What are the protected Areas? Protected areas are those in which human occupation or at least the exploitation of resources is limited. The definition that has been widely accepted across regional and global frameworks has been provided by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in its categorization guidelines for protected areas. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the enabling laws of each country or the regulations of the international organizations involved.
The term "protected area" also includes Marine Protected Areas, the boundaries of which will include some area of ocean, and Transboundary Protected Areas that overlap multiple countries which remove the borders inside the area for conservation and economic purposes. Protected Areas are the principal mechanism of conservation of biodiversity on Earth and serves as the most important units for in-situ biodiversity conservation.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has put forward 6 Protected Area Management Categories. These are-
Category I (a): Strict Nature Reserve:- It is an area which is protected from all but light human use in order to preserve the geological and geomorphical features of the region and its biodiversity.
Category I (b): Wilderness Area: These areas are a protected domain in which biodiversity and ecosystem processes (including evolution) are allowed to flourish or experience restoration if previously disturbed by human activity. These are areas which may buffer against the effects of climate change and protect threatened species and ecological communities.
Category II: National Park: It is similar to a wilderness area in its size and its main objective of protecting functioning ecosystems. However, national parks tend to be more lenient with human visitation and its supporting infrastructure. National parks are managed in a way that may contribute to local economies through promoting educational and recreational tourism on a scale that will not reduce the effectiveness of conservation efforts.
Category III: Natural Monument or Feature: It is a comparatively smaller area that is specifically allocated to protect a natural monument and its surrounding habitats. These monuments can be natural in the wholest sense or include elements that have been influenced or introduced by humans.
Category IV: Habitat/Species Management Area: It is similar to a natural monument or feature, but focuses on more specific areas of conservation (though size is not necessarily a distinguishing feature), like an identifiable species or habitat that requires continuous protection rather than that of a natural feature.
Category V: Protected Landscape/Seascape: It’s covers an entire body of land or ocean with an explicit natural conservation plan, but usually also accommodates a range of for-profit activities.
Category VI: Protected Area with sustainable use of natural resources: Conservation of ecosystem and habitats together with associated cultural values and traditional natural resource management systems.
Protected Area in India comprise National Parks, Sanctuaries, Conservation / Community Reserves and Tiger Reserves. It does not include Reserved Forests. Forests and wildlife are included in the Concurrent list of the Indian Constitution. Therefore, the Union government makes the policies and plans for Wildlife Conservation. On the other hand, the State Forest Departments are the ones implanting those national policies and plans at the state-level.
National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) puts forward policy framework for wildlife conservation in India. The Board was constituted under Wildlife (Protection) act, 1972. It is chaired by the Prime Minister. Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 (with Amendment Acts of 2003 and 2006) It provides for the protection of plants and animal in India. The aim of the Act is to ensure the ecological and environmental security of India. It is the principal act which contains provisions for setting up and managing national parks, sanctuaries and other protected areas
There are four major categories of Protected areas in India. These protected areas are constituted under the provisions of Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. The four categories of protected areas are:
Wildlife Sanctuaries: It is an area where animal habitats and their surroundings are protected from any sort of disturbance. The capturing, killing and poaching of animals is strictly prohibited in these regions. They aim at providing a comfortable living to the animals.
National Parks: It is an area set aside by a national government for the preservation of the natural environment. A national park may be set aside for purposes of public recreation and enjoyment or because of its historical or scientific interest.
Community Reserves: Community reserves in India denoting protected areas of India which typically act as buffer zones to or connectors and migration corridors between established national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and reserved and protected forests of India.
Conservation Reserves: A conservation reserve is a protected area set aside for conservation purposes. Community and Conservation reserves were first introduced in the Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Act of 2002.
Biosphere reserves are areas of terrestrial and coastal ecosystems promoting solutions to reconcile the conservation of biodiversity with its sustainable use. They are internationally recognized, nominated by national governments and remain under sovereign jurisdiction of the states where they are located. There are 18 biosphere reserves in India: