A Wildlife Sanctuary is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or other interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide opportunities for study or research. The Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 provides for the establishment of Protected Areas in India.[1]
Wildlife sanctuaries of India, are classified as IUCN Category IV protected areas. As of January 2023,[update] 567 wildlife sanctuaries have been established, covering 122,564.86 km2 (47,322.56 sq mi).[2] Among these, Project Tiger governs 53 tiger reserves, which are of special significance for the conservation of the Bengal tiger.[3] Additionally, there are 33 Elephant Reserves covering 80,778 km2 (31,189 sq mi) under the Project Elephant, which may overlap with the wildlife sanctuaries and tiger reserves.[4][5][6]
Established in 1936, Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary in Tamil Nadu was the first bird sanctuary and the Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary was established later in 1940.[7][8] Spanning 7,506.22 km2 (2,898.17 sq mi), Kutch Desert Wildlife Sanctuary in Gujarat is the largest wildlife sanctuary in the country.[9] Andaman and Nicobar Islands has the most number of wildlife sanctuaries (97).[10]