India is one of the 17 megadiverse countries with 4 global biodiversity hotspots.
Ratio of area protected to maintain biological diversity to surface area is the
appropriate indicator to measure the country’s bio-diversity strength. The network
of protected areas in India, presently covers about 4.90 percent of the country’s
total land area. A network of 668 Protected Areas (PAs) has been established,
extending over 1,61,221.57 sq. kms. (4.90% of total geographic area),
comprising 102 National Parks, 515 Wildlife Sanctuaries, 47 Conservation
Reserves and 4 Community Reserves. 39 Tiger Reserves and 28 Elephant
Reserves have been designated for species specific management of tiger and
elephant habitats.