Syllabus:

GS3: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment.

Context: 

Recently, the Odisha government has notified the Similipal Tiger Reserve as the National Park of India.

More on the News

• Simplipal was declared a national park under Section 35(4) Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972.
• It has now become the largest national Park of Odisha, covering 845.70 sq km. The remaining part of the 2,750 sq/km area will be considered as a wildlife sanctuary. 
• It is the 107th national park and the second in the eastern state, after the Bhitarkanika. 

• Prior to this declaration, Odisha had only one national park Bhitarkanika, home to India’s second-largest mangrove ecosystem after the Sundarbans. 

• Bhitarkanika was designated as a wildlife sanctuary in 1975 and later declared a national park in 1998.

• With the declaration of national park status, the notified area (845.70 sq/km) will now be ‘rights free’ and no human activities will be allowed. Limited human activities are allowed in the case of a wildlife sanctuary. 

Simplipal National Park

• It is located in the Mayurbhanj district of Odisha.

• Wildlife: It is the world’s only home to wild melanistic tigers. 

• The tigers of Similipal possess higher-than-normal levels of melanin, giving them coats that are more black with yellow stripes. Due to their unique lineage, they may be accurately described as pseudo-melanistic.
• It is home to 40 royal Bengal tigers, shelter to 25% of Odisha’s elephant population.
• It is a haven for over 360 species of birds, and diverse mammals like leopards, sambar, and mugger crocodiles.

• Vegetation: The forests of Similipal are a mix of sal trees, moist deciduous, and semi-evergreen types, creating a complex and thriving habitat for flora, fauna, and forest-dependent communities.

• The entire landscape is home to more than 1352 plant species, with 94 species of orchids, of which three species are endemic. 
• It is also the home of some endemic cultivars, aquatic grass species, 7% of the flowering plants and 8% orchids of India. 
• Khairiburu 1,178 meters (3,865 feet) and Meghasani 1,158 meters (3,799 feet) are two notable peaks located within the Simlipal Biosphere Reserve in Odisha, India. 

• Barehipani and Joranda are two popular waterfalls located within the Similipal National Park.

• Lodha is a  Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) found in the Mayurbhanj district.

History of Simlipal

• In 1959, after the merger of the erstwhile Mayurbhanj State with the Union of India, the area was declared a Reserve Forest by the State Government.
• In 1994, Similipal was designated as a Biosphere Reserve under UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere Programme by the Government of India.
• In 2001, the State Government of Odisha established the Mayurbhanj (Similipal-Kuldiha-Hadgarh) Elephant Reserve, with its core area overlapping with the core of the Similipal Sanctuary.
• In 2007, Odisha's State Government officially notified parts of the Similipal Forest Reserve as the Similipal Tiger Reserve.
• Further in 2009, the State Government of Odisha declared the Similipal Reserve Forest as Similipal Wildlife Sanctuary.

National Park

• Under the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972, a national park is a designated area of significant ecological, faunal, floral, or zoological importance declared by the State government for the protection, propagation, or development of wildlife and its environment. 
• No human activity is permitted inside the national park, except for the ones permitted by the Chief Wildlife Warden of the state. 
• A national park cannot be downgraded to a sanctuary.