3 GUJ AIR NCC SQN RAJKOT GROUP, GUJRAT DTE. NATIONAL PARKS OF GUJRAT

National Park” means an area declared, whether under sec.35. or sec.38 or deemed, under sub-section (3) of sec.66. to be declared, as a National Park. National park is an area which is strictly reserved for the betterment of the wildlife & biodiversity, and where activities like developmental, forestry, poaching, hunting and grazing on cultivation are not permitted. Their boundaries are well marked and circumscribed.

The Gir National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary are one of the most significant national parks in India that provides shelter to the Asiatic Lions. Apart from the lions, it also possesses innumerable species of various plants and animals. The Asiatic lion is a Panthera leo leo population surviving today only in India. Since the turn of the 20th century, its range is restricted to Gir National Park and the surrounding areas in the Indian state of Gujarat.

.Blackbuck National Park is a national park in India located at Velavadar in the Bhavnagar District of Gujarat state, India. Established in 1976 in the Bhal region of Saurashtra, the park is located around 42 km from the district headquarters city of Bhavnagar. Hugging the coasts of the Gulf of Khambhat on the south, it is spread over an area of 34.08 km2, which was primarily a "vidi" (grassland) of the maharaja of the princely state of Bhavnagar for hunting the blackbucks with his famous hunting cheetahs. On the northern side, it is surrounded by wastelands and agriculture fields. The national park has been classified as 4B Gujarat-Rajwada biotic province of semi-arid bio- geographical zone

India’s first Marine Wildlife Sanctuary and first Marine National Park were created here in the Gulf of Kutch in 1980 and 1982, respectively. This was a leap forward in societal and governmental consciousness about interacting with the natural world. The sanctuary covers 458 sq km, of which the park covers 163 sq km. It is an archipelago of 42 tropical islands along the northern coast of Jamnagar district and the southern coast of Kutch.

Vansda National Park, also known as Bansda National Park, is a protected area which represents the thick woodlands of the Dangs and southern Gujarat, and is situated in the Vansda tehsil, Navsari District of Gujarat state, India. Although Vansda has lost the Tiger, Wild Dog, Otter, Sambar and Sloth bear; it still boasts a good diversity of mammals such as the Leopard, Hyena, Jungle Cat, Civets, Mongooses, Macaques, Barking Deer, Four-horned antelopes and the only herd of Spotted Deer in this part of the State.

. National parks are important for preserving biodiversity through supporting ecosystems and the flora within them, protecting the environment through providing sustainable energy and mitigating the impact of climate change, and for national and local economies through supporting tourism and protecting agriculture. Jay hind, Cadet harsiddhiba gohil Guj/sw/20/316575.