Kaziranga National Park: Location, Wildlife, UNESCO Status and Conservation Significance

Category: Environment and Ecology — National Parks and Wildlife Conservation

Kaziranga National Park is a protected area in Assam, famous for its population of the Indian one-horned rhinoceros and its extensive floodplain grasslands.

Key facts

  • Location: Assam, northeastern India.

  • River: Brahmaputra River and its floodplain ecosystem.

  • UNESCO World Heritage Site: Inscribed in 1985.

  • Flagship species: Indian one-horned rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis).

  • Other wildlife includes Bengal tigers, Asian elephants, wild water buffaloes, swamp deer and numerous bird species.

  • The landscape includes tall grasslands, wetlands, tropical forests and riverine habitats.

  • The park is also part of a tiger conservation landscape.

Conservation significance

  • Protects one of the world's most important populations of the Indian one-horned rhinoceros.

  • Seasonal flooding supports ecosystem productivity but can also force animals to move towards higher ground.

  • Wildlife corridors are important for animal movement between Kaziranga and the surrounding landscape.

  • Major threats include poaching, habitat fragmentation, invasive plants and human–wildlife conflict.

UPSC key pointers

  • Kaziranga is in Assam, not West Bengal.

  • The Brahmaputra floodplain is central to its ecology.

  • The one-horned rhinoceros is its flagship species.

  • Kaziranga was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1985.