Wildlife Sanctuaries of India are protected areas declared under Section 18 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, where wildlife and its habitat are conserved with restrictions on human activity but with some controlled rights. As of 2024, India has 573 wildlife sanctuaries covering approximately 1,23,765 square kilometres, which is about 3.76 percent of the country’s geographical area. Wildlife Sanctuaries are the largest category of protected areas in India by both number and area, exceeding national parks, tiger reserves, conservation reserves, and community reserves combined.

For UPSC, the Wildlife Sanctuaries of India are tested through prelims facts (state location, key species, legal classification), mains questions (conservation strategy, human-wildlife conflict, eco-sensitive zones), and current-affairs angles (new sanctuary notifications, species recovery programmes, Forest Rights Act tensions). This article works through the legal framework, the differences between sanctuary types, a state-wise list of major sanctuaries, and the conservation issues that shape them.

Quick Facts About Wildlife Sanctuaries of India

Legal basis: Section 18, Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972
Total number: 573 (as of 2024)
Total area: about 1,23,765 sq km
Share of India’s area: about 3.76 percent
Declaring authority: State Government, by notification
Final notification: requires consideration of rights and claims under the Act
Settlement of rights: collector decides claims; some rights may be allowed

Legal Framework: Wildlife Protection Act 1972

The Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 (WPA) is the central legislation governing wildlife sanctuaries in India. The Act classifies protected areas into four categories:

National Parks (Section 35): highest level of protection, no human activity except as permitted by the Chief Wildlife Warden, no grazing, no forestry, boundaries cannot be altered except by State Legislature
Wildlife Sanctuaries (Section 18): high protection, certain regulated rights may be allowed, boundaries can be altered by State Government with NBWL recommendation
Conservation Reserves (Section 36A): notified by State Government over areas adjoining national parks and sanctuaries, especially on uninhabited land or government-owned land
Community Reserves (Section 36C): notified on private or community land, with consent of members of community

The 2002 amendment to the Act introduced Conservation and Community Reserves. The 2022 amendment further refined wildlife regulation, brought CITES into Indian law more formally, and introduced new categories such as “vermin” regulation.

Section 26A of the WPA outlines the procedure for declaration of a sanctuary: the State Government issues a preliminary notification, claims are heard, rights are settled, and a final notification is issued. Until final notification, the area is sometimes referred to as a “proposed” or “deemed” sanctuary.

Wildlife Sanctuary vs National Park: Key Differences

UPSC frequently tests this distinction.

Feature	Wildlife Sanctuary	National Park
Section of WPA	18	35
Notifying authority	State Government	State Government
Boundary alteration	State Government with NBWL recommendation	State Legislature only
Human activity	Restricted but some controlled rights may be allowed	Prohibited except permitted by Chief Wildlife Warden
Grazing	Allowed if previously practised, regulated	Not allowed
Tourism	Allowed	Allowed
Settlement of rights	Some rights may be allowed	All rights must be extinguished
Final notification	Section 26A	Section 35
Examples	Dachigam, Mount Abu, Chinnar, Karera	Kaziranga, Jim Corbett, Bandhavgarh, Hemis

A wildlife sanctuary can be upgraded to a national park. A national park cannot be downgraded to a sanctuary without legislative action.

How Wildlife Sanctuaries Differ from Tiger Reserves and Biosphere Reserves

Tiger Reserves: notified under Section 38V of the WPA (amended 2006) for tiger conservation. A tiger reserve consists of a core area (which is itself a national park or sanctuary) and a buffer area. Declared on recommendation of NTCA. As of 2024, India has 56 tiger reserves.
Biosphere Reserves: not under the WPA. Notified under the Indian government’s Man and Biosphere Programme, aligned with UNESCO. They have core, buffer, and transition zones. India has 18 biosphere reserves, 12 of which are part of the UNESCO World Network.
Ramsar Sites: wetlands of international importance under the Ramsar Convention, 1971. India has 85 Ramsar sites as of 2024. Many overlap with wildlife sanctuaries (Keoladeo, Chilika).

Wildlife Sanctuaries by State: Selected List

This list focuses on the most UPSC-relevant sanctuaries in each major state. India has 573 sanctuaries; the complete list is too long for a single article. The selection below emphasises sanctuaries that have appeared in past UPSC papers, that are linked to flagship species, or that have current-affairs salience.

