About Great Himalayan National Park:
- It is located in Banjaar Sub-Division of Kullu District of Himachal Pradesh in the far Western Himalayas.
- It spreads across a total area of 1171 sq km.
- It was constituted in 1984 and was formally notified as a national park in 1999.
- GHNP was awarded UNESCO World Heritage Site status in 2014.
- Topography: The park is a stunning mix of lush coniferous forests, meadows, glaciers and mountain peaks.
- Fauna:
- Biodiversity surveys of GHNP in the past decade have identified 31 mammal species, 209 bird species, 12 reptile species, 9 amphibian species and 125 insect species.
- Animals like the bharal (blue sheep), common leopard, snow leopard, Himalayan brown bear, Himalayan tahr, musk deer and serow.
- Endangered western tragopan, lammergeiers, Himalayan griffon vultures and golden eagles.
- Flora:
- GHNP boasts 832 plant species, representing 128 families and 427 genera and comprising 26% of the total flora of Himachal Pradesh. These include 794 angiosperm species, 11 gymnosperm species (pines, conifers and cypresses) and 27 fern species.
- The boundaries of GHNP are also contiguous with: the Pin Valley National Park in the Trans-Himalaya range, the Rupi Bhabha Wildlife Sanctuary in the Sutlej watershed and the Kanawar Wildlife Sanctuary in Parvati valley.
