Assam is known for its diverse ecosystems and rich biodiversity. The state is home to 7 national parks.
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1. Kaziranga National Park
- Kaziranga National Park is located in the Golaghat, Karbi Anglong and Nagaon districts of the state of Assam, India.
- It is situated on the southern banks of the Brahmaputra River.
- In 1916, it became a non-poaching place and came to be known as Kaziranga Game Sanctuary.
- In 1950, Kaziranga Game Sanctuary was declared a wildlife sanctuary and renamed the “Kaziranga Wildlife Sanctuary”.
- In 1974, Kaziranga Wildlife Sanctuary was declared a National Park.
- In 1985, Kaziranga National Park was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
- In 2008-09, it was declared as a Tiger Reserve under Project Tiger.
- Kaziranga National Park has been identified as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by Birdlife International Society.
- Area: The total area of Kaziranga National Park is approximately 430 square kilometers (166 square miles).
- Hills: Some hill ranges that found in the park include::
- Burapahar Range
- Bagori Range
- River: following river flow through the park:
- Brahmaputra River
- Diphlu River
- Flora: Grasslands (elephant grass, spear grass, and bluestem grass), Wetlands and Marshes (water lilies, lotus, and various species of reeds and sedges), Alluvial Savannah Woodland (Indian gooseberry, elephant apple, and Indian rosewood), Moist Mixed Deciduous Forests ( Indian mahogany, Indian gum tree, and Indian kino tree), Riparian Forests (Indian fig tree, Indian almond tree, and riverine grasses) etc.
- Fauna: Royal Bengal Tigers, One Horned Rhinoceros, Asiatic Wild Water Buffaloes, Swamp Deer, Indian Elephanis, Sambar, Indian Muntjac, Hoolock Gibbon, Sloth Bear, Gangetic Dolphin, Bengal Florican, Indian , Assam Roofed Turtle, Bengal Monitor Lizard etc.
2. Manas National Park
- Manas National Park is located in the Bongaigaon and Barpeta district of Assam, India.
- It is contiguous with Royal Manas National Park in Bhutan.
- The park is situated in the foothills of the Eastern Himalayas.
- In 1907, the area was declared as the Manas Reserve Forest with the primary objective of protecting the Indian rhinoceros.
- In 1928, Manas was declared a game sanctuary under the British government’s Forest Act of 1927.
- In 1950, Manas Game Sanctuary was declared as a Wildlife Sanctuary.
- In 1973, Manas Wildlife Sanctuary was designated as a Tiger Reserve under the Project Tiger.
- In 1985, Manas Wildlife Sanctuary was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
- In 1989, government of India declared Manas as a Biosphere Reserve.
- In 1990, Manas Wildlife Sanctuary was declared a National Park.
- In 2003, Manas was established as an Elephant Reserve under Project Elephant.
- In 2011, Manas National Park was removed from the List of World Heritage in Danger by UNESCO.
- Area: The total area of Manas National Park is approximately 390 square kilometers (150 square miles).
- River: Manas National Park is named after the Manas River, which flows through it.
- Flora: Tropical Evergreen Forests, Semi-evergreen Forests, Alluvial Grasslands, Riverine Forests, Orchids etc.
- Fauna: Bengal Tiger, One-horned Rhinoceros, Wild Water Buffalo, Pygmy Hog, Golden Langur, Red panda, Asian Elephant, Swamp Deer (Barasingha), Hoolock Gibbon, Hispid Hares, Black Panther, Sloth Bear, Black Giant Squirrel, Bengal Florican, Brahminy Ducks, Assam Roofed Turtle, Monitor Lizards, Fan-throated Lizard etc.
3. Nameri National Park
- Nameri National Park is located in the Sonitpur district of the state of Assam in India.
- Nameri lies on the interstate border between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.
- Nameri shares its northern boundary with the Pakhui Wildlife Sanctuary of Arunachal Pradesh.
- It is part of the Eastern Himalayan biodiversity hotspot.
- In 1978, the park was declared a reserve forest.
- In 1985, Nameri Wildlife Sanctuary was established. Initially.
