Keoladeo National Park: A Managerial Approach to a Unique Protected Area cum World Heritage Site of India

Abstract

Keoladeo National Park, India, has a unique stature of being a Protected Area as per Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, a Ramsar Wetland as per Ramsar Convention and also a World Heritage Site as per World Heritage Convention. Such a status comes with its own set of managerial challenges. The park being an important breeding site for migratory birds taking the Central Asian Flyway faces recurring issues of water shortage, growth of invasive species and anthropogenic pressure. The park though being the only perimeter walled protected area of India poses great difficulty to retain its uniqueness. This study is designed to discuss in detail such issues of the park with present intervention by the park managers. The study has however focused mainly on the persistent challenge of water-level maintenance in the park, which is a prime factor in the uniqueness of the park. The authors are Indian Forest Service officers who dealt officially with the park management and its values, thereby having a primary insight into the administrative matters of this natural heritage of India.