Lonar Wildlife Sanctuary

Lonar Wildlife Sanctuary
IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area)
Map showing the location of Lonar Wildlife Sanctuary
Map showing the location of Lonar Wildlife Sanctuary
LocationBuldhana district, Maharashtra, India
Nearest cityAurangabad and Jalna
Coordinates19°58′30″N 76°30′27″E / 19.97500°N 76.50750°E / 19.97500; 76.50750
Area365.16 hectares (902.3 acres)
Established2008
Governing bodyMaharashtra State Forest Department

The Lona Wildlife Sanctuary is situated around a lagoon called Lonar Lake, which was created by a meteorite impact about 50,000 years ago.[1] The diameter of the Lonar lake is 1.83 km.[2] This sanctuary located in Lonar taluka of Buldhana district of Maharashtra. The sanctuary is spread over an area of 365.16 Hectares . It includes the 77.69 Ha Lonar lake. The forest around the lake is mainly Southern Tropical dry Deciduous Forest.[2] In 2020 the Lonar lake was declared as Ramsar site.[3] The foul smell of hydrogen sulfide gas is common near the lake water.[4]

  1. ^ "Lonar Crater Lake". buldhana.nic.in. Buldhana District administration. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
  2. ^ a b ENVIS (June 2011). Lonar Crater (PDF). Mumbai: Environment Dept., Govt. of Maharashtra. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
  3. ^ Chatterjee, Badri (14 November 2020). "Lonar Lake in Buldhana district declared Ramsar site, second for Maharashtra within a year". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference ZSI was invoked but never defined (see the help page).