What are the Different Types of Protected Areas?
By Balaji
Updated on: February 17th, 2023
The different types of Protected Areas are National Parks, Wildlife Sanctuaries, Conservation Reserves, and Community Reserves. These are the different types of ‘Protected Areas’ under the Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972. India also possesses the Biosphere Reserves and the Tiger Reserves.
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1. Different Types of Protected Areas
Different Types of Protected Areas
‘Protected Area’ also includes Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), which include some of the ocean area, and Transboundary Protected Areas that overlap with several other countries that remove the borders inside for the purpose of conservation and economic development.
- As the name implies, a Protected Area is a secure area where resource exploitation or human activities are mostly restricted or limited.
- No outsider may enter this area unless they have the necessary permission.
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the widely accepted definition of a Protected Area:
- A protected area is a clearly defined geographical space that has been recognized, dedicated, and managed through legal or other effective means to achieve the long-term conservation of nature, including associated ecosystem services and cultural values (IUCN Definition of 2008).
- Typically, such places are dedicated to specific species to keep them safe.
As per the latest data from the National Wildlife Database Cell of the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), India has a network of 990 Protected Areas, including:
- 565 Wildlife Sanctuaries
- 219 Community Reserves.
- 106 National Parks in India
- 100 Conservation Reserves
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