Andhra Pradesh

Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary: estuarine mangroves on Godavari, fishing cat, smooth-coated otter
Pulicat Lake Bird Sanctuary: flamingos, shared with Tamil Nadu
Sri Venkateswara Wildlife Sanctuary: Talakona forest, slender loris, Tirumala hills
Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam: India’s largest tiger reserve by area, includes the sanctuary

Arunachal Pradesh

Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary: famously birded, Bugun liocichla discovered here in 2006
Pakke Wildlife Sanctuary (within Pakke Tiger Reserve): hornbills
Dibang Wildlife Sanctuary: snow leopard, takin, Mishmi takin
Dering Memorial Wildlife Sanctuary: recent tiger sighting in 2026 attracted attention

Assam

Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary: highest density of greater one-horned rhinoceros in the world
Garampani Wildlife Sanctuary: hoolock gibbon, hot springs
Laokhowa Wildlife Sanctuary: rhinoceros and tiger
Hollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary: India’s only home of the western hoolock gibbon

Bihar

Valmiki Wildlife Sanctuary (within Valmiki Tiger Reserve): only tiger reserve in Bihar
Kaimur Wildlife Sanctuary: leopard, sloth bear, Kaimur plateau
Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary: Gangetic dolphin (National Aquatic Animal)

Chhattisgarh

Achanakmar Wildlife Sanctuary: part of Achanakmar-Amarkantak Biosphere Reserve
Barnawapara Wildlife Sanctuary: tiger and leopard
Sitanadi Wildlife Sanctuary: part of Udanti-Sitanadi Tiger Reserve

Goa

Bhagwan Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary: Dudhsagar Falls, Indian gaur
Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary: smallest in Goa, important for environmental education
Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary: pangolin, slender loris

Gujarat

Wild Ass Sanctuary, Little Rann of Kutch: only home of the Indian wild ass (khur)
Nal Sarovar Bird Sanctuary: Ramsar site, flamingos
Velavadar Wildlife Sanctuary (Blackbuck National Park area sanctuary buffer): blackbuck

Haryana

Sultanpur National Park (formerly sanctuary): bird sanctuary, Ramsar site
Bir Shikargah Wildlife Sanctuary
Kalesar Wildlife Sanctuary: contiguous with Rajaji National Park

Himachal Pradesh

Great Himalayan National Park area sanctuaries: Tirthan and Sainj Wildlife Sanctuaries
Kibber Wildlife Sanctuary: snow leopard country in Spiti
Pin Valley Wildlife Sanctuary (within Pin Valley National Park area)

Jammu and Kashmir / Ladakh

Hokersar Wildlife Sanctuary: Ramsar site, migratory waterfowl
Overa-Aru Wildlife Sanctuary: hangul (Kashmir stag) habitat outside Dachigam
Karakoram (Nubra Shyok) Wildlife Sanctuary, Ladakh: Tibetan antelope, snow leopard

Jharkhand

Hazaribagh Wildlife Sanctuary: leopard, sambar
Palamau Wildlife Sanctuary (within Palamau Tiger Reserve): first tiger reserve under Project Tiger 1973

Karnataka

Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary (within Bhadra Tiger Reserve)
Brahmagiri Wildlife Sanctuary
Daroji Sloth Bear Sanctuary: sloth bear
Ranibennur Blackbuck Sanctuary: blackbuck and Indian wolf

Kerala

Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary (within Periyar Tiger Reserve)
Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary: elephant corridor to Bandipur and Nagarhole
Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary: grizzled giant squirrel
Idukki Wildlife Sanctuary
Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary (within Parambikulam Tiger Reserve)

Madhya Pradesh

Ratapani Wildlife Sanctuary: tiger reserve notified in 2024
Karera Wildlife Sanctuary (originally for Great Indian Bustard)
National Chambal Sanctuary (shared with UP and Rajasthan): gharial, Gangetic dolphin
Son Gharial Wildlife Sanctuary: gharial breeding

Maharashtra

Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve (sanctuary plus national park)
Karnala Bird Sanctuary
Bhimashankar Wildlife Sanctuary: Indian giant squirrel
Phansad Wildlife Sanctuary: coastal Konkan biodiversity

Manipur

Keibul Lamjao National Park (and surrounding wildlife sanctuary land): only floating national park, Sangai deer

