National Parks & Wildlife — Set 15

Correct Answer: B. Kanha Tiger Reserve

The Achanakmar Wildlife Sanctuary in Chhattisgarh is part of the Achanakmar-Amarkantak Biosphere Reserve that extends into eastern Madhya Pradesh and forms a critical wildlife corridor with Kanha Tiger Reserve. This corridor allows movement of tigers, leopards, wild dogs (dholes), and gaur between the two reserves. Kanha-Achanakmar corridor is one of India's most important wildlife corridors in the central Indian landscape. Conservation organizations work with local communities along this corridor to reduce conflict and maintain connectivity.

Correct Answer: C. Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary

Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary in Sagar district of Madhya Pradesh is one of the important sanctuaries for the Indian Wolf (Canis lupus pallipes) which prefers open grasslands and scrub forests. India's wolf population is estimated at about 2,000-3,000 individuals and is classified as 'Endangered'. Wolves in the central Indian region face threats from habitat conversion, persecution, and reduction of prey base. The wolf is also found in parts of Panna, Madhav, and Bagdara sanctuaries in MP but Nauradehi's extensive grassland habitat is particularly suitable.

Correct Answer: B. Fort of brothers (connected to a legend of Lord Rama)

Bandhavgarh derives its name from the ancient Bandhavgarh Fort situated on a rocky hill within the park, which translates to 'brother's fort' in Sanskrit. According to local legend, Lord Rama gave this fort to his brother Lakshmana to watch over Lanka after Ravana's defeat. The fort is believed to be over 2,000 years old and contains ancient cave inscriptions and a 10th-century statue of Lord Vishnu. The white tigers of Rewa were historically found in this area, and the Maharajas of Rewa used the landscape as their personal hunting reserve before it was declared a national park in 1968.

Correct Answer: D. Schedule I

The Indian Pangolin (Manis crassicaudata) is protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, the highest level of legal protection in India. Pangolins are the world's most trafficked mammals due to demand for their scales in traditional medicine in China and Vietnam. Madhya Pradesh's forests harbor both Indian Pangolin and Chinese Pangolin and the state has active anti-poaching operations to protect them. The pangolin is classified as 'Endangered' on the IUCN Red List and any harm to it carries severe penalties under Indian law.

Correct Answer: C. Three (Pachmarhi, Amarkantak, and Panna)

Madhya Pradesh has three UNESCO-designated Biosphere Reserves under the Man and Biosphere (MAB) Programme: Pachmarhi Biosphere Reserve (designated 1999), Achanakmar-Amarkantak Biosphere Reserve (designated 2005, shared with Chhattisgarh), and Panna Biosphere Reserve (designated 2011). These biosphere reserves represent different ecosystem types - tropical dry forests, the Maikal Hills forests, and the Vindhyan landscape respectively. Being part of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves enables international cooperation for conservation and sustainable development. Each biosphere reserve comprises core zones (national parks/sanctuaries), buffer zones, and transition zones.

Correct Answer: C. Pench Tiger Reserve

The Satpura Tiger Reserve (in Hoshangabad and Betul districts) is connected to the Pench Tiger Reserve (in Seoni and Chhindwara districts) through a landscape corridor that supports movement of tigers and other wildlife across this section of the Satpura Range. This Satpura-Pench corridor is part of the larger central Indian landscape that forms one of the most important tiger landscapes in the world. Conservation organizations have worked to secure land along this corridor and reduce habitat fragmentation. The corridor also supports leopards, dholes, sloth bears, and various deer species.

Correct Answer: C. Hard-ground Barasingha

The famous 'Maidans' (meadows) at Kanha National Park are specifically managed and maintained to provide habitat for the critically-recovering Hard-ground Barasingha (Cervus duvaucelii branderi), the state animal of Madhya Pradesh. These grasslands, kept open through controlled grazing and management, provide the specific habitat requirements of barasingha herds. The barasingha population recovered from fewer than 66 in the 1970s to over 800 today largely because of this habitat management. Kanha's conservation success with barasingha is cited as a classic example of species-specific habitat management in India.

Correct Answer: B. Environmental management systems

Pench Tiger Reserve became the first tiger reserve in India to receive the ISO 14001 certification, which is an internationally recognized standard for Environmental Management Systems (EMS). This certification recognizes the reserve's systematic approach to managing its environmental responsibilities and continual improvement in ecological practices. The certification covered aspects like waste management, pollution control, energy efficiency, and ecological monitoring within the reserve. This achievement highlighted Pench's commitment to not just wildlife conservation but also to broader environmental management standards.

Correct Answer: B. Revenue forests and community lands of the Vindhya Plateau

The proposed corridor linking the Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary with Panna Tiger Reserve would pass through the revenue forests, reserve forests, and community-managed lands of the Vindhya Plateau in central Madhya Pradesh. This corridor is crucial for establishing tiger populations in Nauradehi and allowing genetic exchange with Panna. The landscape between Nauradehi and Panna still retains significant forest cover despite increasing agricultural pressure. Wildlife managers and conservation organizations are working with local communities to maintain the connectivity of this corridor for both tigers and other wildlife.

Correct Answer: B. Kipling's 'The Jungle Book'

Kanha National Park, along with the broader Seoni and Mandla forests, formed the inspiration for Rudyard Kipling's 'The Jungle Book' short story collection. While Pench is more directly cited as the setting, Kanha's landscape of sal forests, maidans, and rivers closely matches Kipling's descriptions. Both parks are part of the same ecosystem complex in central India. Kanha became a national park in 1955 and a Project Tiger reserve in 1973, and it has been the subject of numerous landmark wildlife studies, including the pioneering work of George Schaller on tigers that led to the founding of Project Tiger.