Flora and Fauna of India
About 7 min · General Awareness · English
Time worked out from the lesson's 483 words at 150 words a minute, plus a minute for each question.
India is one of the world's 17 mega-diverse countries, hosting around 7–8% of all recorded species on just 2.4% of Earth's land area. This diversity stems from varied climatic zones—from the Himalayas to tropical rainforests and deserts. For RRB NTPC General Awareness, you must know the major national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, endangered species, and flagship wildlife. Questions may ask about the location of a park, which animal is protected there, or identification of endangered species.
Key ideas
- National Parks are IUCN Category II protected areas where human activity (except tourism and research) is strictly prohibited. India has over 100 national parks; they are declared by State (or Central) Government notification under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, and their boundaries can be altered only on the recommendation of the National Board for Wildlife.
- Wildlife Sanctuaries allow limited human activity like grazing and collection of forest produce, but killing or capturing wildlife is banned. India has about 550 wildlife sanctuaries.
- Biosphere Reserves are multi-use areas with core zones (strict protection), buffer zones (limited activity) and transition zones (human settlements). India has 18 notified Biosphere Reserves, 12 of which are on UNESCO's World Network.
- Endangered species are classified under IUCN categories: Critically Endangered (CR), Endangered (EN), Vulnerable (VU). India's Wildlife Protection Act 1972 lists species in Schedules I to IV (four since the 2022 amendment); Schedule I offers maximum protection.
- Biodiversity hotspots: India hosts parts of four out of 36 global hotspots—Western Ghats & Sri Lanka, Indo-Burma (Northeast), Himalaya, and Sundaland (Nicobar Islands). These are defined by high endemism and significant habitat loss.
Watch out for
- Confusing Gir and Kaziranga: Gir National Park (Gujarat) is for Asiatic Lion, Kaziranga (Assam) is for One-Horned Rhino. Students mix these up. Remember: "Gir-Lion, Kaziranga-Rhino."
- Manas vs. Sundarbans: Both are in eastern India and UNESCO sites, but Manas (Assam) is known for rhinos and golden langur; Sundarbans (West Bengal) is famous for Royal Bengal Tiger and mangrove forests. Don't confuse their states or flagship animals.
- Assuming all big cats are endangered equally: Bengal tiger is Endangered, Snow Leopard is Vulnerable, Asiatic Lion is Endangered (IUCN). Cheetah is extinct in India (reintroduced in 2022 from Namibia).
Quick reference
- Gir National Park (Gujarat): Only home of Asiatic Lion.
- Kaziranga NP (Assam): One-Horned Rhinoceros, UNESCO site.
- Jim Corbett NP (Uttarakhand): First national park in India (1936, then Hailey NP); Bengal tiger.
- Sundarbans NP (West Bengal): Royal Bengal Tiger, largest mangrove forest, UNESCO site.
- Keoladeo Ghana NP (Rajasthan): Bird sanctuary, migratory waterfowl, UNESCO site (formerly Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary).
Check yourself: 3 questions
1. Which of the following National Parks is known for the one-horned rhinoceros and is located in Assam?
2. Which endangered animal is the state animal of Manipur and is also called the 'dancing deer'?
3. Gir National Park in Gujarat is the last natural habitat of which endangered animal?
This lesson is cut from the topic's note, not rewritten. Fact-checked on 18 Oct 2026: an AI-assisted check of this note against cited sources; the errors it found were corrected that day. Some errors may remain. The questions are from Shishya's validated question bank.
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