Model Question and Answers for APSC | What is the basic difference between a national park and Wildlife sanctuary? (APSC 2014)

Ans : Both Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park are declared under the wildlife protection act 1972 and both aim for in-situ conservation of biodiversity. However there are certain differences.
Difference Between Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park
1. Wildlife sanctuaries are known for wildlife conservation, which consists of insects, animals, birds, and microorganisms of various species and genes. Conversely, national parks are majorly famous for not only protecting the fauna, flora but also the landscape, and historical entities.
2. The objective of wildlife sanctuaries is to ensure that a population of the wildlife and their habitats are maintained substantially. Whilst, national parks preserve the scenic, environmental, and cultural heritage of the territory.
3. Talking about restrictions, national parks are significantly restricted regions, which are open only to certain people, while wildlife sanctuaries have lesser restrictions as compared to national parks.

4. To visit national parks, you need to have official permission to be received from the relevant authorities. On the contrary, no official permission is required to visit a wildlife sanctuary.
5. Boundaries of wildlife sanctuaries are not specified, while they are clearly marked in the national parks.
6. Human activities are allowed to some extent in the wildlife sanctuaries, while in the case of national parks, they are strictly banned by the governing authorities.