- In 1998, Nameri Wildlife Sanctuary was declared a national park.
- In 1999-2000, Nameri National Park became a part of the Project Tiger initiative. It is the second Tiger reserve of Assam after Manas Tiger Reserve.
- Area: The park covers an approximate area of 200 square kilometers (78 square miles).
- River: The Jia-Bhareli river flows along the southern boundary of the Nameri National Park along with its tributaries: The Nameri river, Upper Dikorai river and Bor Dikorai river.
- Jia-Bhoroli River
- Nameri River
- Upper Dikorai River
- Bor Dikorai River
- Flora: Assam Silk Tree, Elephant Apple, Indian Rosewood, Hollock, Wild Banana , Cane Bamboo, Orchids etc.
- Fauna: Tiger, Clouded Leopard, Wild Dog, Asian Elephant, Gaur, Sambar, Hog Deer, Black Giant Squirrel, Large Clawed Shrew, Indian Flying Fox, Slow Loris, White Winged Wood duck, Palla’s fish-eagle, Red-headed Vulture, Assam Roofed Turtle, Indian Soft Shell Turtle, Monitor Lizard etc.
4. Dibru-Saikhowa National Park
- Dibru-Saikhowa National Park is located in Dibrugarh and Tinsukia districts of Assam, India.
- The park originally created to help conserve the habitat of the rare white-winged wood duck.
- The park is situated in the floodplains of the Brahmaputra River.
- It is surrounded by the larger Dibru-Saikhowa Biosphere Reserve.
- In 1890, The area was initially declared as the Dibru Reserved Forest under British colonial rule.
- In 1929, Saikhowa Reserve Forest was declared.
- In 1986, Dibru Reserved Forest was upgraded to the status of a wildlife sanctuary.
- In 1997, the Dibru-Saikhowa Wildlife Sanctuary was expanded to include the adjoining Saikhowa Reserve Forest to create Dibru-Saikhowa Biosphere Reserve.
- In 1999, Dibru-Saikhowa Wildlife Sanctuary was declared as a national park.
- Area: The park cover an area of 340 km2 (130 sq mi).
- River: The park is bounded by the Brahmaputra and Lohit rivers in the north and Dibru River in the south.
- Brahmaputra River
- Lohit River
- Dibru River
- Saikhowa River
- Tribe: The area surrounding the national park is home to various indigenous tribal communities.
- Mishing
- Deori
- Sonowal Kachari
- Moran
- Ahom
- Flora: Tropical Evergreen and Semi-Evergreen Forest Species (Indian laurel, Diu, silk cotton tree, Indian blackberry), Grasses and Wetland Plants, Swamp Forest etc.
- Fauna: Bengal Tiger, Asian Elephant, Asiatic Water Buffalo, Gangetic Dolphin, Hoolock Gibbon, Sloth Bear, Dhole, Malayan Giant Squirrel, Feral Horse, White-winged Wood Ducks, Bengal Florican, Brown Fish Owl, Assam Roofed Turtle , Indian Softshell Turtle, Monitor Lizards etc.
- The park is known for its population of feral horses, also known as “feral ponies” or “wild horses.”
5. Orang National Park
- Orang National Park is located in the Darrang and Sonitpur districts of Assam, India.
- It is situated on the north bank of the Brahmaputra River.
- The park is particularly famous for its population of the Indian rhinoceros.
- It is also known as Mini Kaziranga National Park.
- In 1915, it was initially declared a Game Reserve to protect the rhinoceros population in the region.
- In 1985, Orang was designated as a wildlife sanctuary under the Wildlife Protection Act of India, 1972.
- In 1992, the Orang Wildlife Sanctuary was renamed the Rajiv Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary.
- In 1999, Orang Wildlife Sanctuary was upgraded to a national park. was renamed Rajiv Gandhi Orang National Park in honor of former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.
- In 2016, Orang was declared as a tiger reserve under Project Tiger.
- In 2021, Assam cabinet passed a resolution to rename Rajiv Gandhi National Park as Orang National.
- Area: The park covers an area of approximately 78.81 square kilometers (30.42 square miles).
