NATIONAL PARKS AND WILDLIFE SANCTUARY
National parks and wildlife sanctuaries are protected natural habitats, declared by the government of a country according to the regulations from the IUCN (The World Conservation Union) to preserve the wildlife through conservation of ecosystems. The restriction levels vary within these two categories but, the principal objective of declaring protected areas is the conservation of nature.
A National Park has a defined boundary, through which no person can get into the park without an approval.
Only an approved person can enter into a national park, either via paying a visitor ticket or an approved letter from the governing body (mostly the government). The visitors can only observe the park inside a vehicle that routes through defined trails and they cannot get out the vehicle for any reason unless there is an approved place for visitors. Photographs are allowed but research and educational work can only be done with a prior permission.
India’s first national park was established in 1936 as Hailey National Park, now known as Jim Corbett National Park, Uttarakhand.
A Wildlife Sanctuary is a declared protected area, where very limited human activity is allowed. The ownership of this type of protected area could lie in the hands of either a government or in any private organization or person, provided the regulations are governed by the government.