Meghalaya

Nokrek Wildlife Sanctuary (within Nokrek National Park area): red panda, citrus indica
Baghmara Pitcher Plant Sanctuary: Nepenthes khasiana

Mizoram

Dampa Tiger Reserve (with surrounding sanctuary land)
Ngengpui Wildlife Sanctuary
Phawngpui (Blue Mountain) National Park area sanctuaries

Nagaland

Intanki Wildlife Sanctuary
Fakim Wildlife Sanctuary

Odisha

Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary: saltwater crocodile, second largest mangrove in India
Chilika (Nalaban) Bird Sanctuary: migratory birds, Irrawaddy dolphin
Satkosia Wildlife Sanctuary: gharial, Mahanadi gorge
Similipal Wildlife Sanctuary (within Similipal Tiger Reserve)

Punjab

Harike Wildlife Sanctuary: Ramsar site
Bir Moti Bagh Wildlife Sanctuary

Rajasthan

Keoladeo Ghana (National Park since 1981, was a sanctuary): Ramsar site, World Heritage Site
Sariska Wildlife Sanctuary (within Sariska Tiger Reserve)
Desert National Park (and adjoining sanctuary): Great Indian Bustard
Mount Abu Wildlife Sanctuary: sloth bear, only hill station in Rajasthan
Tal Chhapar Wildlife Sanctuary: blackbuck, Aravalli grassland
Ranthambhore Wildlife Sanctuary (within tiger reserve)

Sikkim

Fambong Lho Wildlife Sanctuary: red panda
Maenam Wildlife Sanctuary
Kyongnosla Alpine Sanctuary: high-altitude flora

Tamil Nadu

Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary (within Mudumalai Tiger Reserve)
Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary (within Anaimalai Tiger Reserve)
Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary: one of the oldest bird sanctuaries in India, dating to the 18th century
Point Calimere Wildlife Sanctuary: flamingo, blackbuck, Ramsar
Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park area sanctuaries: dugong, coral reef

Telangana

Eturnagaram Wildlife Sanctuary: tiger, Indian gaur
Pakhal Wildlife Sanctuary
Pranahita Wildlife Sanctuary: contiguous with Maharashtra forests

Tripura

Sepahijala Wildlife Sanctuary: spectacled langur, clouded leopard
Trishna Wildlife Sanctuary: Indian gaur

Uttar Pradesh

Dudhwa National Park area sanctuaries: Kishanpur Wildlife Sanctuary, Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary (part of Dudhwa Tiger Reserve)
Hastinapur Wildlife Sanctuary: barasingha
National Chambal Sanctuary section in UP: gharial
Nawabganj Bird Sanctuary

Uttarakhand

Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary: musk deer
Govind Pashu Vihar Wildlife Sanctuary: snow leopard, Himalayan tahr
Sonanadi Wildlife Sanctuary: contiguous with Corbett Tiger Reserve
Askot Musk Deer Sanctuary

West Bengal

Sundarbans Wildlife Sanctuary (within Sundarbans Tiger Reserve): Royal Bengal tiger, mangroves
Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary: elephant, leopard, Mahananda river
Buxa Tiger Reserve: includes wildlife sanctuary

Union Territories

Andaman and Nicobar Islands: over 95 wildlife sanctuaries, including Cuthbert Bay, Cinque Island, Galathea Bay (leatherback turtle)
Lakshadweep: Pitti Bird Sanctuary
Dadra and Nagar Haveli: Dadra and Nagar Haveli Wildlife Sanctuary

Threats and Conservation Issues

Despite legal protection, Wildlife Sanctuaries of India face multiple ongoing pressures.

Habitat fragmentation: linear infrastructure such as roads, railways, transmission lines, and canals cuts wildlife corridors. Several Supreme Court interventions have addressed corridor cases in Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu.
Human-wildlife conflict: elephants in Hassan-Kodagu, leopards in Mumbai outskirts, tigers in Wayanad, blue bull in Haryana. Compensation schemes exist but are uneven.
Mining and quarrying: tension between sanctuary boundaries and mining leases, especially in Goa, Karnataka, and parts of Odisha. The Supreme Court has held that any sanctuary boundary alteration requires NBWL recommendation.
Tourism pressure: regulated through eco-sensitive zone notifications and visitor cap policies, but compliance varies.
Encroachment and forest rights: the Forest Rights Act 2006 grants individual and community rights inside protected areas. Implementation often clashes with sanctuary management.
Invasive species: Lantana camara, Prosopis juliflora, and Mikania micrantha have heavily degraded several sanctuary habitats.
Climate change: alpine and Himalayan sanctuaries face species range shifts; coastal sanctuaries face sea level rise.

