National Parks in News 2024-25

In India, there are 106 designated national parks, which often make headlines for various reasons. Additionally, the government manages various special-purpose parks for industrial, environmental conservation, and public use. Here is a brief overview of these parks and a look at the latest news and updates related to parks in the news.

• • Madhav National Park to Become a Tiger Reserve
    • Approval By: National Tiger Conservation Authority’s (NTCA) technical committee
    
    
    
    • • State: Madhya Pradesh
    
    
    • • Existing Tiger Reserves in Madhya Pradesh:
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          • Kanha
        
        
        
        • • Satpura
        
        
        • • Bandhavgarh
        
        
        • • Pench
        
        
        • • Sanjay Dubri
        
        
        • • Panna
        
        
        • • Veerangana Durgavati
        
        
        • • Ratapani
        
        
        
    
    
    

• • Nano Bubble Technology Launched for Water Cleaning in National Zoological Park
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    • • Purpose: Cleaning and purifying water to promote the health of aquatic animals
    
    
    
    • • Location: National Zoological Park, New Delhi
    
    
    

• • Oxygen Bird Park (Amrit Mahotsav Park) has been inaugurated in Nagpur, Maharashtra, developed by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).

• • The Red Panda Conservation Breeding and Augmentation Programme of Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park, Darjeeling, has been shortlisted for the 2024 WAZA Conservation & Environmental Sustainability Awards. The Red Panda is listed as Endangered in the IUCN Red List.

• • Kaziranga National Park has gained recognition as India’s second-largest butterfly diversity hub, with 446 butterfly species.

• • The Indian Army has inaugurated its first memorial, “Satark Park”, to honor Military Intelligence personnel who lost their lives in service, located in Pune.

 Himalayan Mountaineering Institute (HMI), Darjeeling has recently undertaken a Divyangjan expedition from Kanchenjunga National Park to Mt. Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, the highest peak in Africa.

• • A four-ringed butterfly was recently rediscovered in Namdapha National Park, located in Arunachal Pradesh.

• • The Chhattisgarh government has decided to declare a new tiger reserve covering the areas of Guru Ghasidas National Park and Tamor Pingla Wildlife Sanctuary. After the addition of this tiger reserve, there will be four tiger reserves in Chhattisgarh.

• • The government of Australia has recently refused to renew a mining lease for the Jabiluka uranium deposit beneath Kakadu National Park.

• •  Gongronema Sasidharanii, a new species of plant, was recently discovered in Pampadum Shola National Park, which is located in Kerala.

Recently, scientists have found “giant” viruses that are about 1.5 billion years old in Yellowstone National Park, located in the United States.

• • A rare hemi-parasitic terrestrial plant named Phtheirospermum lushaiorum has been found in Phawngpui National Park, located in Mizoram.

• • The annual waterhole census of Great Indian Bustard has been conducted in Desert National Park, Jaisalmer, and 64 Great Indian Bustards were recorded within the park’s boundaries.

• • Jai Dhar Gupta and Vijay Dhasmana have created India’s first biosphere called Rajaji Raghati Biosphere (RRB) in Rajaji National Park.

• • Assam’s wildlife officials have recorded the striped caecilian (Ichthyophis spp) for the first time in Kaziranga National Park during a rapid herpetofauna survey.

• • South India’s first and country’s largest leopard safari was recently inaugurated at Bannerghatta Biological Park (BBP).

• • North Eastern Handicrafts & Handlooms Development Corporation Limited (NEHHDC) announces setting up an ERI silk spinning plant at Integrated Textile Park, Mushalpur, Baksa (Assam) with a Project cost of ₹14.92 crore.

• • Pench Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra is recognized as India’s first Dark Sky Park.

• •  Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park in West Bengal holds the world’s most significant number of snow leopards in captivity (14 in total with seven males and seven females).

• • A rare Golden Tiger was spotted in Kaziranga National Park, Assam.

• • National Highways Authority of India proposes constructing a 6-lane elevated highway through Bannerghatta National Park in Karnataka.

• • PM Narendra Modi visited Kaziranga National Park in Assam, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985.

• • The first photographic evidence of ‘Mainland Serow’ was recently recorded from Raimona National Park in Assam.

• •  Namibian cheetah “Aasha” births three cubs at Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh.

Partnership Announcement: The government of the United States of America (USA) is partnering with the Indian Institute of Technology Madras Research Park (IITMRP).Focus Areas:

Solar Energy: Collaborative efforts to enhance solar power technologies.

Green Hydrogen: Research and development in sustainable hydrogen production.

Electric Vehicles: Innovations and advancements in electric vehicle technology.

Batteries: Development of efficient battery systems for energy storage.

Green Buildings: Initiatives to promote sustainable architecture and construction practices.

• • Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh of Vietnam virtually inaugurated the Army Software Park at Nha Trang, Vietnam.

• • T&T Group (Uttar Pradesh) and Ramky Group (Hyderabad, Telangana) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) regarding cooperation in the establishment of a pharmaceutical industrial park.

• • IG Drones has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with IIT Bhubaneswar to establish an Advanced Drone Excellence Centre at the IIT Bhubaneswar Research and Entrepreneurship Park.

• • The first semiconductor park in Uttar Pradesh will be established at Greater Noida.

• • The Uttar Pradesh government has decided to set up a bioplastic park with an investment of Rs 2,000 crore in Lakhimpur Kheri.

• • Recently, the Indian Army and Punit Balan Group have collaborated to inaugurate India’s first Constitution Park in Pune.

• • Reliance Industries is set to begin construction on India’s first Multimodal Logistics Park at Mappedu near Chennai, Tamil Nadu.

• • Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) plans to develop India’s first and biggest jewelry park in Navi Mumbai.

• • Larsen & Toubro awarded the contract for an 1800 MWac Solar Photovoltaic Plant at Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park in the United Arab Emirates.

• • PM Narendra Modi lays the foundation stone of PM Mega Integrated Textile Region and Apparel (PM MITRA) Park in Navsari, Gujarat.

• • Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) launches its 24th Center of Entrepreneurship (CoE), named “FinGlobe,” at STPI-Gandhinagar, GIFT City, Gujarat.