Vansda National Park

Entry Gate at Waghai-Vansda main road.
Vansda National Park
IUCN category II (national park)
Map showing the location of Vansda National Park
Location Map
Location Navsari District, Gujarat, India
Nearest city Vansda
Coordinates 20°44′N 73°28′E / 20.733°N 73.467°E / 20.733; 73.467Coordinates: 20°44′N 73°28′E / 20.733°N 73.467°E / 20.733; 73.467
Area 23.99 km2 (9.26 sq mi)
Established 1979
Governing body Forest Department of Gujarat

Vansda National Park, also known as Bansda National Park,[1] is a protected area which represents the thick woodlands of the Dangs and southern Gujarat, and is situated in the Vansda tehsil, Navsari District of Gujarat State, India. Riding on the banks of Ambika River and measuring roughly 24 km2 in area, the park lies about 65 km east of the town of Chikhali on the National Highway 8, and about 80 km north-east of the city of Valsad. Vansda, the town from which the name of the park is derived, is an important trading place for the surrounding area where the majority of the population is represented by adivasis. Vansda-Waghai state highway runs through the park, so does the narrow gauge rail link connecting Ahwa to Billimora.[2]

Established in 1979 as a National Park, the deciduous forest area having groves of "Katas" bamboo owes its beauty to no felling of trees since 1952. Nestled in the Western Ghats of Sahyadri range, it has a unique flavour of flora and fauna population.[3]

Apart from the botanical garden, some of the other attractions include local tribes, "Gira Falls", and the "Conservation center". As a part of developing ecotourism Gujarat Government has developed a campsite at Kilad.[4] There is also a deer breeding center maintained by Nature Club Surat in this region.

The best time to visit is post-monsoon season till winter when the forests are lush green and streams are full.

Fauna

Important animals found here are the Indian leopard, rhesus macaque, common palm civet, Hanuman langur, small Indian civet, four-horned antelope, wild boar, Indian porcupine, barking deer, hyena, jungle cat, Indian porcupine, flying squirrel, python, and venomous snakes like Russell's viper, cobras and kraits. Also, the pangolin, rusty spotted cat and the endangered great Indian squirrel can be found here. For example, in 1992, a rusty-spotted cat was spotted in a farmhouse at a plantation of mangoes in this park.[1]

Like Purna Wildlife Sanctuary in the Dangs' Forest,[5][6] and Shoolpaneshwar Wildlife Sanctuary, the Bengal tiger is reportedly extinct in the State of Gujarat. However, since the area where the state borders Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh has tigers anyway,[7] the forest is a potential habitat of the tiger.[8]

Here, a high diversity of species of forest birds is the main attraction for ecotourism. About 155 species of birds are found including common grey hornbill, grey-fronted green pigeon, yellow backed sunbird, Malabar trogon, jungle babbler, forest spotted owlet, shama, great Indian black woodpecker, are found. Apart from this, there are a variety of insects, centipedes, millipedes and snails. There are about 121 species of spider including the largest species in Gujarat the giant wood spider.[9][10]

Flora

There are 443 species of flowering plants. This includes teak, sadad, khakhro, kadad, humb, timru, kalam, bamboo, dudhkod, mahudo, behda, umaro, kusum, tanach, asan, shimlo, ambla, sisam, chopadi bondaro, etc. There are a variety if colourful orchids at Ambika river.[11][10]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Nowell, Kristin; Jackson, Peter (1996). Wild Cats: Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan (PDF). Gland, Switzerland: IUCN/SSC Cat Specialist Group. pp. 1–334. ISBN 2-8317-0045-0.
  2. ↑ http://www.nri.gujarat.gov.in/vansda-national-park.htm
  3. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2009-07-23. Retrieved 2009-06-11.
  4. ↑ "Kilad Campsite, Forest and Environment Department, Gujarat". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2015-01-02.
  5. ↑ Significant bird records and local extinctions in Purna and Ratanmahal Wildlife Sanctuaries, Gujarat, India-PRANAV TRIVEDI and V. C. SONI
  6. ↑ "Mahal Eco Campsite". Gujarat Tourism. Retrieved 2017-01-25.
  7. ↑ Jhala, Y. V.; Gopal, R.; Qureshi, Q., eds. (2008), Status of the Tigers, Co-predators, and Prey in India (PDF), TR 08/001, National Tiger Conservation Authority, Govt. of India, New Delhi; Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, archived from the original (PDF) on 2 June 2013
  8. ↑ Jhala, Y. V., Qureshi, Q., Sinha, P. R. (Eds.) (2011). Status of tigers, co-predators and prey in India, 2010. National Tiger Conservation Authority, Govt. of India, New Delhi, and Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun. TR 2011/003 pp-302
  9. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2013-08-12. Retrieved 2015-01-04.
  10. 1 2 http://www.gujarattourism.com/destination/details/12/130
  11. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-11-23. Retrieved 2015-01-04.
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