NATIONAL PARKS IN WEST BENGAL AND IT'S PROBLEMS

NATIONAL PARKS IN WEST BENGAL AND IT'S PROBLEMS      

-Dr. Debasish Mukherjee, eminent Advocate and Nature-Lover

A National Park is a park in use for conservation purpose. It is a reserve of natural, semi national or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns . Individual nations designate their own national parks differently. There is a common idea of conservation of wildlife for posterity and as a symbol of national pride. 

       The International Union for Conservation of Nature ( IUCN ) has defined a national park as it's category 2 type of protected areas. According to IUCN , 6555 national parks worldwide met it's criteria in 2006. IUCN is still discussing the parameters of defining a National Park.  The world's first national park was established on 19th May, 1911 in Canada.  

      National Parks protect places of natural beauty and many endemic species.  National parks also protect the best of our national heritage, stunning landscapes, extraordinary wildlife and majestic forests. West Bengal is a potpourri of highly diversified history, culture and nature. From the slopes of the lesser Himalaya to the Deltaic Islands in the mouth of the Ganges, the state contributes a vast biosphere that is rich in flora and fauna and also comprises of several tribal communities.  

      In the north with the influence of the lesser Himalaya and several water bodies, the region has flourished as one of the major ecosystem destinations in India, whereas South Bengal with its extreme network of river channels and geographical features in the Deltaic region is famed for hosting the largest mangrove forest in the world. In our West Bengal, there are six national parks, e.g Jaldapara National Park, Gorumara National Park, Sunderbans National Park, Neora National Park, Singalila National Park and Buxa National Park.