Kanger Valley National Park

ANALYSIS: Kanger Valley National Park

Introduction

Kanger Valley National Park, located in Jagdalpur, Bastar district, Chhattisgarh, has been submitted to the UNESCO Tentative List as a Natural World Heritage Site. Submitted on 11 February 2025, the park is significant for its exceptional natural beauty, limestone caves, karst landforms, waterfalls, dense moist forests, and rich biodiversity.The park was designated in 1982 under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and covers an area of 200 sq km.

Location and Physical Setting

Kanger Valley National Park derives its name from the Kanger River, which flows from the northwest to the southeast through the park. The terrain includes low flatlands, gentle slopes, steep inclines, plateaus, deep gorges, valleys and winding streams.The park’s elevation ranges from 338 metres to 781 metres above sea level. It is mainly characterised by the Indravati Group of Rocks, with soils such as loamy, sandy, lateritic and recent alluvial deposits.

Natural Beauty and Geological Importance

Kanger Valley National Park has been proposed under UNESCO Criteria (vii), (viii) and (x). It is especially known for its steep green valleys, Tirathgarh waterfalls, dense forests and subterranean limestone caves.The park contains more than 20 limestone caves, including Kotamsar, Dandak, Kailash and Aranyak caves. These caves are decorated with speleothems such as stalactites, stalagmites, helictites, flow stones and rim stones, making them important for scientists, researchers, students and tourists.

Tirathgarh and Kanger Dhara Waterfalls

Tirathgarh waterfall is one of the most important attractions of the park. It originates from the Munga Bahar river and falls from a height of about 150 feet on sandstone rocks. Its downstream merges with the Kanger River.Kanger Dhara waterfall is also geologically important because it was formed due to a tectonic event in the geological past. The nearby rocks show folding, joint patterns and mild metamorphism of shale, making the area important for studying geological processes.

Karst Landform and Cave System

Kanger Valley National Park represents a unique karst landscape formed due to the interaction of faults, folds, joints, rivers and intrusive bodies. The park contains subterranean limestone caverns, sinkholes and solution valleys.The caves are important not only geologically but also biologically, as they support unique cave-dwelling species. The park’s limestone caves are considered among the most biologically diverse caves studied in India and South Asia.

Floral Diversity

Kanger Valley National Park represents the moist Peninsular Valley Sal Forests of India and is considered one of the densest national parks in India. It lies in Zone 6C Deccan Peninsula – Eastern Highlands as per the biogeographic classification of India.

Faunal Diversity

Kanger Valley National Park supports rich wildlife due to its forests, caves, rivers, riparian zones, rocky areas and grass patches.

The park is home to important species such as panthers, striped hyenas, dholes, chital, barking deer, langurs, rhesus macaques, giant squirrels, Bastar Hill Myna, Crested Serpent Eagle, Malabar Whistling-Thrush, Rufous-tailed Lark, Travancore Wolf Snake and Green Pit Viper.

Ecological Importance

Kanger Valley National Park is important as an ecotone region between Sal forests and teak forests in Peninsular India. It supports multiple vegetation types in close proximity, including:

• Tropical Moist Deciduous Forests
• Tropical Dry Deciduous Forests
• Tropical Semi-Evergreen Forests
• Riparian forests
• Mixed forests

Despite its relatively small size, the park supports high endemism, including 13 vertebrate species endemic to India, 19 spider species endemic to India, and five spider species found only in Kanger Valley National Park’s limestone caves.

UNESCO Criteria and Justification

Human and Cultural Linkages

The caves of Kotamsar, Dandak, Kailash and Aranyak are important to the tribal people of Bastar, especially during Mahashivratri. Tourism around these caves also provides livelihood opportunities for local people.The park has only two tribal settlements within its boundary. Local tribals depend on the park for fuel wood, grazing and Non-Wood Forest Produce for their bona fide use.

Integrity and Conservation

The park has maintained the integrity of its ecological processes and terrain features. Its boundaries have not undergone major change, and it is managed through an approved management plan for the long-term conservation of its biological and geological diversity.At present, less than 2% of the park area is used by local tribals for agriculture.

Comparison with Similar Properties

Kanger Valley National Park has been compared with important karst and biodiversity sites such as South China Karst, Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, Gunung Mulu National Park, Hạ Long Bay, Puerto-Princesa Subterranean River National Park, Huanglong Scenic Area and Trang An Landscape Complex.Within India, its biodiversity value is comparable with sites such as Keoladeo Ghana National Park, Kaziranga National Park and Manas Wildlife Sanctuary. However, Kanger Valley stands out due to its unique combination of karst caves, decorated limestone caverns, dense forests, waterfalls, endemism and tribal-cultural linkages.

NECESSARY STATIC PART

Updated – 10 Feb 2025 News Source: UNESCO World Heritage Centre