- River: The park is located on the north bank of the Brahmaputra River. Pachnoi, Belsiri and Dhanshiri Rivers border the national park and join the Brahmaputra river.
- Brahmaputra River
- Pachnoi River
- Dhanshiri River
- Belsiri River
- Flora: Indian almond, silk cotton tree, crepe myrtle, Dalbergia sissoo, terminalia trees, Grasses, water lilies, water hyacinth, Orchids, Indian snakeroot etc.
- Fauna: Indian One-Horned Rhinoceros, Tiger, Wild Buffalo, Asiatic Elephant, Pygmy Hog, Gangetic Dolphin, Bengal Florican , Spot-billed Pelican, Black Krait, Greater Black Krait, Monitor Lizards, Indian Tent Turtle, Brown Roof Turtle, Indian Soft-shelled Turtle etc.
- Orang Tiger Reserve is the only stronghold of One-horned Rhinoceros on the north bank of the Brahmaputra river.
6. Raimona National Park
- Raimona National Park is located in the Gossaigaon and Kokrajhar subdivisions of Kokrajhar district of Assam, India.
- It is situated within the Bodoland Territorial Region.
- The park is surrounded by the Phipsoo Wildlife Sanctuary in Bhutan to its north, the Buxa Tiger Reserve in West Bengal to its west and the Manas National Park to its east.
- In 2021, it was declared a national park.
- River: The park is bounded on the west by the Sonkosh river and the Saralbhanga river on the east. Both the rivers are tributaries of Brahmaputra. The Pekua river defines park’s southern boundary.
- Sonkosh River
- Saralbhanga River
- Pekua River
- Flora: Sal Trees, Teak Trees, Bamboo, Orchids, Grasses etc.
- Fauna:
- Mammals: Tiger, Golden Langur, Asian Elephant, Clouded Leopard, Indian Gaur, Wild Water Buffalo, Slow Loris, Asian Golden Cat, Hispid Hare etc.
- Birds: White-bellied Heron, Swamp Francolin, Kaleej Pheasant, Slender-billed Vulture, Bengal Florican, Scaly Thrush etc.
- Reptiles: Indian Python, King Cobra, Monitor Lizard, Indian Tent Turtle etc.
7. Dehing Patkai National Park
- Dehing Patkai National Park is located in the Dibrugarh and Tinsukia districts of Assam, India.
- It is situated within the larger Dehing Patkai Elephant Reserve, which spreads across the coal- and oil-rich districts of Upper Assam (Dibrugarh and Tinsukia districts).
- The oldest refinery of Asia in Digboi and ‘open cast’ coal mining at Lido are located near the national park.
- In 1924, the area was initially designated as a Reserved Forest under the British Raj.
- In 2004, the area was officially declared the Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary.
- On 13 December 2020, Government of Assam upgraded it into a national park.
- On 9 June 2021, Forest Department of Assam officially notified it as a national park.
- Area: It covers an area of approximately 231.65 km2 (89.44 sq mi).
- Hills: The park is situated in the Patkai hills region.
- River: Dehing river flows through the southern part of the park.
- Tribe: The park is home to several indigenous communities or tribes who have been living in the region for generations.
- Tai Phake
- Khamti
- Singpho
- Flora: Dipterocarp Trees, Canopy Trees (Hollong, Sam, Nahor, and Simul), Orchids (Lady’s Slipper Orchid and the Vanda spathulata), Ferns and Mosses etc.
- Fauna: Bengal Tiger, Clouded Leopard, Asian Elephant, Hoolock Gibbon, Chinese Pangolin, Dhole or Asian Wild Dog, Himalayan Black Bear, Malayan Sun Bear, Stump-tailed Macaque, Asian Golden Cat, Marbled Cat, Malayan Giant Squirrels, White Winged Wood Duck, White-cheeked Hill Partridge, Kaleej Pheasant, Monocled Cobra, Reticulated Python, Green Pit Viper etc.
- Dehing Patkai National Park is the only place in India which is home to seven different species of wild cats – tiger, leopard, clouded leopard, leopard cat, golden cat, jungle cat and marbled cat.