Madhya Pradesh is known for the largest forested cover area in the country and has a rich and diverse forest resource.
Here’s looking at National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries in Madhya Pradesh.
- Kanha National Park- it is the largest national park in Madhya Pradesh and also one of the tiger reserves of India. The park has a major population of Indian wild dog, sloth bear, barasingha, Indian leopard and Bengal tiger. The park in total covers an area of 940km.
- Pench National Park- it is situated in the district if Seoni and Chhindwara and is the most promising location in Madhya Pradesh for tiger safari. The park is rich in birdlife and is famous for a Royal Bengal tigress named Collar Wali who has delivered 22 cubs since 2008.
- Bandhavgarh National Park- The park is located in the Umaria and has a large biodiversity. It has a breeding population of leopards and is one of the highest known density of the tiger population in India.
- Satpura National Park- This national park is the highland ecosystem in central India along with adjoining Bori and Pachmarhi wildlife sanctuaries. The park has very rich in biodiversity and home to about 10 Bengal tigers and Indian leopard.
- Panna National Park- it is the fifth tiger reserve in Madhya Pradesh and is one of the best maintained national parks of India by the Ministry of Tourism in India. The park along with Ken Gharial Wildlife Sanctuary and surrounding territorial forest area is home to more than 200 species of birds and animals.
- Madhav National Park- This national park is rich in biodiversity and is situated in Shivpuri district of Gwalior region. The national park has flat grassland, the terrain of forested hills and wooded hills.
- Sanjay National Park- it is located in Sidhi and Singrauli district of MP and is mostly composed of Sal forests. Sanjay National Park and Dubri Wildlife Sanctuary is home to 309 species of birds and animals including Bengal tiger, Indian leopard, Civet, Porcupine and Monitor lizard.
- Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary- This wildlife Sanctuary is located in the Sheopur district and is a most promising location for the reintroduction of Asiatic lions on MP but it may lead to conflict between Bengal tigers. It is one of the shortlisted sanctuaries for the reintroduction of cheetahs and Asiatic lions.
- Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary- It is the largest wildlife sanctuary of MP and a potential site for the Cheetah Reintroduction in India. The sanctuary covers the forested landscape of Sagar, Damoh, Narasinghpur, and Raisen. The species of Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary are Indian wolf, tiger, Indian leopard, striped hyena, and wild dog.
- National Chambal Sanctuary- it is located on the Chambal River near the border of Rajasthan and protected area for the critically endangered gharial. The river sanctuary is home to red-crowned roof turtle, critically endangered gharial crocodile and endangered Ganges river dolphins.