Eco-Sensitive Zones Around Sanctuaries

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change requires that an area extending at least one kilometre from the boundary of every national park and wildlife sanctuary be notified as an Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ). The Supreme Court in T.N. Godavarman v. Union of India (2022) made this a mandatory one-kilometre buffer in default of state notification, though this was later modified in 2023 to allow flexibility for habitations within the default buffer.

Wildlife Sanctuaries in the UPSC Syllabus

The Wildlife Sanctuaries of India appear in GS-3 Environment (biodiversity and conservation, laws and institutions), GS-1 Geography (biogeography), and current affairs (new sanctuary notifications, species recovery programmes, ESZ rulings). Prelims questions focus on:

State location of named sanctuaries
Flagship species
Difference between sanctuary, national park, conservation reserve
Sanctuaries linked to specific Ramsar or biosphere reserve sites
Sanctuaries forming part of tiger reserves

Mains Practice Questions

Distinguish between a wildlife sanctuary, a national park, and a tiger reserve in India. Discuss the relative effectiveness of each in conserving large carnivores. (15 marks)
Critically examine the role of Eco-Sensitive Zones in the conservation of wildlife sanctuaries in India. (10 marks)
The Forest Rights Act 2006 and the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972 often appear to be in tension. Discuss with reference to wildlife sanctuaries. (15 marks)
Assess the contribution of wildlife sanctuaries to the conservation of India’s endemic and endangered species. Illustrate with examples. (15 marks)

Why Wildlife Sanctuaries of India Matter

The Wildlife Sanctuaries of India are the workhorses of Indian conservation. National parks get the headlines, tiger reserves get the budgets, but the sanctuary network protects the bulk of India’s threatened species, from the hangul of Dachigam to the wild ass of the Little Rann, from the Hoolock gibbon of Hollongapar to the dugong of Gulf of Mannar. For UPSC, fluency with the sanctuary list means being able to place flagship species on the map of India, distinguish legal categories of protected area, and argue clearly about the trade-offs between conservation, livelihoods, and infrastructure.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a wildlife sanctuary in India?

A wildlife sanctuary in India is a protected area declared by a State Government under Section 18 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, where wildlife and its habitat are conserved with restrictions on human activity but with some controlled rights for local communities permitted.

How many wildlife sanctuaries are there in India?

India has 573 wildlife sanctuaries as of 2024, covering approximately 1,23,765 square kilometres or about 3.76 percent of the country’s geographical area.

What is the difference between a wildlife sanctuary and a national park?

A wildlife sanctuary is notified under Section 18 of the Wildlife Protection Act and may allow some controlled human rights. A national park is notified under Section 35 with the highest level of protection, where rights are extinguished and boundaries can only be altered by the State Legislature.

Which is the largest wildlife sanctuary in India?

By area, the Kutch Desert Wildlife Sanctuary in Gujarat is one of the largest sanctuaries at about 7,506 square kilometres. The Karakoram (Nubra Shyok) Wildlife Sanctuary in Ladakh is also very large.

Which state has the most wildlife sanctuaries?

The Andaman and Nicobar Islands have the most wildlife sanctuaries (over 95). Among states, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu have among the highest counts.

Which wildlife sanctuary is famous for the one-horned rhinoceros besides Kaziranga?

Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary in Assam has the highest density of greater one-horned rhinoceros in the world, although Kaziranga National Park has the largest total population.

What is the role of the National Board for Wildlife in sanctuaries?

The National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) is the apex advisory body chaired by the Prime Minister. Its recommendation is required before a State Government can alter the boundaries of a wildlife sanctuary or permit any non-forestry activity within it.

Are tiger reserves the same as wildlife sanctuaries?

No. A tiger reserve is notified under Section 38V of the WPA 1972 (amended 2006) specifically for tiger conservation. A tiger reserve has a core area (which is itself a national park or sanctuary) and a buffer area. Wildlife sanctuaries are a separate category under Section 18, though many sanctuaries form the core of tiger reserves.

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