BANNERGHATTA NATIONAL PARK (BNP)

Bannerghatta National Park (BNP): 

• Location: 
  • Bannerghatta National Park is located near Bangalore, Karnataka in the hills of the Anekal range. 
    
    
  • The park is part of a wildlife corridor for elephants which connects the BR Hills and the Sathyamangalam forest. The park is contiguous with Talli reserve forest in the southeast and Bilikal forest in the south. 
    
    
  
  
  
• Recognition: 
  • It was declared as a National Park in 1974. 
    
    
  • In 2002 a portion of the park, became a biological reserve, the Bannerghatta Biological Park. It is the first biological park in India to have a fenced forested elephant sanctuary. 
    
    
  • In 2006, India's first butterfly enclosure was inaugurated at the park. 
    
    
  
  
  

Recent decision: 

• In the 33rd ESZ Expert Committee meeting of the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MOEF) held on February 28, members recommended finalisation after ‘detailed deliberations’ of the November 5 draft notification which declared an ESZ area of 169 sq.km. around BNP. 
  
  
• This represents a 37% reduction from the first draft notification issued in 2016 which had marked an ESZ area of 268.9 sq.km. 
  
  
• The new ESZ will range from 100 metres (towards Bengaluru) to 1 kilometre (in Ramanagaram district) from the periphery of the protected area. 
  
  
• Final notification expected in four months.