About Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary (KWS):
- Location: The KWS, famously known as the Kedarnath Musk Deer Sanctuary,is located in the Rudraprayag and Chamoli districts of the state of Uttarakhand.
- It was named after the famous Hindu temple of Kedarnath,which lies outside the northern border of the sanctuary.
- Its alternate name comes from its primary purpose of protecting the endangered Himalayan musk deer.
- It is the largest protected area in the western Himalayas.
- The sanctuary was established in 1972, covering a total area of 975.20 km2.
- It lies in the upper catchment of the Alaknanda and Mandakini Rivers.
- The altitude ranges from 1,160 to 7,068 m.
- It is bordered by Kedarnath (6940 m), Mandani (6193 m), and Chaukhamba (7068 m) peaks in the north.
- The area falls under the West Himalayan Zone in the Palearctic realm.
- Vegetation:
- It is covered with temperate forests.
- The higher and upper regions possess the sub-alpine and alpine coniferous forests.
- At high altitude, lush green meadows envelope the entire region.
- Flora: Oak, rhododendrons, Chir Pine and Alpine meadows along with several Himalayan flowering plants.
- Fauna: Some of the mammals are Musk deer, Himalayan Thar, Himalayan Black bear, Snow Leopard, etc, and some birds like Monal, Koklass, and Himalayan Griffon, etc.
