News: The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change issued a notification declaring Kumbhalgarh Wildlife Sanctuary as an Eco-Sensitive Zone to conserve biodiversity.
About Kumbhalgarh Wildlife Sanctuary
- Kumbhalgarh Wildlife Sanctuary is a protected area located in the Aravalli mountain range.
- Location: It is situated in the Rajsamand district of Rajasthan in western India and extends across parts of the Udaipur and Pali districts.
- Naming: The sanctuary is named after the historic Kumbhalgarh Fort, which lies within its boundary.
- Area: It covers a total area of 610.5 square km.
- Mountain ranges: It covers four hills in the mountain ranges of the Aravallis – the Kumbhalgarh Range, the Sadri Range, the Desuri Range, and the Bokhada Range.
- Major river: The eastern section is the origin of the Banas River, while the western slopes give rise to tributaries of the Luni River.
- Flora: The sanctuary supports mainly herb-based vegetation across its landscape.
- Plant species such as Churel, Dhok, Khair, and Salar grow abundantly and form an important part of the local forest cover.
- Fauna: The sanctuary supports a wide range of wildlife, including leopard, striped hyena, jungle cat, Indian pangolin, blue bull, and chinkara, along with several bird species.
- It also provides habitat to wolf, sloth bear, jackal, sambhar, nilgai, chausingha, and hare.
