wildlife sanctuaries. Some of the reasons are given below:

Wildlife sanctuaries are established to protect endangered species.
Carrying animals in respect to their natural habitat is difficult, therefore, safeguarding the animals in their respective environment is advantageous.
Endangered species are protected in wildlife sanctuaries from humans and also from hunting and poaching.
If the endangered species reproduce and grow in numbers, few specimens will be kept for the breeding purpose in some conservation parks for their survival.
Researchers and biological activists are permitted inside the wildlife sanctuaries so that they can learn about the wildlife inside sanctuaries.
Some sanctuaries take in the injured animals and rehabilitate them to healthy condition before letting them in the forest.

Conservation of Biodiversity

The landowners of the wildlife sanctuaries conserve the biodiversity in various ways as mentioned below:

Production and distribution of electricity.
Horticulture, grazing and farming enterprises
Wine production
Organic horticulture

Sanctuaries for Public and Education Use

The sanctuaries are most visited by the public and students also it is a place for picnic, golf, boating and swimming. Most of the school takes the students to sanctuaries to learn about the wildlife, ecosystem, flora and fauna, species, etc.

Protection of Sanctuaries by Government

There are many steps and measures taken by the Government in order to protect the wildlife sanctuaries. Some of the measures are:

Indian Wildlife Act 1972 passed by the GOI to protect flora and fauna. This Act banned hunting and poaching and provided legal protection to the species.
The State and Central Government developed many wildlife sanctuaries and national parks with the aim to protect the flora and fauna species.
Many projects for the conservation of endangered species have also been initiated by GOI.
GOI also introduced a joint management program. This involves the local communities in the management of the forest.

CBSE Class 12 Biology: Important Highlights

In the board exam for Biology, there will be a total of 33 questions divided into four sections. This year, the board has provided internal choice for the case based and long answer questions. As the exam pattern has been revised, the weightage of topics has increased. CBSE has released the practice paper for all the subjects as per the revised syllabus.

Candidates are suggested to draw proper labelled diagram in the answer sheet of board exam as per the requirement
This year, only three long answer questions if 3 marks each has been included in the question paper.
In the internal choices, only one of the questions shall be answered by the candidates.